MANCHESTER CITY 2, CRYSTAL PALACE 3
Manchester City lost a Premier League game at the Etihad for the first time since April after they were beaten 3-2 by Crystal Palace.
Embed from Getty ImagesIlkay Gundogan opened the scoring for City but Palace hit back through Jeffrey Schlupp, Andros Townsend, and Luka Milivojevic to take a commanding lead.
Kevin De Bruyne came of the bench to give City hope with a late looping goal but Palace held on to take all the points back to London and leave the Blues four points behind Liverpool in the League at Christmas.
Wilfried Zaha had an early chance after John Stones lost the ball to Luka Milivojevic early on in midfield but the Palace forward went down on the edge of the area too easily as City swarmed to cover for the makeshift midfielder’s mistake.
City finally took the lead after 27 minutes of dominance when Ilkay Gundogan was found by Fabian Delph’s cross and headed unmarked past Vicente Guaita.
But Palace hit back with two goals in two minutes to take the lead starting with a 33rd minute strike from an acute angle by Jeffrey Schlupp after City’s defence failed to deal with a Crystal Palace attack.
Palace took the lead two minutes later when Bernardo Silva half cleared a free kick which was volleyed like a missile past Ederson by Andros Townsend from 30 yards.
Palace could have extended their lead when Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross was met by Townsend but his header came off of the post.
Palace won a penalty when the hapless Walker fouled Max Meyer as he lunged trying to clear the rebound.
Milivojevic confidently tucked away the penalty to leave City a mountain to climb.
Defeat seemed certain until Kevin De Bruyne, a second half sub for Delph, looped a cross/shot past Guaita from 30 yards out and the Etihad rose for a final push but City couldn’t find an equaliser as Palace held on for victory.
PLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 2, Crystal Palace 3
Ederson: 6. Insufficient protection for the City keeper.
Kyle Walker: 4. Caught on the hop for Jeffrey Schlupp’s goal. Defensively suspect and lunged at Max Meyer to give away the penalty. Poor.
Nicolas Otamendi: 6. Sacrificed in a second half reshuffle for Sergio Aguero.
Aymeric Laporte: 6. Beaten by Wilfried Zaha for the first Palace goal.
Fabian Delph: 6. Early shot tipped over. Great right footed cross to Ilkay Gundogan for City’s opener. Mistake let Townsend get a run on goal in the second half and he was replaced by Kevin De Bruyne in the second half.
Bernardo Silva: 6. Another quiet game as City’s midfield did not look as fluid without Fernandinho in it.
John Stones: 6. Unfamiliar role in midfield. Lost the ball to Milivojevic early on when trying to take it further upfield and didn’t add much in an attacking sense. Went back in defence after Aguero came on.
Ilkay Gundogan. 7. On set pieces again. Headed City’s opener beautifully from Fabian Delph’s cross.
Raheem Sterling: 6. Gave Patrick van Aanholt plenty to think about and put a few good crosses in but not much danger to the visitors.
Gabriel Jesus: 6. Hard working as usual but little impact until he rose for a free header that flew over the bar late on.
Leroy Sane: 7. Dangerous down the wing but could have created a tap in for Jesus, instead hitting the side netting – that wasn’t the last time he tested Vicente Guaita either. Hit the post in the second half with a free kick.
Sergio Aguero (on for Nicolas Otamendi, 50): 6. Still feeling his way back from injury.
Kevin De Bruyne (on for Fabian Delph, 62): 7. Found it difficult to get a ball through the packed Crystal Palace defence until he decided to bypass them all with a looping shot that beat everyone including Vicente Guaita.
Riyad Mahrez (on for Raheem Sterling, 70): 6. Tried to find the spaces in a deep lying Palace side.
GOALS – Manchester City 2, Crystal Palace 3
Man City 1, Crystal Palace 0: 27. Great right footed cross by Fabian Delph to Ilkay Gundogan to head City’s opener from 8 yards out past Vicente Guaita.
Man City 1, Crystal Palace 1: 33. Wilfried Zaha beat Aymeric Laporte on City’s left flank and found James McArthur who got past John Stones to find Jeffrey Schlupp who turned and shot into the far post from City’s unguarded right flank from wide on the left with Kyle Walker lagging.
Man City 1, Crystal Palace 2: 35. A thundering left footed volley flew in from Andros Townsend from 30 yards out after Patrick Van Aanholt’s free kick was poorly cleared by Bernardo Silva’s header.
Man City 1, Crystal Palace 3: 52. Luka Milivojevic’s penalty extended Palace’s lead after Andros Townsend’s header came back off the post and Kyle Walker lunged at Max Meyer trying to clear the rebound.
Man City 2, Crystal Palace 3: 85. Kevin De Bruyne’s cross/shot looped into the net after Vicente Guaita misjudged it and the game was suddenly back on.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 2, Crystal Palace 3
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Otamendi (Aguero 50), Laporte, Delph (De Bruyne 62), Bernardo Silva, Stones, Gundogan, Sterling, Jesus, Sane
Man City Subs not used: Muric, Danilo, Mahrez, Zinchenko, Foden
Goals: Gundogan 27, De Bruyne 85
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, van Aanholt, McArthur, Milivojevic, Meyer (Puncheon 90+4), Schlupp, Townsend, Zaha (J Ayew 88)
Crystal Palace Subs not used: Speroni, Ward, Dann, Sorloth, Riedewald
Booked: Zaha 45, van Aanholt 76, McArthur 80, Guaita 90+2
Goals: Schlupp 33, Townsend 35, Milivojevic 52 pen