Crystal Palace vs Manchester City LIVE!
Pep Guardiola was left fuming as Man City suffered yet another blow in this season’s Premier League title race after drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace. With the Merseyside derby clash between Everton and Liverpool postponed earlier in the day because of Storm Darragh, the champions had the opportunity to close the gap on the league leaders to six points - albeit having played a game more.
But despite equalising twice at Selhurst Park, they couldn’t find a winner. To make matters worse Rico Lewis, who scored City second equaliser, was sent-off for two bookable offences in the closing stages and that decision appeared to irk Guardiola as he confronted the match officials at the final whistle
Perhaps more worryingly for the Spaniard, City remain without a clean sheet away on the road in any competition since the beginning of October as Daniel Munoz and Maxence Lacroix both benefitted from some poor marking, though Erling Haaland did end his mini-goal drought in the Premier League with a brilliant header.
Crystal Palace vs Man City latest news
- RED CARD! Lewis is sent-off
- GOAL! Lewis gets City back on level terms
- GOAL! Lacroix restores Palace's lead
- GOAL! Haaland equalises for City
- GOAL! Munoz gives hosts early lead
Dom Smith at Selhurst Park
17:50 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHear Dom Smith’s thoughts on the terrific game at Selhurst Park.
🗣️"A really deserved point for Crystal Palace."
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) December 7, 2024
A brilliant game at Selhurst Park, where @MrDomSmith reacts to Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City.
LIVE reaction: https://t.co/yTNlJgN1WH#CRYMCI pic.twitter.com/G8PIE3kAe4
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:55 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneFULL-TIME: Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:54 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90+3 min: Bad challenge from Eddie Nketiah on Jack Grealish and he goes into the book for his troubles.
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90 min: Into four minutes of stoppage time, can either side find a winner?
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:48 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDom Smith at Selhurst Park.
It's silly from Lewis to go in so fiercely when already booked. You wonder now whether he has killed City's hopes of grabbing that all-important third late on.
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:47 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne85 min: Pep Guardiola responds to the red card by taking off Kevin De Bruyne and bringing on Jack Grealish.
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne84 min: RED CARD
City down to 10 men for the remaining minutes as Rico Lewis is sent-off.
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:43 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne81 min: Palace survive a couple of half chances for Man City.
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne78 min: Man City make their first change of the afternoon with Doku replacing Savinho.
The Belgian’s first involvement is to win a corner.
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:37 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne76 min: Second Palace substitution.
On: Nketiah
Off: Sarr
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:37 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDom Smith at Selhurst Park
Pretty constant pressure from City now. The visitors deserved their leveller from Rico Lewis, and they are now intent on taking all three points by finding their third goal of the afternoon.
Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan rotating play and trying to thread the sort of ball Will Hughes produced to Daniel Munoz's benefit in the fourth minute.
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne74 min: Dean Henderson makes a big save as he claws away Savinho’s deflected effort.
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:33 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne72 min: First Crystal Palace change.
On: Devenny
Off: Eze
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City
16:32 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne70 min: Rico Lewis booked for dissent moments after getting on the scoresheet.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City | Rico Lewis '68
16:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne68 min: GOAL for Man City!
What a game this is, Rico Lewis responds for Man City with an emphatic finish.
Crystal Palace 2-1 Man City
16:24 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne63 min: Boos ring around Selhurst Park as Man City don’t put the ball out of play whilst Mateta was down.
In fairness, it wasn’t a head injury so the visitors were well within their rights to keep playing.
Mateta is back on his feet now.
Crystal Palace 2-1 Man City
16:22 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne60 min: Palace supporters chant “sacked in the morning” at Pep Guardiola.
Crystal Palace 2-1 Man City
16:21 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDom Smith at Selhurst Park
Will Hughes sees his shot blocked behind for a corner after pinching it off City. Worth saying just how influential he has been this afternoon. And from it comes Maxence Lacroix's first Palace goal, and their lead is restored.
The Frenchman got above Kyle Walker like he wasn't even there.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-1 Man City | Maxence Lacroix '56
16:19 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne56 min: GOAL for Crystal Palace!
Free header at a corner form Maxence Lacroix and he makes no mistake to restore the home side’s lead.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
16:13 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne52 min: Fine work from Sarr down the right-hand side, he cuts the ball back for Eze who sees his effort blocked in the area by Ruben Dias.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
16:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne49 min: No real tempo at the start of the second half, Man City knocking the ball around but Palace are staying in their shape.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
16:06 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne46 min: Back underway at Selhurst Park!
Around the grounds
15:56 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHere are the half-time scores from the other two 3pm kick-offs in the Premier League:
Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton
Brentford 2-2 Newcastle United
Dom Smith at Selhurst Park
15:50 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneIt feels about right that things are level at the interval. Intriguing match. Palace into the lead through Munoz and really panicked the defending champions in the early knockings.
But Haaland's header got City back level, and they have looked more confident in themselves ever since. 1-1 at the break.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
15:49 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHALF-TIME: Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
15:47 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne45 min: Three additional minutes have been signalled.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
15:44 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne42 min: This time it’s City who launch a counter-attack as the ball finds its way to Savinho, who comes into a central position but fires his effort over the crossbar.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
15:42 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne40 min: There’s a collector’s item, a poor first touch from Kevin De Bruyne sees a promising Man City attack break down.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
15:39 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne37 min: City on top since the equaliser, dominating possession but Palace are content to sit deep.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City
15:34 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDom Smith at Selhurst Park
Well it hasn't been coming. It really hasn't. But Haaland gets above Guehi and loops a header over the needlessly advanced Henderson. Why does the goalkeeper come out?
If he stays put, he might be able to reach it. 1-1.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Man City | Erling Haaland '30
15:33 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne30 min: GOAL for Man City.
Erling Haaland continues his excellent personal record against Palace as he finds the back of the net with an impressive header.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne29 min: Almost a second for Palace as Munoz shrugs off Lewis and plays in Mateta who lays the ball off for Sarr but his effort is charged down by Ruben Dias.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:27 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne25 min: Will Hughes is having a fine half. He picks up the ball on the halfway line, evades a couple of challenges, advances goalwards and sees his shot deflected behind.
The resulting corner is cleared.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne23 min: POST!
Ilkay Gundogan’s volley comes back off the post before Savinho curls the rebound wide.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:23 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne22 min: Mateta, Eze and Sarr are counter-attacking well whenever they nick the ball. It's causing City all sorts of problems, and the fear of losing the ball in poor areas is looking like it is starting to play on the minds of some of the visiting players.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:22 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne21 min: From the resulting corner the ball rolls out to Sarr in a good position but he leans back and puts his effort over the bar.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:21 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne20 min: Palace break on City after winning the ball on the halfway line but Eze’s cross is deflected behind for a corner.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne18 min: City threaten as Haaland holds the ball up for De Bruyne who then looks for his teammate but he can’t take the ball in his stride and that allows Palace to clear their lines.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne14 min: Palace pushing for a second as Eze clips a ball into the box but it’s a fraction too high for Mateta.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne12 min: Corner for Man City is met by Josko Gvardiol but the defender heads the ball over the bar.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:12 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne8 min: Nervy moment for Man City as Ortega nearly spills the ball into the path of Sarr but the goalkeeper recovers in the nick of time.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City
15:09 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDom Smith at Selhurst Park
Daniel Muñoz celebrates his goal as though it grants him an early release from prison. What a ball from Will Hughes, a fine spot through the City legs. Incredible start for Palace.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City | Daniel Munoz '5
15:08 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne5 min: GOAL for Crystal Palace!
A dream start for the hosts as Will Hughes finds Munoz in acres of space and the right-back smashes the ball past Ortega and into the back of the net.
VAR has a quick check for offside but the goal stands.
Crystal Palace 0-0 Man City
15:04 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne3 min: As expected, Kyle Walker and Rico Lewis are operating at full-back for Man City with Josko Gvardiol partnering Ruben Dias in the middle.
Crystal Palace 0-0 Man City
15:01 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne1 min: KICK-OFF!
We are underway in this Premier League clash.
Here we go!
14:57 , Tashan Deniran-AlleynePlayers have emerged from the tunnel and out onto the pitch.
Time for the player handshakes and then kick-off.
Marc Guehi warning
14:51 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneCrystal Palace captain Marc Guehi has a warning for his teammates as they prepare to face a City side that has struggled on the road recently.
He said: “I'm not too sure I believe in ‘playing teams at good times’.
"At the end of the day, you're still playing Manchester City: world-class players, the champions, going up against Pep Guardiola, one of the best managers in the world.
"There’s not a good time to play City, but we’ll go into it with confidence, off the back of our own performances, and see if we can get a result."
Not long now!
14:46 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLess than 15 minutes to go until kick-off at Selhurst Park.
Two teams aiming to build on midweek victories.
City focus
14:39 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneCan Man City move above Chelsea and Arsenal in the table - albeit potentially for around 24 hours - and close the gap on Liverpool to six points?
Full focus 👊#ManCity | #AsahiSuperDry pic.twitter.com/5m2R14ziIr
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 7, 2024
Premier League fixtures
14:32 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneFollowing the Merseyside derby postponement, there are just four Premier League fixtures taking place today.
Aston Villa vs Southampton
Brentford vs Newcastle United
Crystal Palace vs Man City
Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest (5.30pm GMT)
Dom Smith at Selhurst Park
14:27 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneBig test for Mateta today. Glasner called him the best finisher he has ever worked with in his press conference yesterday. The question is whether he can show that today against the defending champions.
He managed to last season, scoring the opening goal in this fixture, though Palace ended up losing 4-2.
Pre-match thoughts
14:22 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneStandard Sport’s Dom Smith is in position at Selhurst Park and has given his thoughts on this afternoon's fixture.
🗣️ "Two sides hoping to follow up on midweek wins."
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) December 7, 2024
Game going ahead at Selhurst Park, where @MrDomSmith is in position to preview Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
LIVE: https://t.co/yTNlJgN1WH#CRYMCI pic.twitter.com/V7qAvkkrMW
Haaland drought
14:16 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneErling Haaland scored his first Man City hat-trick against this afternoon’s opponents and he has a good record when facing Crystal Palace with five goals in three appearances.
Though the Norwegian is on somewhat of a goal drought - going by his high standards - having failed to net in his last three Premier League outings.
Mateta chasing history
14:09 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneJean-Philippe Mateta leads the line for Palace this afternoon and he’s chasing a piece of history.
The Frenchman has scored in both of his last two Premier League appearances against City but no Palace player has ever scored in either three games in a row against City or in three in a row against the reigning Premier League champions.
Four Man City changes
14:03 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHalf of Man City’s changes are enforced as Nathan Ake is injured and Manuel Akanji hasn’t been risked.
This means Kyle Walker is restored at right-back, Rico Lewis starts on the opposite flank and Josko Gvardiol moves inside to partner Ruben Dias at the heart of defence.
Savinho and Matheus Nunes are recalled with Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku making way despite impressing against Nottingham Forest.
Your City side for #CRYMCI 🩵
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 7, 2024
XI | Ortega Moreno, Walker (C), Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis, Gundogan, Bernardo, De Bruyne, Savinho, Nunes, Haaland
SUBS | Ederson, Carson, Grealish, Doku, Wright, Simpson-Pusey, O'Reilly, McAtee, Wilson-Esbrand#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/t6UU6jnvxf
One change for Palace
13:58 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneOliver Glasner has made just the one change with Jefferson Lerma coming into midfield as Cheick Doucoure drops to the bench.
Meanwhile, Jean-Philippe Mateta leads the attack and will be supported by Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr.
Taking on City 💪#CPFC // #CRYMCI pic.twitter.com/W3U1uXjIS1
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) December 7, 2024
Man City team news
13:48 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneMan City XI: Ortega, Walker (C), Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis, Gundogan, Bernardo, De Bruyne, Savio, Nunes, Haaland
Substitutes: Ederson, Carson, Grealish, Doku, Wright, Simpson-Pusey, O'Reilly, McAtee, Wilson-Esbrand
Crystal Palace team news
13:47 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneCrystal Palace XI: Henderson, Mitchell, Guehi, Lacroix, Chalobah, Munoz, Lerma, Hughes, Eze, Sarr, Mateta
Subs: Turner, Ward, Clyne, Richards, Doucoure, Schlupp, Devenny, Kamada, Nketiah
Team news imminent
13:39 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneWe are expecting the starting line-ups for both Crystal Palace and Manchester City to be announced shortly.
Stay tuned...
Man City arrive
13:34 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneMan City have arrived at Selhurst Park as they seek to record back-to-back victories in the Premier League for the first time since October.
Selhurst Park 🏟️#ManCity | #CRYMCI pic.twitter.com/Y4H4uzcJ8x
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 7, 2024
Wharton latest
13:29 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneAdam Wharton is likely to miss this afternoon’s game, but Crystal Palace are hopeful the midfielder will be available for crucial upcoming fixtures against Brighton and Arsenal.
"Adam was out for four weeks, but he trained with us,” Palace boss Oliver Glasner said at his pre-City press conference on Friday.
"If he can train completely next week, then maybe he will be available for Brighton. We have Brighton, and then Arsenal twice, and we really hope that he's available for those games.”
Predicted Man City XI
13:24 , Tashan Deniran-AlleynePep Guardiola will be forced into at least one change this afternoon with Nathan Ake ruled out through injury.
But with Manuel Akanji also a doubt, it could mean that Josko Gvardiol switches to centre-back and Rico Lewis starts at left-back.
Man City worry
13:19 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThey may have snapped their long winless run in midweek, but Man City’s recent form away from home has to be a massive concern for Pep Guardiola.
Five defeats on the spin across all competitions, conceding at least twice in those games and you have to go back to October for their last clean sheet on the road.
Guardiola hints at new role for Grealish
13:14 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneJack Grealish was handed a new role for Man City in midweek as he operated centrally instead of out wide against Nottingham Forest and Pep Guardiola has hinted at continuing with this experiment.
“He has attributes to play there – maybe it was my mistake to play him as winger,” the Spaniard joked. “Here he has more of a fixed position, more in the places. But he can adapt perfectly in both positions.
“I know he likes playing in his position. We have a lot of needs right now and of course with and without the ball, his impact on the game was really, really good.”
Glasner on Palace's form
13:09 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne"We have two wins, two draws and one loss [in our last five Premier League games], so it goes in the right direction," the Crystal Palace boss told reporters. "The performances look quite stable at the moment, but we have to show it again against City, even on a better level than we did before.
"There are more reasons than just confidence. The players are getting into the rhythm without pre-season. We are physically in much better shape than we have been at the beginning of the season.
“The structure, how we are playing, we have new signings… it's getting more into their mind and into their body than it was at the beginning. It's a process where we are, but we are still [near] the bottom of the table. We still have many parts in our game that we can improve.
“Yes, it gives us confidence, the results, the performances, but it's no time to lay back and relax.”
Head to head (h2h) history and results
13:04 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneCrystal Palace wins: 17
Draws: 16
Man City wins: 38
Score prediction
12:59 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneIt remains to be seen if the win over Forest completely turns City around but it is difficult to bet against them here, particularly with De Bruyne back in form.
Man City to win, 3-1.
Crystal Palace team news
12:54 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDaichi Kamada is back in contention for Crystal Palace after suspension, though the game comes too soon for both Adam Wharton to make his return to action.
Man City team news
12:49 , Tashan Deniran-AlleynePep Guardiola has confirmed Phil Foden and Nathan Ake will not feature this afternoon, thus joining fellow Man City absentees John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Rodri and Oscar Bobb.
However, Kevin De Bruyne and Manuel Akanji will be assessed.
Why isn't the game on UK TV?
12:44 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneCrystal Palace vs Man City cannot be shown live in the UK because of the 3pm blackout imposed across English football on Saturday afternoons.
However, Match of the Day will show highlights at 10:35pm GMT on BBC One on Saturday night.
Crystal Palace statement
12:39 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThis morning, Crystal Palace released a statement regarding their Premier League fixture against Manchester City.
Today's fixture at Selhurst Park is scheduled to go ahead as planned.
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) December 7, 2024
We advise all supporters to plan their journey in advance and take care travelling to and from the stadium ❤️💙#CPFC // #CRYMCI
Welcome
12:34 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneGood afternoon and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Manchester City.
The game is scheduled to go ahead as planned despite Storm Darragh battering parts of the UK and causing a number of postponements, most notably the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool.
This does hand Man City a chance to narrow the gap on the league leaders to six points should they make it back-to-back wins in the space of three days after beating Nottingham Forest earlier in the week.
Though Pep Guardiola's side have lost five on the bounce away from home across all competitions and face a Palace outfit who are now unbeaten in three following their 1-0 win over Ipswich Town on Tuesday night.
It's sure to be an interesting game at Selhurst Park.
