City pay for wastefulness in front of goal
Manchester City had 13 shots in the first half but could not find a goal. It is a rarity, an aberration, yet there is no denying that it happened and contributed to them dropping two crucial points in the Premier League title race.
Bernardo Silva was uncharacteristically wasteful, caught in two minds when Vicente Guaita spilled a simple Kevin De Bruyne effort before miskicking as he ran onto a cutback. Aymeric Laporte could do little as the ball cannoned off the post from Joao Cancelo's effort and back over the goal from his foot, but it still went down as a big chance missed.
It is too easy to say that summer priority Erling Haaland would have snaffled up at least one of those, because City play a different way now than they would with an actual No.9. It was another reminder though of the key component in the squad that City are lacking.
ALSO READ: Man City player ratings vs Crystal Palace as Joao Cancelo and Rodri slump in poor showing
Rodri channels Fernandinho
Rodri was signed to take over from Fernandinho but it can't be said enough that the two are very different players. Where Fernandinho was mostly about breaking up opposition attacks to ensure City control of the game, Rodri is more about making sure they don't lose it in the first place.
There are similarities between the two though, and one area where Rodri has grown in the City team has been as an enforcer when he feels things aren't going their way. When Cheikhou Kouyate went rolling on the ground in the second half after an innocuous challenge from Kevin De Bruyne, City's Spanish midfielder was aggressively into the situation to make the point that he thought Kouyate was wasting time.
It wasn't quite up there with his goal celebration at the Emirates on New Year's Day, but another sign that Rodri is quite happy to throw his weight around when he feels the match needs it.
Palace target Laporte and City again
Aymeric Laporte did not make it to half-time of the reverse fixture at the Etihad, sent off inside 45 minutes after being caught in possession for the first goal. He was not punished by Guardiola like last season for the errors, and has been more important to the cause this year.
That continued at Selhurst Park, where he was integral to the build-up and forcing City to play on the front foot with aggressive passes through the line.
But he was also targeted again by Palace, and caught by Conor Gallagher again in the first half as lightning nearly struck twice.
He wasn't the only one put under pressure, with Kyle Walker also guilty of giving the ball away. City's potential Champions League opponents will have watched how Palace forced mistakes from the Blues backline with interest.
Stones shows off his passing range
Laporte is the best in the game at the build-up that Guardiola craves from his defenders but John Stones was a match for him here. As well as being willing to take a shot on, the England international played some inventive passes forward along the floor for De Bruyne and others to latch onto.
These two lighten the absence of Dias by bringing other qualities to the table, and the fixture list has fallen kindly to allow Guardiola to play them in consecutive games. It would be a surprise if they didn't continue against Southampton in the FA Cup.
No subs
Despite their inability to break Palace down, Guardiola saw no need to turn to his bench at any point. City's manager often does not want to disrupt the rhythm of his team, although those substitutes who were left unused will feel they could have made a difference.
Sign up to our City newsletter so you never miss an update from the Etihad Stadium this season.
Catch up on all the latest Blues headlines in our Man City section
