Erling Haaland questions Kyle Walker after Manchester City conceded their first goal against Crystal Palace.
Erling Haaland questions Kyle Walker after Manchester City conceded their first goal against Crystal Palace.
Gallows humour is back in fashion at Manchester City.
Not long after Erling Haaland made it 1-1 with a powerful header, the travelling support burst into a chant of “City are staying up.”
That, of course, will be decided by an independent commission rather than the points on the table but the fans’ wit said a lot for how things are going for the reigning champions.
This result in isolation was not a bad one but in the wider context put another nail in Pep Guardiola's hopes of retaining the title. Yet beyond the jokes, City fans should be worried by just how disjointed their team looks.
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It took four minutes for the fault lines to be exposed on a blustery day in south London as Kyle Walker produced his latest basic error. While Ruben Dias and Josko Gvaridol pushed up in an apparent offside trap, Walker stayed put with one eye on Eberechi Eze. But the struggling City captain failed to clock that Daniel Munoz was advancing on the opposite flank behind Rico Lewis.
Munoz still had plenty to do when receiving Will Hughes’ through ball, finishing with composure past Stefan Ortega, but this was another needless mistake from a player whose decline appears terminal. And the sight of Haaland asking his captain what the heck just happened offered a neat summary of just how bad things have become.
Guardiola can point to his long injury list and a bench that included five academy boys (alongside £190m worth of signings) but this back four was a strong one, with three experienced internationals and a left back who many think will be England’s first-choice for years to come. They just happened to be out of sync and out of confidence.
While Haaland found himself clear on goal twice - denied by Dean Henderson’s head on the first occasion - and Ilkay Gundogan saw a left-footed volley come back off the post, the ease with which Palace continued to drive through the champions’ midfield was startling before the Norwegian’s leveller.
Will Hughes in particular caused problems - on one occasion intercepting a Kevin De Bruyne pass before being given the freedom of Selhurst until sending a deflected shot wide.
Rico Lewis is shown a red card at Crystal Palace having scored Man City's equaliser.
Palace should really have been further ahead before Matheus Nunes shifted the ball on to his right foot and sent a deep cross for Haaland to convert past Dean Henderson, whose positioning was questionable.
City did enjoy a normal spell early in the second half in the sense that they put together a long spell of possession that pinned Palace back
But then Maxence Lacroix headed Oliver Glasner ’s team back in front from a Hughes corner with the marking leaving much to be desired.
And while Lewis stitched a second equaliser into the top corner, the full back’s dismissal for a late tackle on Trevoh Chalobah summed up a team that is drifting alarmingly out of the reckoning.
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