Manchester City was held to a 2–2 draw away against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, twice coming from behind to rescue a point in a pulsating match at Selhurst Park.
This result now means that Man City's struggles have extended to six straight away matches without a win in all competitions, keeping eight points behind leader Liverpool in fourth.
Erling Haaland’s looping header cancelled out Daniel Muñoz’s early opener for the home side in what was a thrilling first half that unfolded in blustery conditions in south London.
After the break, the visitors had momentarily subdued the home crowd but defender Maxence Lecroix’s thumping header gave Palace the lead once again from Will Hughes's wonderful corner delivery.
Rico Lewis then scored City’s second equalizer of the afternoon with a brilliant strike after a well-worked move before the 20-year-old was later sent off for a late challenge on Trevoh Chalobah.
Here are three talking points from this entertaining Premier League clash at Selhurst Park.
Palace's excellent display at home shows promise
Before its match against City this afternoon, Crystal Palace was the Premier League’s second-lowest goalscoring team with only 12 goals. A lack of potency and frequent instances of profligacy have often plagued their fixtures this season, and goes some way to explaining how Oliver Glasner’s side has found itself in the lower reaches of the table this campaign.
However, the Austrian manager will be delighted at how his Palace side possessed substantial threat against the reigning champions this afternoon. Eberechi Eze and Hughes in central midfield served as the creative lynchpins in a performance full of dynamism and attacking intent, constantly threatening City in transition. Hughes in particular was magnificent, finishing the afternoon with two wonderful assists. Should Palace build on this promising performance, the Eagles should soon find themselves soaring up the Premier League table.
City painfully susceptible to transitions
In Manchester City’s previous six away matches in all competitions, it has conceded at least two goals each match. And this performance will not have allayed manager Pep Guardiola’s concerns with how porous his team have been in recent weeks.
Eze and Hughes gave the home side’s attacking play a sharp edge that sliced through City’s midfield like butter. The visitors were continually susceptible to the streams of counterattacks Palace executed, as they flew forward from their compact shape. City owe a huge debt to Rúben Dias after the Portuguese defender produced several excellent blocks to deny Palace a second goal in the first half from two promising counterattacks. If City is to improve its terrible defensive record on the road, its must immediately address its defensive shape in transition to stop conceding chances to teams on the break.
City finally showing its teeth after going behind
One crumb of comfort City can take from this performance is that the team is at least displaying some much needed resolve after going behind away from home. No team has conceded more goals in the first 15 minutes of Premier League matches than City’s seven this season, and when Muñoz fired in the game’s opener after four minutes, it looked like another miserable away defeat was on the cards.
However, City fought back well in this match when pegged back and continually presented a threat to Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Matheus Nunes’s brilliant cross led to Haaland’s looping header in the first half, after İlkay Gündoğan had hit the post with a volley moments before. And Lewis’s second-half leveler came from some fabulous attacking play, spearheaded by the team’s creator-in-chief Kevin De Bruyne. After some chastening losses away from home, City fans will at least be glad the team showcased some notable fight in this enthralling match.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pep Guardiola's Crisis Deepens: Things We Learned From Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City.
