Crystal Palace 2, Manchester City 4
Kevin De Bruyne scored twice and set up Erling Haaland for another as Manchester City beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park after going behind.
Embed from Getty ImagesPep Guardiola hailed the impact of Kevin De Bruyne on the day he scored his 100th goal for Manchester City at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.
Although the depleted City defence were not at their best it came to the Belgian to drag City up a level and throw down the gauntlet to their title rivals as the season enters the latter stages.
He said: “We were not solid like we normally are after games every three days
“Today Kevin won the game, without Kevin we would not be able to win.
“Give me players like Kevin and this kind of game is easy. He had five months out but he has a really special talent.”
De Bruyne returned to the starting line up along with Erling Haaland after mid-week hat trick hero Phil Foden was rested with one eye on the Real Madrid game next week.
The Eagles took a shock lead after four minutes when a sloppy pass by John Stones sold Rodri short and Jean Phillipe Mateta took full advantage of the through ball to him from Adam Wharton to open the scoring past Stefan Ortega.
Dean Henderson saved from Rodri before Jack Grealish’s blocked cross fell to Kevin De Bruyne whose deflected shot saw the ball fly into the top corner.
Erling Haaland had already been denied by Henderson while Jordan Ayew robbed Rodri but could only hit the crossbar as Palace looked to retake the lead.
But it was dominant City who retook the lead when Rico Lewis scored barely 90 seconds in to the second half before Haaland finished from close range after a cutback from De Bruyne in the 66th minute.
And the Belgian put a fourth past the Eagles with an exquisite shot with the outside of his left boot after Rodri had laid off the ball from Grealish’s drilled in pass.
It was his 100th goal for City and what a way to celebrate the landmark.
With goal difference potentially a factor in the title race, City shipped another goal – substitute Odsonne Edouard diverted Jeffrey Schlupp’s cross past Ruben Dias and Ortega to reduce the deficit but it was little more than a consolation as there was no chance of a shock by this point.