by Just when it felt like one of those afternoons for Manchester City, Erling Haaland rose to the occasion. Goal 28 has inevitably been achieved. To you, Arsenal.
The full-time celebrations made you realize how important this result is. The way Pep Guardiola embraced his players. The way Haaland beat his chest. Air strikes. Hugs.
City missed so many scoring chances at Selhurst Park that Guardiola feared the worst. It was their last Premier League game before the international break as Arsenal could open an uncomfortable lead at the top of the table.
Instead, they now have two points and the pressure is back on Arsenal as they travel to Fulham on Sunday. It was a crazy moment from Michael Olise, who broke a challenging Crystal Palace defense in the 78th minute.
His strike on Ilkay Gundogan gave City a chance to win the game and Haaland duly took advantage of it, as he often does.
Erling Haaland’s 28th league goal of the season was the difference at Selhurst Park
Haaland (9) sent the Palace goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot
Crystal Palace went three games without a shot on target – the longest ever since Opta started tracking
At the end of Selhurst Park there was an interesting banner that was captured by cameras. It read Gary Lineker for Prime Minister. Like himself, the chances of appearing on Match of the Day tonight were nil.
How Palace would love a scorer like Lineker. In the previous two games, they had not had a single shot on target, and no Premier League team had ever experienced the humiliation of three games in a row.
This is an accusation made against Patrick Vieira by some fans – that his football has become obsolete. When you have trouble shooting, City is the last team you want to face.
They play football like nobody else in the Premier League. They make it impossible for opponents to escape from their own half. This was largely the case here.
Wilfried Zaha started at Palace and you felt sorry for him as he waited in hopes of a long ball worth chasing. On the odd occasion when he got the chance to run, Manuel Akanji matched him.
In the first of a series of chances for City, Rodri’s volley was countered by Vicente Guaita. It was a grating shot, and Ruben Dias and Rodri’s subsequent actions required blocking by the Palace defenders.
A few seconds later, Jack Grealish’s attempt at the end of the run maze was pulled wide.
The reverse match in Manchester in August ended in City’s favour, and it was a classic two-half match. Palace were leading 2–0 at half-time after two set-pieces, but City won 4–2 with the help of Haaland’s hat-trick, his first in the Premier League.
The pressure on Palace boss Patrick Vieira (left) is mounting after another poor performance
Signs supporting Gary Lineker have been stopped by some support sections at Selhurst Park
Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez squandered a brilliant opportunity after coming on in the second half
Haaland’s first shot on goal came in the 28th minute, but he deflected the shot over the bar
Haaland’s first goal came in the 28th minute when Bernardo Silva found Nathan Ake through a through ball. He equalized for his striker who had a goal at his mercy from seven yards out. By his standards, it was a bug. Yet Haaland was burning.
At the end of the city, hands were on their heads. At the end of the Palace, they were up in the air celebrating the 22-year-old Norwegian’s mysterious mistake.
Pep Guardiola was frustrated at times, but he watched his team win
In the 31st minute, Ilkay Gundogan’s free kick hit Rodri’s head. He was saved by Guaita, although assistant Ian Hussin nevertheless flagged offside.
Palace are good at set pieces. They lose little and gain a lot. If City were to make a breakthrough here, they would most likely have to do it by playing their own way – passing the ball into the net.
Before the break, Haaland jumped to the ball with Mark Guehi. The attacker’s arm hit the defender’s head and he fell. Palace supporters shouted “off, off, off”. The screams were more of hope than expectation, as it looked like an accidental collision.
In the 55th minute, Grealish was pulled from behind by Milivojevic, who forced his way into the Palace box. He landed in the box, but referee Robert Jones and VAR Neil Swarbrick said the foul was outside. Foden shot the ball around the seven-man wall, but it wasn’t the first time Guaita got past it.
Michael Olise (right) hit Ilkay Gundogan (left) into the box as the decisive penalty was immediately awarded
Guardiola (right) was smiling all the time, joking about his goal-scoring centre-forward
This turned out to be Foden’s last contribution. He was replaced by Julian Alvarez and thanks to a brilliant turnaround, the 23-year-old Argentine left only Guaita to beat. He lit up.
In the 76th minute, City got a chance to win this match. There was a corner taken by Grealish to Gundogan who was in the box. Playing his pass, Olise ran in. He tapped Gundogan and Jones pointed to the penalty spot.
Haaland caught the ball. No one else was taking it, so he rolled the ball into the bottom left corner while Guaita dove in the opposite direction. City fans went crazy. As are the players and staff.
After feeling frustrated for so much of the match, relief was palpable and City felt it was a significant Premier League win.
