Manchester City put pressure on their Premier League title rivals on Saturday lunchtime by beating Crystal Palace 4-2 in the capital.
Both sides showed their teeth in an entertaining first half at Selhurst Park, with Kevin De Bruyne’s wonder strike cancelling out Jean-Philippe Mateta’s impressive opener.
However, second-half goals from Rico Lewis, Erling Haaland and De Bruyne helped Man City eventually ease to victory, moving them level on points with table-toppers Liverpool before their trip to Old Trafford on Sunday.
Man City knew that there was huge pressure on them to kick the weekend off with a win in the Premier League title race, but they made a nightmare start at Selhurst Park after falling behind early on.
It was a swift breakaway from Crystal Palace that carved them open, with Mateta latching on to a through ball and rifling his strike in off the post to stun the reigning champions after just three minutes.
The visitors responded well to going behind and Rodri came close to producing a quickfire equaliser, but Dean Henderson tipped his bouncing effort just wide of the post.
However, Man City did grab a leveller just ten minutes after Palace’s opener, De Bruyne sending an absolutely stunning effort into the top corner from just inside the area.
Pep Guardiola’s side should have taken the lead before the 20-minute mark as Haaland was denied by Henderson following De Bruyne’s defence-splitting pass, with Jordan Ayew spurning an opening at the other end by volleying over the bar.
Ayew almost capitalised on a rare Rodri error to restore the Eagles’ advantage before the break, but the Palace forward’s powerful shot clipped the top of the crossbar and went behind for a goal kick.
Despite a shaky first-half display, Man City did muscle their way in front just two minutes after the restart, with young Lewis’ deflected strike from close range flying beyond Henderson in the Palace goal.
Man City were in complete control after taking the lead and Haaland secured all three points by adding his name to the scoresheet with a poacher’s finish. Set up by De Bruyne’s near-post cross, the Norwegian prodded home from point-blank range to put the game to bed just after the hour mark.
De Bruyne capped his excellent display with yet another superb strike to rub salt in the Palace wounds, firing a left-footed drive past Henderson at his near post following Rodri’s neat set-up.
Odsonne Edouard did reduce the deficit with a smart finish from the bench, but it didn’t prevent Man City from strolling to a comfortable three points come the full-time whistle.
GK: Dean Henderson – 6/10 – Made some smart stops to deny Man City and was helpless for all of the visitors’ goals.
RB: Daniel Munoz – 5/10 – Got tight to Jack Grealish in the first half but the Man City winger grew in influence in the second half, with a number of goals coming down Munoz’s side.
CB: Joel Ward – 5/10 – Couldn’t use all his experience to deny Man City’s forward line, with Ward tiring on the right-hand side as the game wore on.
CB: Joachim Andersen – 5/10 – Made some good interventions during the first period, but, similarly to his teammates, his performance suffered from fatigue in the second half.
CB: Jefferson Lerma – 5/10 – Lost Haaland for Man City’s third and didn’t look entirely comfortable as part of a central three.
LB: Tyrick Mitchell – 6/10 – Limited Man City’s attacking threat down his side and largely kept Oscar Bobb quiet.
CM: Adam Wharton – 7/10 – Set up Mateta’s opener with a delightful through ball and was impressive for Palace in midfield.
CM: Will Hughes – 6/10 – A combative display from the midfielder, who was full of energy for the first hour.
RW: Jordan Ayew – 5/10 – Wasted some promising openings in the final third, striking the bar just before half-time. Could have changed the game had he been more clinical.
ST: Jean-Philippe Mateta – 7/10 – A composed yet powerful finish put Palace in front after just a few minutes, and his physicality caused Man City’s defence issues.
LW: Eberechi Eze – 4/10 – Palace couldn’t get him involved in the Man City half and he often ran into trouble as he tried to dribble his way up the pitch.
SUB: Jeffrey Schlupp (64′ for Eze) – 5/10
SUB: Michael Olise (74′ for Ayew) – 6/10
SUB: Odsonne Edouard (74′ for Mateta) – 7/10
SUB: Nathaniel Clyne (74′ for Mitchell) – 6/10
SUB: Naouirou Ahamada (83′ for Hughes) – N/A
Subs not used: Remi Matthews (GK), James Tomkins, David Ozoh, Franco Umeh-Chibueze.
Oliver Glasner – 5/10 – He will have seen plenty of positives from an impressive first-half performance, but his side simply didn’t have the legs to cope with City after the break.
GK: Stefan Ortega – 6/10 – One impeccable Cruyff turn under pressure late in the first half, but couldn’t stop either Palace goal.
CB: John Stones – 5/10 – A difficult return to the team for the defender who was skinned by Mateta for Palace’s opener. Looked a little sluggish when turned by Palace’s forwards.
CB: Ruben Dias – 6/10 – Not a particularly notable display from the Portuguese, who also struggled up against Mateta during the first half.
CB: Josko Gvardiol – 4/10 – Couldn’t offer any real attacking impetus when driving forward down the left and made some poor decisions defensively. Hooked at half-time.
DM: Rico Lewis – 8/10 – Moved into advanced positions from deep, popping up with a crucial second goal following his late run into the box.
DM: Rodri – 6/10 – Some uncharacteristic errors from the Spaniard during a subpar first half. Performed far better in the second period and set up Man City’s fourth with a neat touch.
RM: Oscar Bobb – 6/10 – A quiet afternoon for the youngster, who drifted through the game with little impact.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 9/10 – A simply sensational finish got Man City level and he should have had an assist for Haaland in the first half too. He did eventually set the Norwegian up and produced another great strike to double his tally.
CM: Julian Alvarez – 7/10 – Fantastic movement to run beyond the Palace backline from midfield, stretching the defence with some clever sprints.
LM: Jack Grealish – 7/10 – Went under the radar for spells of the game, yet was involved in all four Man City goals. A strange display, but ultimately effective.
ST: Erling Haaland – 6/10 – Missed a great chance in the first half to put City ahead but did grab a goal with a simple finish after the restart.
SUB: Manuel Akanji (46′ for Gvardiol) – 7/10 – Helped Man City control proceedings after coming on and retained possession better than Gvardiol.
SUB: Matheus Nunes (74′ for Alvarez) – 6/10
SUB: Mateo Kovacic (74′ for Rodri) – 6/10
SUB: Bernardo Silva (90′ for De Bruyne) – N/A
Subs not used: Ederson (GK), Sergio Gomez, Mahamadou Susoho, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku.
Pep Guardiola – 7/10 – He wasn’t pleased with his side’s display in the early stages but they were mightily impressive as the game progressed. A routine win in the end, despite some difficult moments at the back.
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