Manchester City Held to 2-2 Draw at Crystal Palace in Dramatic Premier League Clash
It was a night of highs, lows, and plenty of drama for Manchester City as they battled to a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at a rain-soaked Selhurst Park on Saturday. The match saw young star Rico Lewis score a crucial second-half goal before being sent off late in the game, leaving Pep Guardiola’s side to settle for just a point in their ongoing Premier League campaign.
City’s struggles on the road continued as they extended their winless streak to six away games across all competitions. Despite the draw, they remain fourth in the league standings with 27 points from 15 games. Meanwhile, Palace, who are fighting to stay clear of the relegation zone, sit in 16th place, four points above the drop.
Guardiola: “A Season to Suffer”
After the match, City boss Pep Guardiola didn’t mince words about his team’s current form. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said, “We take a point. We fought incredible and came back twice. It’s a season to suffer. We’ll see what happens in the last months.”
Guardiola added, “We tried. Big compliment for the opponent. We cannot talk about the title race when we lose four games in a row and draw. We have to do more games to be consistent. It’s difficult in the situation we have. I’m really pleased for the players—they fought and did everything.”
Early Setback for City
City’s defensive frailties were exposed early when Daniel Muñoz opened the scoring for Palace in just the fourth minute. Latching onto a pass from Will Hughes, Muñoz slotted the ball into the far corner past City’s goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. Ortega, starting in place of Éderson for the third consecutive game, managed to get a hand on the shot but couldn’t keep it out.
Haaland Strikes Again
City found their equalizer in the 30th minute when Erling Haaland rose to meet a long cross from Matheus Nunes, heading the ball into the far corner. The goal marked Haaland’s 13th league goal of the season, putting him level with Mohamed Salah of Liverpool as the Premier League’s top scorer.
Palace Take the Lead Again
Despite City’s dominance in possession, Palace regained the lead in the 56th minute. Maxence Lacroix capitalized on poor marking to head in a corner from Hughes, leaving City stunned once again.
Rico Lewis to the Rescue
City’s resilience shone through in the 68th minute when Bernardo Silva delivered a perfectly weighted through ball to Lewis. The 19-year-old made no mistake, firing home emphatically for his first goal of the season and the third league goal of his career. However, Lewis’s night ended in disappointment when he was shown a second yellow card in the 84th minute for a tackle on Trevoh Chalobah, reducing City to 10 men for the final minutes.
Missed Opportunities
City had their chances to secure all three points. Haaland saw an early point-blank shot saved by Palace keeper Dean Henderson, who took the ball to the face and required treatment before continuing. Later, Ilkay Gündogan rattled the post with a long-range effort in the first half.
Mixed Reactions from Both Camps
City midfielder Silva summed up the team’s frustration, saying, “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. Coming to Crystal Palace is never easy but we have to do better.”
He added, “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.”
For Palace, the draw felt like a positive result. Manager Oliver Glasner said, “We are pleased with the point and many parts of the performance. It feels like if we’d performed at our best level we could have won the game.”
He continued, “An unbeaten week with draws against Newcastle and Manchester City, everything is fine. We want to improve and get better in some situations and we could win those games.”
Key Takeaways
- Manchester City have now gone six away games without a win in all competitions.
- Erling Haaland is tied with Mohamed Salah as the Premier League’s top scorer with 13 goals.
- Crystal Palace remain four points above the relegation zone in 16th place.
As the Premier League season heats up, City will need to find consistency if they hope to challenge for the title, while Palace will look to build on their recent performances to secure safety.
Originally Written by: Mark Ogden
