The former Chelsea midfielder struck either side of half-time, with Jeremy Doku also on target, to give Pep Guardiola's side its first win in three in the league.

City fell behind midway through the first half when Andreas Pereira volleyed in Raul Jimenez's back-heeled cross from close range, but Fulham passed up chances to add to its lead.

Kovacic's goals either side of half-time, and a clinching third from Doku ultimately made the visitors pay for their wastefulness, although substitute Rodrigo Muniz set up a nervy finish for the defending champion when he halved the deficit with two minutes to play.

City held on to stay second and move to 17 points – one behind Liverpool – while Fulham remains sixth on 11 ahead of seventh-placed Newcastle United playing later in the day.

Kovacic dedicated his double to his future child, his strikes with added significance on a personal level.

"It means a lot because my wife is pregnant, so it was great to get some goals for the little one," he said. "It is never easy to play in the Premier League and, today, we showed great character. 

"We dominated in the beginning and couldn't score, conceded the goal and then came back quickly. In the end, we won it. It was a tough game against an opponent in good form, so for us, it is good to continue winning.

"It is always important to get the win. It doesn't matter who scores; the most important thing is getting three points. Now, we hope to continue like this."

Kovacic anchored City's midfield in the absence of Rodri, who suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal a fortnight ago.

"I am playing there in the middle at the moment and, of course, we need to cover for Rodri. We miss him a lot," the 30-year-old added.

"I think any team would miss him, the player that he is, and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope he comes back in as good a shape as possible. 

"For now, we have to adapt and, for sure, the manager has a lot of options, so we can rotate."