How Palace stole City’s Christmas
The Grinch was in attendance as Crystal Palace shocked Manchester City after Jeffrey Schlupp set them on their way.
manchester city 2
Gundogan (27), De Bruyne (85)
crystal palace 3
Schlupp (33), Townsend (35), Milivojevic (pen, 52 ) Pep Guardiola defended his selection and refused to blame individuals after Manchester City suffered a shock loss to Crystal Palace.
The Premier League champions were stunned as the Eagles came from behind to win at the Etihad Stadium and leave City trailing leaders Liverpool by four points at Christmas.
City manager Guardiola had opted to start with key pair Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne on the bench, while John Stones played in midfield in the absence of Fernandinho.
Guardiola said: “Normally the selection, when you win I am a genius and when they win the selection is not good. I accept that role, but I don’t know what would happen if Kevin or Sergio started.
“Dinho is injured. Yesterday he felt that problem, but John played so good (in midfield) at Leicester and I want to give another option for the long balls. They are a strong team in the air.
“We decided to put him there and he played good, except one ball. I admire and give credit to people who try to adapt to positions they are not used to.”
City took the lead through Ilkay Gundogan, but Palace hit back with a Jeffrey Schlupp strike and a goal of the season contender from Andros Townsend. City’s hopes of getting back into the game were dashed when Kyle Walker rashly fouled Max Meyer and Luka Milivojevic stuck home the resulting penalty.
Guardiola made clear he was not impressed with Walker’s challenge, but did not criticise him publicly. He said: “The third goal, the penalty, was really tough for us. We have to avoid it. We cannot concede this kind of penalty. Here is not (just) what happened for Kyle, everybody is involved. We need the people in front to try and score goals, the people at the back to defend, everybody runs, everybody fights.”
City had a chance within the opening two minutes as Fabian Delph extended Palace’s stand-in goalkeeper Vicente Guaita with a fierce drive.
At that point it seemed Guaita, filling in for Wayne Hennessey, could be in for a busy time, but that did not materialise as City struggled to break Palace down thereafter. They did have opportunities as Leroy Sane drove into the side-netting, Raheem Sterling sliced a shot and Bernardo Silva had an effort blocked, but Palace stood up to the challenge.
City did break through after 27 minutes as Delph curled in an excellent cross from the left and picked out an unmarked Gundogan, who planted a firm header past Guaita.
But Palace trailed for just six minutes as they surprised City by pushing back. Stones, looking uncomfortable in midfield, inadvertently fed Schlupp as he won a tackle on James McArthur.
Schlupp pushed into the area and beat Ederson with a low left-foot shot across goal.
City were then stunned as Palace grabbed a second just two minutes later with Townsend’s stunner.
A free-kick won by Wilfried Zaha was lofted into the area and only half cleared by City. Silva attempted to head away, but the ball dropped invitingly towards Townsend around 30 yards out and he met it with a ferocious volley that flew into the roof of the net.
City brought Aguero off the bench early in the second half and Aymeric Laporte headed wide, but Palace shocked the hosts again six minutes after the restart.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka whipped in a cross and Townsend headed against a post. Max Meyer seized on the loose ball, but City were in disarray and Walker felled the German. Milivojevic rifled home from the spot.
City then turned to De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez, but Palace continued to hold them back until Sane went close with a brilliant free-kick that struck a post.
De Bruyne did find the net when a cross from the right flew into the top corner five minutes from time, but the hosts could not make the most of the lifeline.
Palace boss Roy Hodgson hailed his side’s performance, saying the result was more than he could have hoped for.
He said: “Getting something from the game was always going to be a tough ask because they have such a strong team and such a good bench.
“We certainly didn’t come up here thinking we had no chance or this was the kind of game we had to write off.
“But what we did think was that unless we produce a performance of that quality, discipline and workrate then we wouldn’t have much of a chance.
“Luckily the goals fell for us. After going 1-0 down we were able to score two good goals and that gives you something to cling on to.”