Oliver Glasner: Mateta "lost too many duels"
The Crystal Palace manager has been quite critical of Jean-Philippe Mateta, who he hooked at half-time. Asked if he had made a mistake in doing so, he says he didn’t. “He can do better than he did in the first half,” he said of the striker. “He lost too many duels and too many balls. The mistake I made was to change the system, not to take Mateta off.”
Manchester City 5-2 Crystal Palace
Match report: A goal and an assist and a captain’s display that wrenched the contest from Crystal Palace: here was an afternoon to revel in the sublime talent of Kevin De Bruyne. Jamie Jackson was at the Etihad Stadium to see a master at work …
Pep Guardiola: "We could have scored eight or nine"
“Kevin with a free-kick changed the momentum,” says the City manager matter-of-factly upon being asked by TNT Sports who or what was the inspiration behind City’s comeback. “We scored two and after the second half started our next two goals was quick. If you see the chances that we had we could have scored eight or nine easy because we arrive in the final third, one against one with the keeper how many times? The work ethic, the way we played was really good.”
Kevin De Bruyne: "I want to play on"
“It’s been a hard year,” he says. “Having a hernia was not much fun but I’ve been pain free for the past six weeks and that’s made a big difference. It was hard but now I feel free. I’m able to do a lot of training sessions. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I want to play on. We’ll see where I can end up.
On how he’ll feel after his last game with City: “I don’t know how I’m going to feel,” he says. “I’ve been here so long, my family’s been here 10 years, my kids were born in Manchester and live their whole life here. It’s going to be something different for them and I think they’re a bit scared … excited. It’s a big unknown because we don’t know what’s going to happen for the moment. I want to play good football like I did today but I’ll be fine. If I can play football and my family’s happy, I’m good.”
Kevin De Bruyne: "I was wondering 'What's going on here?'"
“The scoreline didn’t reflect what I thought about the first 20 minutes,” says the City captain in an interview with TNT. “We found a way to change the game and 10 years is not going to change in 20 minutes. I’m going to enjoy every moment that I have here and I’m happy that we found a way to perform well today.”
On the Eze goal being ruled out: “I thought the first 20 minutes it was actually alright. We had a couple of chances but they pounced on two chances, one, a corner and then obviously the Eze chance. I was wondering "‘What’s going on here?’ but I think the reaction was really good. Obviously scoring very quickly the first and the second changed the feeling of the game. I think overall we played really well.”
James McAtee: "Ederson can kick it dead far"
“I don’t think we deserved to be 2-0 down,” says the scorer of City’s fourth goal in an interview with TNT. “I think I missed a few chances early on and the game just got away from us a little bit. We wewre p[laying well anyway, we knew the goals were going to come and they did.”
On the turning point and who led the comeback: “Obvious answers like Ruben, Kevin, Gundogan, Kovacic … I don’t know if I’m missing a few. Obviously we wanted to prove a point and show that we were committed and want to finish in the Champions League spots.”
On the Ederson pass that led to his goal. “He can kick it dead far,” he says with a smile. “He’s got a great pass so when I saw the defence was high up I just tried to get between them and the goal.”
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Full time: Manchester City 5-2 Crystal Palace
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeeep! It’s all over at the Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City have come from two goals down to hammer Crystal Palace, due in no small part thanks to Kevin De Bruyne taking it upon himself to grab the game by the scruff of the neck after Crystal Palace had an effort that would have put them 3-0 up correctly ruled out for a tight offside.
90+6 min: Nico O’Reilly puts the ball behind for a late corner, which Will Hughes will take. Gvardiol leaps to clear his inswinger and that’s it. Manchester City have come from two goals down to thrash Palace and go fourth in the table.
90+3 min: Palace go in search of a late consolation goal and Devenny’s cross appears to be handled at the far post by Rico Lewis. He seemed to control the ball with a combination of face, shoulder, chest and both arm. Palace appeal for a penalty but don’t get one. Moments later, Lerma is booked for a lunge on Doku.
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90+2 min: Kevin De Bruyne is confirmed as the man of the match in what could scarcely have been a more foregone conclusion.
90 min: Oscar Bobb tries to pick out Doku in a congested Palace penalty area but there’s a handball by the Belgian and the visitors get a chance to clear their lines. We’ll have seven minutes of added time, which Palace’s players could almost certainly do without. They just want to hear the final whistle.
88 min: Man City substitutions: Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku come on for Kevin De Bruyne and Mateo Kovacic. De Bruyne, who is approaching the end of his time at Manchester City, has been at his very best today.
86 min: Matheus Franca and Justin Devenny are on for Palace and almost combine to pull a goal back. Sadly, the former is unable to convert the cross lashed across the face of goal by the latter.
84 min: Kovacic robs Munoz of possession in the middle of the pitch and advances, only to lose the ball himself.
82 min: Man City bring on Oscar Bobb and Savinho for Omar Marmoush and James McAtee, who have both played well and got on the scoresheet.
GOAL! Man City 5-2 Crystal Palace (O'Reilly 79)
City score again! Nico O’Reilly sidefoots home with a volley from just inside the penalty area, connecting with a McAtee cross that was nudged his way off the eyebrows of Chris Richards. His effort took a slight deflection off Nathaniel Clyne on its way past Henderson.
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78 min: What was one of the best games of the season is fizzling out into something of a non-event, due in no small part to City’s almost total dominance. Things could have been a lot different if Eze had stayed onside to put Palace 3-0 ahead in the first half.
73 min: We’ve just had the second of two minutes’ worth of applause for the Manchester City-supporting father and son, Alan and Justin Chappell, who tragically passed away within four days of each other in March. Alan was 72, while Justin was 28.
72 min: That succession of stoppages for the substitutions and injuries has taken the momentum out of the game. If Palace could somehow pull a goal back it would make for an interesting denouement but they’ve been very much on the back foot since the break.
70 min: The jig is up for Ederson, who limps from the pitch to warm applause and is replaced by Ortega.
69 min: Now Ederson is on his back on the grass, in need of treatment. It looks like he has a groin issue and Stefan Ortega has been sent to warm up.
67 min: James McAtee is booked for a late lunge on Jefferson Lerma as the game starts to get a little scrappy.
66 min: There’s a lengthy break in play as Eberechi Eze receives treatment for what appears to be an injury to his left ankle sustained in a coming-together with Kevin De Bruyne. He hobbles to the touchline and play resumes.
64 min: Palace substitutions: Ben Chilwell and Nathaniel Clyne on for Maxence Lacroix and Tyrick Mitchell.
62 min: Having seen a replay of McAtee’s goal, it would be fair to say that I did Ederson a grave disservice by describing his inch-perfect 60-yard pass into the path of the goalscorer as "getting it launched” in the hit-and-hope style. He knew exactly what he was doing. Wow.
59 min: Henderson saves brilliantly from Marmoush, who had latched on to a brilliant low cross from De Bruyne and blasted the ball at the goalkeeper from close range. Gundogan’s follow-up is blocked by a defender and then O’Reilly shoots over the bar. This is amazing stuff and the cross from De Bruyne after he’d latched on to Kovacic’s defence-splitting through ball was exquisite.
GOAL! Man City 4-2 Crystal Palace (McAtee 56)
City score again! Ederson gets the ball launched and James McAtee pounces on it just outside the Palace penalty area after darting between defenders. McAtee takes the ball around the onrushing Henderson with a deft touch and then slots it into an empty net. Half of City’s players rush to congratulate the goalscorer, while the rest sprint in the direction of Ederson. That’s his fourth Premier League assist of the season.
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55 min: Maxence Lacroix is penalised and booked for a late challenge on Kovacic. Unlike his teammate Hughes, he can have no complaints.
53 min: City continue to dominate possession, barely giving Palace a touch. Will Hughes loses patience and is penalised – harshly – for a foul on Kevin De Bruyne. The Palace sub won the ball cleanly and City’s skipper just tripped over his outstretched leg.
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51 min: Marmoush squares the ball across the Palace penalty area for McAtee, who has acres of space in which to operate and a clear sight of goal but blasts high over the bar. It’s a bad miss.
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49 min: Hats off to Ilkay Gundogan, who picked out O’Reilly with an exquisite pass to the byline played between Richards and Daniel Munoz. The youngster stayed onside and was instrumental in setting up the goal.
GOAL! Man City 3-2 Crystal Palace (Kovacic 47)
City lead! Nico O’Reilly pulls the ball back to De Bruyne from the byline. Unable to take a shot, the City skipper lays the ball off to Kovacic, who lashes a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. His effort survives a VAR check for an offside in the build-up.
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46 min: Ismaila Sarr has moved into Mateta’s position up front for Palace, while Hughes has taken up position in the middle of the pitch for his side.
Second half: Man City 2-2 Crystal Palace
46 min: Play resumes with Palace on the ball and Will Hughes on for Jean-Philippe Mateta in what seems a weird change, unless the Palace striker is injured.
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An email: “New VAR technology introduced the same week City need to get on their bike for Europe,” writes Kieran. “Has just denied a third goal for Palace. That then gives City a lifeline to get some points. As an Arsenal fan, I know exactly what this means.”
All it means is that Eze was offside. His effort would have been ruled out with or without the new technology, it just would have taken a lot longer for the VAR officials to make their decision if it wasn’t available to them.
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Half-time: Man City 2-2 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace went ahead against the run of play when the unmarked Eberechi Eze stroked home Ismaila Sarr’s cross at the far post, before Chris Richards doubled their lead with a header from close range at a corner. Palace thought they’d gone three up through Eze, only for their talisman’s effort to be ruled out for a tight offside. Ismaila Sarr was also guilty of missing a gilt-edge chance, when shooting over from six yards.
Manchester City hit the post through Kevin De Bruyne, who went on to smack the ball home off the same upright with a free-kick. Omar Marmoush restored parity with a low drive from just outside the six-yard box, before De Bruyne missed a glorious chance to put his side ahead in added time just before the break. It’s all square at the Etihad, where City have been very much in the ascendency since scoring their first goal.
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45+3 min: De Bruyne whips in a cross in from the left but it sails wide of the far post. It’s half-time in a fantastic game of football.
45+1 min: Kevin De Bruyne runs on to a pass from McAtee, taking Lacroix out of the game with a wonderful touch of his left foot. With a clear sight of goal, he blasts the ball high over the bar from about 10 yards. That’s a bad miss.
45 min: De Bruyne’s delivery into the Palace penalty area is cleared but Ismaila Sarr runs into a wall of light blue resistance as he tries to break forward on the counter-attack. We’ll have three minutes of add-ons to a thoroughly enjoyable first half.
44 min: Mateta is penalised for barging into the back of Gvardiol after Kamada had given the ball away with a sloppy pass. Free-kick for City, about 40 yards from the Palace goal.
43 min: We approach the end of a first half that has simply flown by with City continuing to assert their dominance. Nico O’Reilly coughs up cheap possession to Daniel Munoz, allowing Palace some momentary respite.
40 min: Nico Gonzalez gets booked for dragging out of Mateta’s shirt. He joins Daichi Kamada, who was booked for the foul that led to City’s opening goal, in the referee’s notebook.
38 min: From being within a toenail of going three goals up, Crystal Palace have been pegged back by two quick-fire goals from Manchester City and look completely rattled. They’re defending incredibly deeply and given the current state of play, will do well to go in level at the break.
GOAL! Man City 2-2 Crystal Palace (Marmoush 36)
City are level! Omar Marmoush smashes the ball home through a thicket of legs from eight yards out after Ilkay Gundogan had completely miskicked a Kevin De Bruyne header across the face of goal from a James McAtee cross. It’s all square!
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35 min: James McAtee leaps but can’t get enough of his head on the ball to steer Omar Marmoush’s excellent cross from the left on target. This is a terrific game of football!
GOAL! Man City 1-2 Crystal Palace (De Bruyne 33)
City pull one back! With Dean Henderson slightly wrongfooted, De Bruyne curls the ball just past the Palace wall and watches in delight as it goes in off the post.
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32 min: City win a free-kick a few yards outside the Palace penalty area, directly in front of goal. Kamada fouled Nico Gonzalez to give City the set-piece, from which they score …
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Palace have a third goal ruled out!
28 min: Eberechi Eze curls a low shot past Ederson from about 15 yards after receiving the ball from Sarr but semi-automated offside technology rides to the home side’s rescue. It’s a shame, as Eze had no reason to be offside. City are being eviscerated down both flanks, particularly the right.
27 min: Daniel Munoz continues to torment Manchester City down the right wing and on this occasion feeds the ball to Daichi Kamada. His pull-back is perfect but Sarr shoots over from about seven yards.
26 min: I think Gundogan should have done better when that shot ricocheted off the post and dropped his way but he was under pressure from Chris Richards, who did enough to put him off.
24 min: Oof! Kevin De Bruyne rifles a shot against the left upright from distance and Gundogan is unable to steer his shot on the follow-up on target. De Bruyne waves an imaginary lassoo over his head in a bid to gee up the Etihad crowd.
23 min: That’s Crystal Palace’s 15th Premier League goal from a set-piece this season, the most of any team in the top flight.
GOAL! Man City 0-2 Crystal Palace (Richards 21)
Palace double their lead! Palace win their first corner of the game and Adam Wharton trots across to take it. His inswinging delivery is perfect and Chris Richards takes advantage of an Ederson flap under pressure from Mateta to head home from close range.
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19 min: Kevin De Bruyne whips a cross into the Palace penalty area from the right but his waist high delivery is cleared by Maxence Lacroix.
17 min: Mitchell is penalised for a shove on Rico Lewis as the City full-back attempted to chase an overhit Kevin De Bruyne pass to the touchline, deep in Palace territory. It’s a completely unnecessary free-kick to concede but his team gets away with it.
17 min: It’s been a lively, entertaining opening to the game and Crystal Palace lead, having scored against the run of early play. They remain on the back foot.
15 min: Tyrick Mitchell heads clear when Nico O’Reilly sends a cross into the Palace box, trying to pick out Marmoush.
13 min: City attack on the break after a Tyrick Mitchell delivery into their area was cleared and De Bruyne plays Omar Marmoush through on goal. He takes the ball away from Chris Richards, who tugs his arm, but Marmoush keeps going. One-on-one with Dean Henderson, his low shot is blocked by the Palace goalkeeper. It’s a let-off for Palace, who should have had a penalty given against them for the blatant Richards foul on Marmoush.
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11 min: That was a great move by Palace but City made life far too easy for them. Both Mateta and Ebereche Eze were in acres of space as Sarr curled the ball through the corridor of uncertainty and Eze’s task could not have been simpler. Where were the centre-backs? Where was Nico O’Reilly?
GOAL! Man City 0-1 Crystal Palace (Eze 8)
Crystal Palace lead! Palace get the ball out wide to the right touchline, where Munoz plays a pass inside to Ismaila Sarr. His curled delivery across the face of the City goal is swept home by Eberechi Eze at the far post.
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8 min: Crystal Palace play out from the back under a heavy City press with a series of intricate passes that might well be putting the heart crossways in their travelling fans.
6 min: James McAtee beats the offside trap to pounce on a Kevin De Bruyne ball in behind but sidefoots weakly into the breadbasket of Dean Henderson.
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5 min: Facing his own goal, Jefferson Lerma does well to clear a cross from the left without steering the ball into his own net or out for a corner.
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3 min: Crystal Palace get the ball out wide to Daniel Munoz courtesy of Adam Wharton and Ismaila Sarr. He sends a cross towards Jean-Philippe Mateta from the right flank and the flag goes up.
2 min: Their players wearing yellow shirts, shorts and socks, Crystal Palace are struggling to get an early touch of the ball but win a free-kick for offside as City go forward again.
1 min: City advance and Kevin De Bruyne slides James McAtee in behind with a low ball down the right flank but the subsequent cross has far too much welly on it.
Man City v Crystal Palace is go ...
1 min: Ilkay Gundogan gets the ball rolling for Manchester City after both sets of players take the knee and play is underway at the Etihad.
Not long now: Referee Jarred Gillett and his team of match officials, including assistant Darren Cann, who is working at his 579th and final Premier League game today before hanging up his flag, lead out both sets of players for the first game of this Premier League weekend. Kick-off at the Etihad Stadium just a few minutes away.
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Oliver Glasner: "He has all the skills"
Ahead of this game, the Crystal Palace manager could not lavish enough praise on Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush, who he previously worked with at Wolfsburg. “He has the skills and what I loved was he was two and a half years in Germany and he spoken German perfectly and this is quite unusual,” he said of the Egyptian.
“He is a great guy, has all the skills and in the football career you may not have to make a straight direction to come to the top but he had a loan at St Pauli, Stuttgart, then performing for Wolfsburg, then an outstanding season for Frankfurt. Immediately he shows Manchester [City] what kind of striker he is. I’m really pleased for him but not tomorrow.”
Pep Guardiola: "It's a final every single game"
Pep Guardiola has told his players they need to be almost perfect in their final seven Premier League games if they are to qualify for the Champions League. Will Unwin reports …
Semi-automated offside technology
The Premier League is introducing semi-automated offside technology this weekend after non-live testing in the Premier League and live operation in the FA Cup this season, reports the competition’s website.
From the Premier League: “Semi-automated offside technology will provide more efficient placement of the virtual offside line, based on optical player tracking, and produce virtual graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters.
“The operation of semi-automated offside technology does not change the accuracy of the decision-making but enhances the speed, efficiency and consistency of the process.
“The Premier League has worked in collaboration with PGMOL and sports data and technology company Genius Sports to develop a new semi-automated offside technology system – and this will be its first use in a live competition.”
Today’s match officials
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistants: Darren Cann and Ian Hussin
Fourth official: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Peter Bankes
Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett
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Those teams: James McAtee makes his first ever Premier League start for City, replacing Phil Foden, who is out with an ankle injury. Rico Lewis and Nico Gonzalez come into the side too, with Matheus Nunes and Bernardo Silva making way.
Chris Richards return from injury to replace the suspended Marc Guehi in Palace’s only change from their win over Brighton last weekend. The 20-year-old Irish winger Franco Umeh-Chibueze is among Palace’s substitutes and will be hopeful of making his senior debut for the club.
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Manchester City v Crystal Palace line-ups
Manchester City: Ederson, Lewis, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez, Gundogan, De Bruyne, McAtee, Marmoush.
Substitutes: Ortega, Grealish, Doku, Bernardo, Reis, Savinho, Nunes, Khusanov, Bobb.
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Lerma, Mitchell, Kamada, Wharton, Munoz, Eze, Sarr, Mateta.
Substitutes: Matthews, Ward, Matheus Franca, Clyne, Hughes, Chilwell, Devenny, Kporha.
Early Team news
Central defenders Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and John Stones remain sidelined for Manchester City, although Pep Guardiola does have Ruben Dias, Josko Guardiol and Abdukodir Khusanov available to select from when it comes to filling the heart of his defence. Up front, Erling Haaland remains out with the ankle injury he suffered in the FA Cup quarter-final against Bournemouth but January signing Omar Marmoush has looked a more than able deputy.
Crystal Palace have had to plan for this game without Marc Guehi and Eddie Nketiah, who are both suspended after being sent off against Brighton last weekend. Fringe players Romain Eisse and Matt Turner have been ruled out through illness and left at home to recover, while Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure remain sidelined with serious knee injuries.
In better news for Palace, Maxence Lacroix is available after being withdrawn from the Brighton match after suffering a bang on the head, while his fellow centre-back Chris Richards is also fit again after missing Palace’s last two games.
Premier League: Manchester City v Crystal Palace
Manchester City host Crystal Palace needing at least a draw to get into the top five by overtaking a Newcastle side who will have played two games fewer than them by full time on goal difference. With seven Premier League games left to play, Pep Guardiola has described each of them as a “cup final”, the first of which comes against a Palace side they came from behind twice to draw with at Selhurst Park in December.
Unbeaten in seven games following their second win of the season against bitter rivals Brighton last weekend, Palace are in 11th place and not without a chance of qualifying for Europe, not least because only Premier League leaders Liverpool have picked up more points than Oliver Glasner’s in-form side over the past 10 matches. Kick-off at the Etihad Stadium is at 12.30pm (BST) but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
