**Man City**kept up the pressure on league leaders **Arsenal**with a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace.
**Selhurst Park**has proven to be a fortress for the Eagles, who stubbornly shut out their opponents in the **FA Cup**final seven months ago. And for much of the first half, it seemed like they would put themselves in a position to repeat the feat through their transition threat and midfield management.
**Selhurst Park**has proven to be a fortress for the Eagles, who stubbornly shut out their opponents in the **FA Cup**final seven months ago. And for much of the first half, it seemed like they would put themselves in a position to repeat the feat through their transition threat and midfield management.
However, the moments of quality in the boxes belonged to the visitors. Erling Haaland handed the Citizens the lead with a header on the verge of half time before Phil Foden found the back of the net and gave **Rayan Cherki**a joint league leading sixth assist of the Premier League season.
And as Palace pushed for parity, **Savinho**seized on a moment of indecision to earn a penalty that Haaland converted. City came away convinced of their offensive weaponry, and with the gap at the top of the table restored to just two points.
Story of the Match
Pep Guardiola made one change to the side that he picked for the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu in midweek. Tijjani Reijnders replaced Jeremy Doku in the lineup. Before their travels for AFCON duties, Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri both sat as substitutes on the bench for the Citizens.
Oliver Glasner gave several players a break against **Shelbourne**in midweek. Tyrick Mitchell and Nathaniel Clyne came back into the starting eleven as the two wing-backs while Dean Henderson was back between the posts. Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta were also fit to feature upfront.
From the start, the guests set about trying to cause chaos. Marc Guehi clipped the ball high into the swirling air, and Mateta manhandled his marker, setting the ball for Sarr. His teammate could not capitalize on the situation, and a subsequent strike from Clyne strayed wide of the target.
Two massive moments soon came the way of Glasner’s men. Capable of transitioning through the centre with the passing of Adam Wharton, the Eagles turned the screw as their star midfielder got on the swivel and dinked the ball in behind the City defence. Yeremy Pino was the grateful recipient of his service, and his shot beat Gianluigi Donnarumma all ends up, but it crashed off the crossbar.
Seconds later, Kamada carried out one of his runs with the ball, and an opening arose that Mateta did not make the most of. The same could be said once Pino picked the pocket of Nico in the midfield: he turned down the chance to immediately release Mateta and was then crowded out in the penalty area.
Cherki’s can opening ability allowed the Citizens to threaten in the blink of an eye, and he cutely chipped a pass behind the backline for Reijnders to chase, but the Dutchman did not find the target.
The Eagles kept soaring and searing through their opponents in transition. Kamada carried the ball through the midfield, firing a through ball to his right to release Sarr down the channel. However, his cross could not connect with Mateta. Not long later, another expert piece of hold-up play from the French forward was the platform for another lung bursting Sarr run. He laid the ball back successfully this time for Pino, whose effort was smothered by Donnarumma before the flag was raised for offside.
City’s best chance of the first half hour came from a set-piece. Nico took it upon himself to drive deep into the Palace half with the ball, bringing a foul from Chris Richards. Foden stepped up to take the subsequent free kick, whipping a strike around the wall to provoke a save out of Dean Henderson.
But with every brief flash of quality from the visitors, Palace probed back in equal measure. A slick up-back and through sequence saw Wharton put in position to release another run from Sarr. The forward neither looked for Mateta nor steered his scoop goal bound, and he was deemed offside.
With five minutes to go in the first half, City had barely had a sniff. But their number nine needs just one moment to make the difference, and he did it again at Selhurst Park. Erling Haaland peeled away from Richards in the box, leapt to meet a **Matheus Nunes**delivery, and then headed home.
Palace were far from done. Pino picked out an exquisite reverse ball in the air to set away Mateta, who was charged down by Donnarumma in the danger zone. The officials felt this challenge was legal, and play went on as another chance came the way of the Frenchman down the left channel.
Half time was a welcome pause for the Citizens— especially with the goal advantage. Palace had the tools to pose problems, and they picked up where they had left off at the start of the second half.
Once more, Nico was robbed of possession deep in his territory as Sarr and Wharton converged on him. Wharton picked up the pieces, and he rifled a low driven effort onto the post. Sarr then failed to make the most of another deep ball as he was reluctant to take a shot twelve yards form the goal.
City could have made the hosts pay on the breakaway when Reijnders was released in behind, but the midfielder could not beat Henderson. So, Palace continued their assault: Ruben Dias dangerously gave away the ball, and Wharton tried to feed the ball to Pino. He sent the Spaniard a little wide of the posts, and once the ball came back to the midfielder, he teed up a wild and very wayward effort.
Glasner started to send on reinforcements. Eddie Nketiah took the place of Mateta in the front three, and Kamada then fell to the floor, clutching his hamstring in pain as he made way for Will Hughes.
Cherki had continued to sparkle in moments with flicks and tricks, drawing a yellow card out of Kamada. And as the game hung in the balance, he broke open the pitch at a critical moment.
The creative figure found himself on the ball as a Nketiah tackle failed to cut out the danger, and he drove the challenge of Wharton to slip in Foden on his left. His teammate was in prime position to pick out one of the corners, doubling the lead for the Citizens to deliver a big blow to Palace.
Now, the visitors could try to take the sting out of the game with the additional buffer. They still weathered the storm of shots from Glasner’s men as Sarr, Hughes, and Nketiah produced efforts that required blocks and saves. But the three points appeared to be in the bag once and for all.
They certainly were when substitute **Savinho**stole a loose ball as blue and red shirts hesitated deep in City territory. The winger drove through to go one-against-one with Henderson, earning a penalty as the shot stopper fouled him. Haaland handled business, bagging another brace for his collection.