Manchester City walked away with a point following their 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
City ended a winless run of seven games in midweek with a convincing 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest – their first victory in the Premier League since late October. However, the champions failed to build momentum from that outing in their next match.
The Blues were quickly reminded of their persistent issues when they conceded a goal in the opening minutes. An in-form Daniel Munoz found himself onside after Kyle Walker broke an already poorly-placed defensive line. City turned to possession, gradually creating chances.
Patience was rewarded close to the half hour mark when Erling Haaland headed the ball straight into the far corner to bag an equaliser from Matheus’ Nunes cross. City played better in the second half, but the hosts would soon add another from a corner, with an unguarded Maxence Lacroix comfortably leaping over Walker to score a header.
Pep Guardiola’s men were desperate to avoid a sixth away defeat, and gained momentum with Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva driving through the hosts’ midfield. One of City’s best moves saw the two work seamlessly to set up Rico Lewis, who took his chance and scored a beautiful goal to equalise.
Savinho found a good opportunity to score from a rebound but could not bag a goal. Ilkay Gundogan saw an effort denied by the post, and Haaland was unfortunate not to score more. City’s attacks looked promising at times, but the defence – barring Ruben Dias – looked bleak.
Pep Guardiola’s side are now eight points behind Liverpool – who have a game in hand following the postponement of the Merseyside derby away to Liverpool – and remain behind both Chelsea and Arsenal in the top-flight table.
City would certainly take a draw given their recent form and availability issues for Pep Guardiola, but the champions may also have missed a huge opportunity to influence the title race.
It is almost customary for December to reveal the biggest issues within a side, but the Blues’ troubles have been evident for the past couple of months. If anything, their latest showing against Crystal Palace drew attention to the need for rebuilding as the long-term solution.
As we round off our coverage of Manchester City’s 2-2 draw away to Crystal Palace, here are the Five Things We Learned from a blustery afternoon’s work in the capital preceding a mammoth week for the club on the pitch!
Manchester City’s biggest liability
It is unfortunate that Manchester City have discovered club captain Kyle Walker as arguably their biggest drawback in the defence, but there is no longer another way to sugarcoat that observation.
The England International has struggled with his defensive duties since returning from injury, often making glaring errors that lead to goals. Things did not improve during the clash with Crystal Palace, where Walker can be held largely responsible for both goals.
He played Daniel Munoz onside in the opening minutes of the game, who capitalized on the defence’s overall poor positioning to land an early blow. Later, Walker failed to mark Maxence Lacroix, who jumped above the right-back to head into the net to register the Eagles’ second.
There is no denying that Walker has played a massive role in Manchester City’s recent success since joining the club from Tottenham in the summer of 2017. The beginning of the current season showed that he is highly reliant on pace to make up for dwindling abilities.
However, he appears to have lost pace, making him one of the weakest points for Guardiola’s side. One can probably argue there is still time for him to revive his season, but challenges are fast approaching, and the champions no longer have the luxury to rely on optimism alone.
Kevin De Bruyne’s return and influence on Erling Haaland
De Bruyne’s return in the starting team sparked a new hope among the Manchester City faithful. The Belgian was the club’s most ruthless attacking player against Crystal Palace and gave viewers a highly-anticipated glimpse of his link-up with Erling Haaland up front.
The Norwegian forward has had his own battles in front of goal, often far from his usual goal-scoring prowess. But the 24-year-old scored a header yesterday and could have easily netted more.
Haaland seems more comfortable now in making runs, and has shown improvement while dropping deeper to help midfielders. He is playing so much better, with De Bruyne splitting the defence with his trademark passes to find the City striker up front.
If we are to take any positives from the game at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon, the Manchester City attacking duo’s combined goal-scoring threat elevating the Blues’ attack would definitely top the list.
Ruben Dias makes himself indispensable
City traveled to Selhurst Park without Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji and played with a different defensive line-up from the one seen in their 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in midweek.
Although the two goals conceded to Crystal Palace exposed Manchester City’s various defensive woes once again, it also brought Ruben Dias’ unparalleled performance at the back to the fore.
The Portuguese international made four crucial blocks to keep Crystal Palace from extending their lead, and when not throwing his body on the line to keep the Eagles’ from testing Stefan Ortega, he was orchestrating attacks from the back with through balls and switches of play.
Although Manchester City’s defence rightfully invites criticism at times, the centre-back convincingly argues his case to be one of the teamsheets’ first names with his reliable performance on the pitch.
Best and worst of Rico Lewis as he steps into heroics
Those who regularly watch Guardiola’s side cannot deny Rico Lewis’ quality. His bad run of form only came when injuries forced the Catalan to play him in unexpected positions where he had to shoulder too many responsibilities. This match saw Lewis at left-back, and he may not be entirely happy with his game.
Lewis netted City’s second goal to bring the visitors level and allowed the champions to walk away with a point. But having picked up a yellow card for dissent, he was later shown a second yellow for a mistimed tackle – or at least that is how referee Rob Jones saw it.
This means Rico Lewis will now be banned for Manchester City in their vitally important meeting with Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday afternoon.
Pep Guardiola was fuming at the decision and refused to discuss the action after the game. Perhaps the manager identifies Lewis’ bravery in making the most of any role he is given to make up for City absentees.
But repeatedly playing in unfamiliar positions puts him as much at risk far more than it gives him chances to showcase his brilliance. And Lewis’ absence from the club’s next match means Kyle Walker will start when the champions take on their 13th-placed city rivals.
A huge opportunity missed
The draw against Palace may have allowed City to salvage a point, but the champions let go of a massive opportunity. Guardiola’s side had a chance to reduce the gap with Liverpool after their match was postponed, and three points would’ve no doubt mounted pressure at the top.
Instead, City have now only won one game in nine matches across all competitions, facing Juventus in the Champions League in midweek before locking horns with Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United in the Premier League.
The reigning Premier League champions must eye three points in the upcoming derby day clash, especially with their attack gaining momentum, to build some form heading into a relentless run of fixtures over the coming weeks and months.
It may take a while before City stop being a shadow of themselves, but glimpses of familiar flowing football have fuelled recent hopes. The January transfer window would be critical for the club’s season as it appears likely the Blues will drop more points before the year ends.