"Manchester City are out," Paul Merson declared on Soccer Saturday.
It was another afternoon to forget in the blue half of Manchester as Pep Guardiola's side twice battled back from being behind to snatch a point at Crystal Palace on Saturday (December 7).
It's the same old story for Guardiola's side, who look far from the City slickers that dominated the Premier League with apparent ease - winning four titles on the bounce. "It's a season to suffer," Guardiola signed after the full-time whistle.
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He added: "We cannot talk about the Premier League title race when we lose four games in a row and draw..."
There had been relief at the Etihad Stadium, when, in the week, City cruised to a win over Nottingham Forest - it seemed they had finally turned a corner. But it was back to square one, conceding early against Palace setting the tone of the game.
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola's side drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace (Image: Getty Images)
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Erling Haaland was back on a Premier League scoresheet as City pegged themselves back. Only for poor marking from Kyle Walker allowing Maxence Lacroix to power home on a wet and windy afternoon.
Rico Lewis would play both hero and villain as he fired back, only to see red for a challenge less than 20 minutes later. More points dropped for City - who could be looking across a chasm at Liverpool and Arsenal come the turn of the year.
Guardiola added: "Really good. So proud of the team. I liked everything of the team, how we fought. We have a lot of problems with our squad.
Referee Robert Jones holds a yellow and red card in opposite hands which he shows to Rico Lewis of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Manchester City FC at Selhurst Park on December 7, 2024 in London, England.
Rico Lewis was sent off in the clash (Image: Offside via Getty Images)
"We fought incredible. We came back twice. It's a difficult place to come. We struggled in the beginning. We gave everything and we take a point. Long balls, second balls, they're stronger than us. We started the second half a bit sloppy. After 2-1 we reacted well.
"We lost another player defensively for the next game for a second yellow card."