Patrick Vieira believes his Crystal Palace "deserved something" from their trip to Manchester City after a “perfect” first-half performance against the Premier League champions.
The visitors once again stunned the Etihad after taking a two goal lead in 21 minutes. John Stones turned an Eberechi Eze free-kick into his own net and Joachim Andersen’s bullet header from an Eze corner looked set to seal another upset against the Premier League champions.
City were left frustrated at half-time after seven attempts on goal failed to hit the target. But Pep Guardiola’s side continued to dominate proceedings and mounted a superb second-half comeback.
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Bernardo Silva got things rolling when his effort deflected in off Jeffrey Schlupp eight minutes after the restart. Phil Foden teed up Erling Haaland to net his first of the day with a header from six yards before an easy-tap in eight minutes later put the Champions in front.
The Norwegian would complete his first Premier League hat-trick with less than ten minutes on the clock, putting any hopes of Palace stealing a point beyond them.
“Disappointed of course to concede four goals in the second-half but at the same time I think our first-half was a perfect one because we didn’t give them much space. We worked really hard and well, we were well disciplined, we made it difficult for them to find the solution,” said Vieira.
“I think we spent a lot of energy defending in the first-half and then when we come back in the second-half we lost a little bit of physicality, concentration, discipline and we can’t do that against the team and players they have.
“When they scored that first goal it became really difficult to build this kind of momentum and believe, this is a really experienced team so they have to manage those kind of situations better than we do. Frustration of course because we did enough, especially in the first-half, to get something from that game.”
Vieira added: "It's not just about the concentration, it's about the quality of the team, they quality of the players we are facing. We can't drop concentration and discipline because the players will put the ball in the right place at the right time and they can score goals.
"The way they play they always create chances and we did it well in the first-half to not give them those kind of opportunities. Then, in the second-half, we have to accept that with the quality they have they can get back and win the game. There's nothing more I can ask the players to do today."
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