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Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 4-2 in the Premier League on Saturday, August 27.
City have made a strong start to their campaign, picking up seven points from a possible nine in the initial rounds. They faced a tough test away to Newcastle United last week, having to dig deep to salvage a 3-3 draw. Pep Guardiola made one change to the lineup, bringing in Ruben Dias for the injured Nathan Ake.
Palace, on the other hand, were handed some of the toughest fixtures in the opening weeks of their campaign. They faced Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa prior to their trip to Manchester. Patrick Vieira’s men did well to earn four points and were looking to continue their strong run.
However, they were without Wilfried Zaha, who was excluded from the squad as a precautionary measure with a congested fixture list at hand.
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Crystal Palace were the only side to keep two clean sheets against Manchester City last season and they started the game with confidence.
Despite being without the directness Zaha offers, the visitors snatched an early lead. They earned a corner and John Stones was unlucky to score an own goal as the ball ricocheted off him. City were down 1-0 after just four minutes.
Manchester City continued to struggle as Palace were composed in possession and extremely disciplined off it. The visitors also displayed their aerial prowess as they doubled their lead via another corner. This time around, Eze played the ball into the box, which Joachin Andersen headed in with a powerful attempt.
The hosts created several opportunities to arrive in Palace’s penalty area. However, the visitors defended as if their lives were on the line and went into the break with a two-goal lead.
Palace started the second half as they ended the first, maintaining defensive organization and solidity. However, they could only keep Manchester City at bay for a while.
Rodri played a lovely lofted pass into Bernardo Silva’s path, who controlled the ball with a deft touch. He then dribbled past a couple of defenders before striking the ball goalwards. The shot took a wicked deflection, which was enough to beat Vicente Guaita in goal.
Erling Haaland then took things into his own hands as he scored two goals in eight minutes to complete Manchester City’s comeback. He was first played the ball by Phil Foden and scored with a good finish to make it all square. Shortly after, John Stoned miscued a shot which fell kindly to the Norwegian. He duly tapped in to make it 3-2 to City.
Haaland completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute after a well-worked City move to put the result beyond doubt. Manchester City completed yet another impressive turnaround to walk away with all three points.
That said, let’s take a detailed look at how their players performed.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Ederson – 6/10
Ederson had no chance of saving either of Palace’s goals in the first half as both were scored from corners. He had a poor game in goal as he made just one save. He distributed the ball with 100% accuracy, though, including three long balls.
Kyle Walker – 6.5/10
Walker did fairly well to contain Eberechi Eze down the right flank. He won both of his duels and passed the ball with 94% accuracy. This included one key pass and nine accurate long balls.
Ruben Dias – 6.5/10
Dias struggled to mark the opposition players as they posed a serious aerial threat. He won six of his eight duels, making one tackle and one interception in the process.
John Stones – 7/10
Stones made a nervy start to the game. He was caught in no man’s land as the ball ricocheted off him and into the goal to give Palace an early lead. However, he redeemed himself with a clumsy assist for Haaland to complete his hat-trick late in the game.
Joao Cancelo – 6.5/10
Cancelo was the only bright spark in the lackluster Manchester City backline. He advanced the ball well and was a threat down the left flank. Cancelo won three of his six duels, making two tackles in the process. He also played two crosses and three accurate long balls.
Rodri – 7.5/10
Rodri made a decent start to the game in the middle of the park, distributing the ball well. However, Palace’s rigid form prevented him from carrying the ball through the middle, forcing him to pass it wide. He passed the ball with 90% accuracy, including a stunning 11 long balls at 100% accuracy. He also won seven of his 12 duels.
Kevin De Bruyne – 7/10
De Bruyne was unable to impose himself on the game as Manchester City’s creative output. Palace were organized and did well to intercept loose passes. He played three crosses, two long balls and two key passes in a strong finish to the game.
Bernardo Silva – 8.5/10
Silva used his dribbling ability to try and create space for himself to pick the right pass. However, he was unable to create any significant openings. He sparked Manchester City’s turnaround after scoring just six minutes following the restart. He passed the ball with 89% accuracy, including five key passes, three long balls and one cross.
Riyad Mahrez – 7/10
Mahrez was lively with the ball as he dribbled past Tyreek Mitchell on a couple of occasions with flair. He played two accurate crosses and long balls each. Mahrez also won two of his four duels and played one key pass.
Phil Foden – 7/10
Foden was once again wasteful and indecisive in the final third, costing Manchester City precious moments to break through a rigid defense. He had an average game overall and was also shown a yellow card.
Erling Haaland – 9.5/10
Haaland was marked as if he were a beast trapped in a cage. Palace’s two center backs and two midfielders created a box around him to prevent the ball being played into the Norwegian’s feet.
He was at his attacking best in the second half, though, scoring a hat-trick in just 19 minutes to earn the win for City. He scored from all his three shots on target.
Substitutes
Julian Alvarez – 6.5/10
Alvarez came on to replace Riyad Mahrez in the second half and put in a decent performance.
Ilkay Gundogan – 7/10
Gundogan replaced Cancelo after the hour-mark and helped City keep the ball longer as they completed a wonderful comeback. He provided as assist for his side’s fourth goal.
Sergio Gomez & Cole Palmer – N/A
They came on as late-game substitutes and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
Paul Merson predicts the result of Chelsea vs Leicester City and every PL GW 4 fixture! Click here
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