Guardiola lifts off-key Kev

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Manchester City have lost four of their last 10 Premier League home games (W5 D1), as many defeats as in their previous 55 on home soil (W46 D5 L4). Palace have suffered just two defeats in their opening 10 games of the season (W2 D6), their lowest haul of losses after 10 games of a top-flight season since 1990-91, when they’d lost none.

City have picked up three red cards in the Prem in 2021, last receiving more in a calendar year in 2012 (4).

Palace are only the third side to beat Pep Guardiola’s City at the Etihad on 2+ occasions in the Prem (Man Utd 3, Chelsea 2).

Wilfried Zaha netted his 50th goal, thus becoming the first Palace player to hit that milestone in the top-flight. Aymeric Laporte’s sending off was City’s first home red card in the Prem since October 2019.

PEP GUARDIOLA has backed Kevin De Bruyne to play himself back into form after admitting the playmaker is struggling to hit his usual sky-high standards after injury.

De Bruyne (right) was substituted in City’s shock defeat to Crystal Palace despite the champions chasing the game with 10 men.

And while Guardiola admitted the Belgium international is not the only one still to hit their straps this season he admitted De Bruyne is not yet at his best.

“Kevin is trying more and more every single day and today he made a step forward in many things,” said Guardiola.

“But our standards as a team, individually and collectively, are so high.

“We know how difficult it is to maintain it but not just him, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling too – all the top players who help us do what we achieve in the past.”

De Bruyne sustained damage to his ankle playing for Belgium in June then played with pain-killing injections in the Nations League last month.

He has completed 90 minutes for City only once this season at Liverpool.