Rico Lewis is shown a red card at Crystal Palace having scored Man City's equaliser.
Rico Lewis is shown a red card at Crystal Palace having scored Man City's equaliser.
Dean Henderson reckons Crystal Palace are back to their best having shaken off a stodgy start to the season.
Palace may still be waiting to register consecutive wins but they have lost just one of their past six and appeared the most likely victors against Manchester City.
And goalkeeper Henderson said their early struggles can be easily explained by it taking time for new signings such as Ismaila Sarr to bed in.
Asked if they are close to replicating the form that saw Oliver Glasner ’s side win six of their final seven games last season, Henderson said: “100%. Sarr has come into the team and at the start of the season no one really knew his strengths because we'd never really played with him.
Pep Guardiola warns Man City solution will not happen "for a long time"
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“Now we're seeing partnerships at the back and up the top of the pitch.
“Sometimes, with the fitness team, it takes ten games to get to full fitness. We're outrunning teams now and that was the aim. We’re only going to get better.”
Henderson said it was easy to spot that City have become a diminished force.
And having led twice he admitted: “I genuinely believed we could win.
“It felt different on the pitch. City at times are unbelievable and you don't get a break, don't get out of your own half.
“But they gave us a few chances – we wouldn't have got them last season.
“We've got to make them count and we did. It is a great point. No matter what form they're in they are world class players.”
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.
Meanwhile, frustrated Bernardo Silva has told his Manchester City team-mates that they must up their game.
And the Portugal midfielder pointed to the champions’ slack defending against Crystal Palace as an example of how standards have slipped.
Despite twice battling back from going behind Silva said: "With Man City it's always two points lost. One point is better than zero but we're not happy at the moment.
“We know our situation with injuries and coming to Crystal Palace is never easy but we have to do better. When I finish a game and I get a point I'm not happy. It's not the way we built this team, it's not our standard.
“We have to do better, we have to react better to the second balls. We have to give them less opportunities on set-pieces. We created a few chances and that wasn't our problem because we scored two.”
City are now eight points behind leaders Liverpool with a game extra played.
And Silva added: “We'd like to be in a different position. If we recover our players quickly we can always do it. But right now our concern is a different one.
"If we're fourth or fifth we have to look at winning the next game. The last month and a half have not been good enough."
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