Manchester City is closing in on league leaders Arsenal again. Guardiola’s team took revenge on Crystal Palace for losing the FA Cup final – thanks in part to Erling Haaland’s clinical finishing.
ManCity faced Crystal Palace for the first time since losing the FA Cup final – and once again struggled from the start against the deep-lying Londoners, who, however, did little to make the game attractive at first. After an uneventful first quarter of an hour, Wharton woke up Selhurst Park with a brilliant pass: Yeremy found himself all alone in front of goal, but hit the crossbar (17′).
Palace became more active, albeit still with the handbrake on. Guardiola’s team had significantly more possession, with Reijnders replacing Doku, who was unavailable at short notice, compared to the 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League. But the second-placed team regularly came up against a brick wall in their offensive efforts, and as the home side’s pinpricks did not cause any real pain, all efforts by both teams petered out. Only a free kick from Foden (30th minute, saved by Henderson) provided any entertainment during this phase.
Haaland was also hardly to be seen – until the 41st minute. As so often, ManCity laid siege to the Eagles’ penalty area until Matheus Nunes decided to cross from the right half of the field. Richards was not close enough to Haaland, who skilfully nodded the ball into the far corner to give his side a 1-0 lead at half-time – his 16th Premier League goal. The Londoners’ wait-and-see tactics were now gone, and more initiative was needed after the restart. And it came.
Sarr’s puzzling decision – Foden ice cold
Just three minutes into the second half, Wharton stole the ball from the unfocused Nico 25 meters in front of the ManCity goal and then hit the outside post. In the 51st minute, Sarr broke away on the right. From 13 meters out on the right, he should have shot, but inexplicably decided to cut inside and got stuck. Glasner’s reaction on the sideline spoke volumes.
His team now took significantly more risks, pressing earlier – and that gave ManCity space. In the 57th minute, Reijnders could have made it 2-0 after a counterattack, but Henderson’s foot got in the way. At the other end, Wharton and Mateta tried their luck from distance, but ultimately without success. The pace remained high, with both teams playing openly at times. But it was Guardiola’s team that struck again: Cherki dribbled his way into the penalty area and, under pressure, passed the ball to the better-positioned Foden. From 20 meters out, he placed the ball in the bottom right corner with a well-placed left-footed shot (69′).
Savinho unstoppable
The Eagles’ efforts were evident in the closing stages: Sarr and Hughes were denied by the crowded defense (82′), Nketiah by Donnarumma (85′). The ball bounced around the visitors’ penalty area on several occasions, including in the 88th minute. But instead of striking, Savinho, who had just come on as a substitute, suddenly found himself with a clear run on goal, sprinted across the entire field and was only stopped by Henderson’s foul in the penalty area. Haaland converted the penalty to seal the victory in this top-of-the-table clash.
The two teams now face another busy week. Manchester City, who have won five games in a row, host Brentford FC in the League Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday (8:30 p.m.). Crystal Palace are in action in the Conference League on Thursday, facing Kuopion PS from Finland at 9 p.m.
