Watched by his former national team manager Diego Maradona, Tevez scored City's first and last goals, in the fifth and 56th minutes, at Craven Cottage.

Pablo Zabaleta made it 2-0 in the 32nd with a swerving long-range effort, and Yaya Toure completed the first-half scoring after running onto Tevez's through ball in the 35th.

Zoltan Gera grabbed a 70th-minute consolation for Fulham, whose manager Mark Hughes endured a miserable day against the club that fired him last December.

The top of the standings is now bunched, with the leading four teams - Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and City - separated by three points.

After consecutive scoreless home draws - to United and Birmingham - City manager Roberto Mancini, who replaced Hughes, had come under heavy criticism for his perceived negative tactics.

He reacted by giving the often-isolated Tevez a strike partner in Jo, who made his first start for City in the Premier League in more than two years after costing 18 million pounds in July 2008, and the team produced an attacking performance to savor in the first half.

Tevez opened the scoring by netting his eighth goal of the campaign, using his upper-body strength to beat Carlos Salcido to Gareth Barry's pass before spinning and slipping a neat finish past goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

The early goal helped settle City, which dominated possession in midfield and looked lively going forward.

Left back Aleksandar Kolarov was on the end of a flowing counterattacking move to force a smart save out of Schwarzer in the 23rd.

It came as no shock when the second goal arrived. A weak clearance by Fulham winger Damien Duff went straight to Zabaleta, whose first-time 25-yard shot swerved beyond the reach of Schwarzer and into the corner.

It was all too easy for City, which made it 3-0 when Tevez fed Toure, whose first touch was sublime before he applied a low finish into the far corner from an angle.

Fulham started the second half well but any hopes of a comeback were dashed by Tevez.

The former Manchester United striker became the league's top scorer with nine goals by flicking a goal-bound shot by Zabaleta over Schwarzer and high into the net from inside the six-yard box.

The home crowd was given something to cheer about when a shot from Gera flew past City goalkeeper Joe Hart via a deflection off Kolo Toure, but the visitors comfortably saw the game out.

In Sunday's early match, Blackburn Rovers gave their new Indian owners a winning start as two goals from Morten Gamst Pedersen proved decisive in a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Pedersen struck a goal in each half as Blackburn delighted new owners Venkateshwara and Balaji Rao, watching from the stands at a bitterly cold Ewood Park after their takeover of the club was confirmed on Friday.

The win lifted Blackburn to 11th with 18 points, trailing Newcastle in 10th by virtue of goal difference.

"It's a fantastic day for us," Rovers manager Sam Allardyce said afterwards. "I think the fans turning out in the bitter cold weather is very important and we've paid them back handsomely today. We got defense and attack just right.

"In the end we snuffed them out brilliantly and took our goals in the end," Allardyce, admitting he was pleased to provide a winning start for the Raos, who run poultry giant Venky's.

"I hope we've sent them home very happy and excited about their new asset," Allardyce said. "I can imagine coming from India they felt the cold more than we did. But hopefully the result warmed them," he told BBC radio.

The victory was reward for a disciplined display by Rovers, who punished Villa at the end of the first half following the latest in a string of fouls committed by the visitors in dangerous areas.

Villa defender Stephen Warnock needlessly bundled over Blackburn's El-Hadji Diouf wide out on the right, and from the ensuing free-kick Pedersen whipped in a wicked cross which Brad Friedel misjudged completely as it curled in.

Blackburn made it 2-0 when a shot from Phil Jones was diverted into the Villa net by the alert Pedersen on 66 minutes.