BY ALEX PEWTER
An entertaining match for Oliver Glasner’s second career clash against Pep Guardiola, this draw stretched Crystal Palace’s unbeaten run to four matches.
Here is the lowdown of the match.
THE LINE-UPS
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Mitchell, Lerma, Hughes, Sarr (Nketiah 77), Eze (Devenny 72), Mateta. Subs not used: Turner, Ward, Clyne, Richards, Doucoure, Schlupp, Kamada.
Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis, Gundogan, Savinho (Doku 79), Silva, De Bruyne (Grealish 86), Nunes, Haaland. Subs not used: Ederson, Carson, Simpson-Pusey, Wilson-Esbrand, Wright, McAtee, O’Reilly.
Cerystal Palace v Manchester City – Premier League, Selhurst Park 07 December 2024
Picture : Keith Gillard
SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME
This was a match for the neutrals and a classic back-and-forth affair, with a goal apiece in each half. This could go down as the home team’s best performance of the season—at least in attack.
Daniel Munoz gave the team an early lead, getting in behind the City defence after four minutes and firing low past Stefan Ortega. City were almost able to counterpunch immediately, a great stop from Dean Henderson denied Erling Haaland three minutes later.
The Eagles had the better of the opening 30 minutes, if not wasteful with chances, but a Matheus Nunes cross left both Marc Guehi and Dean Henderson in no-man’s land as Haaland’s looping header tied the scoreline. That momentum carried into the second half, with the visitors on top in terms of possession and chances.
Yet it was Palace who took the lead once more in the 56th minute. An emphatic header from Maxence Lacroix inside the six-yard box from a corner left City reeling.
The away team was next to find the net. A well-worked string of passes capitalised on some poor marking, even if the finish wasn’t.
A dismissal and second yellow card for Rico Lewis boosted Palace into the closing stages with a one-man advantage. A series of corners failed to deliver another chance to win, but on balance it was a fair result.
Cerystal Palace v Manchester City – Premier League, Selhurst Park 07 December 2024
Picture : Keith Gillard
TACTICAL APPROACH
Palace used pace and physicality to make City’s life difficult at the back, as they were on the front foot from the off. Jean-Philippe Mateta, in particular, continued his run of being a challenge for his opposite number.
Glasner and his staff have built a solid defensive team in recent weeks, especially now that they can rely on a consistent selection of players. In attack, the team has become an effective counter-attacking side, a spark missing a couple of weeks ago.
If the opposition plays a high line, the right-sided pairing of Ismalia Sarr and Daniel Munoz will continue to threaten many Premier League defences.
STAR MAN
Will Hughes. He is often a player whose defensive qualities are valued over his skills on the ball. Yet, the midfield disrupter turned creator on this occasion, with two assists in the game. The first was a weighted through-ball breaking the lines to find Munoz. The second was an in-swinging corner hammered home by Lacroix. The way Hughes is performing, the debate is which of the other three defensive midfielders will play alongside him rather than him making way.
Cerystal Palace v Manchester City – Premier League, Selhurst Park 07 December 2024
Picture : Keith Gillard
BEST MOMENT
The early breakthrough for Palace was a brilliantly-weighted pass from Hughes, who found Munoz behind the City defence. His low finish at pace gave Stefan Ortega little chance to save it. After waiting more than 30 games to open his account for the club, he started this match as he ended the Newcastle game with a duplicate kneeslide at the corner of the Holmesdale and Main Stand – with pandemonium in the stands.
MOAN OF THE MATCH
It is difficult to be too down on the performance overall, but the defensive lapse for the second City goal stood out. Lewis enjoys playing against Palace, having scored all three of his Premier League goals against the South London team. From a quick free-kick and a slow build-up from the away team, none of Palace’s players picked up Lewis, allowing him to be wide open between defenders after a few smart, quick passes. The analysts and coaches will not enjoy going over this on Monday morning.
Cerystal Palace v Manchester City – Premier League, Selhurst Park 07 December 2024
Picture : Keith Gillard
A TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB
It’s now six points earned by Glasner’s team since the last international break, and attention now turns to a rivalry game against Brighton next week. The difference in mindset on the pitch and in the stands leads you to believe they will compete in each of the coming fixtures. Having relieved some of the league table pressure, taking this level of performance to the South Coast has turned a tricky fixture into one where the team will fancy their chances.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY
“No, I don’t feel unlucky [to draw], but yes, it was a good performance. We can do better, as I know the players, and I see them in training. Still, it feels after having the lead twice we have been to passive. We started excellent, we scored a fantastic goal, also City had two or three chances. It was a good performance for us and it’s a great week for us being unbeaten. But it feels a little bit that it could have been more.”
PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD
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