Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Review
Manchester City, who went a man down during the game, had to settle for a draw after coming from behind twice to finish 2-2 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, marking their sixth consecutive away match without a win in all competitions. City entered the match with renewed confidence following a midweek victory over Nottingham Forest that ended a seven-game winless streak. However, that confidence was shaken when Daniel Muñoz scored in the fourth minute, capitalizing on Will Hughes’s precise through ball and calmly placing a right-footed shot past Stefan Ortega. Shortly after, Dean Henderson made a crucial save to stop Erling Haaland’s close-range attempt.
Man City kept generating opportunities, with İlkay Gündoğan hitting the crossbar before Savinho sent the rebound wide of the far post. At the other end, the Cityzens had to work hard to maintain a one-goal deficit, as Rúben Dias made a crucial block to deny Jefferson Lerma’s powerful shot. Dias’ impressive play was highlighted when Haaland equalized just two minutes later, heading in his 13th league goal of the season after connecting with Matheus Nunes’ well-placed cross ahead of Henderson.
After his team leveled the score before halftime, Pep Guardiola must have been frustrated to see them lose that advantage early in the second half. Maxence Lacroix outjumped Kyle Walker to score with a header from Hughes’ deep corner, marking the midfielder’s second assist of the match. However, similar to the first half, City quickly responded to a Palace goal, with Rico Lewis firing an unstoppable shot into the top corner after receiving a pass from Bernardo Silva. Unfortunately for Lewis, his celebration was cut short when he received a second yellow card in the 84th minute for a foul on Trevoh Chalobah.
The visitors managed to secure a single point, keeping them in fourth place and a significant eight points behind the top team, having played one more match than the leaders. Meanwhile, the Eagles have moved four points ahead of the relegation zone.
