Manchester City moved level on points with Liverpool at the Premier League summit by fighting back to beat Crystal Palace 4-2 on Saturday, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring two wonderful goals.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
35 | +57 | 80 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
34 | +50 | 79 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
35 | +41 | 75 |
Palace threatened an upset when Jean-Philippe Mateta gave them a third-minute lead, but De Bruyne's stunning strike had City level 10 minutes later.
And Man City, who now only trail Liverpool on goal difference ahead of the Reds’ clash with Manchester United on Sunday, took the game away from their hosts after the break – Rico Lewis putting them ahead before De Bruyne took centre stage, teeing up Erling Haaland for a tap-in before rifling in his second of the game, bringing up his 100th goal for the club in the process.
Another goal for City would have sent them, temporarily at least, top of the table, although Odsonne Edouard ensured Palace – who remain 14th on 30 points – had the final say.
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How the match unfolded
It was a rare John Stones giveaway that led to Palace's early opener, allowing Adam Wharton to release Mateta, who fired off the base of the left post and in.
Dean Henderson then denied Julian Alvarez and Rodri before De Bruyne dragged City level in emphatic fashion. Receiving possession on the left side of the area, De Bruyne opened up his body to bend a superb effort into the top-right corner.
Another Henderson save kept the scores level as he smothered Haaland's effort following more good work from De Bruyne, but Palace went close at the other end as Jordan Ayew rattled the crossbar.
City made that reprieve count 93 seconds into the second half. Joachim Andersen could only head Jack Grealish's cross as far as Lewis, whose shot deflected off Jefferson Lerma and in.
The champions had a third after 66 minutes as De Bruyne got to the byline to cut the ball back for Haaland, who tapped home for his 19th league goal of 2023/24 and his 30th in all competitions.
De Bruyne settled the contest four minutes later with a sensational first-time finish from Rodri’s layoff, ensuring Edouard’s neat finish from Jeffrey Schlupp’s left-wing cross proved nothing more than a consolation for Palace as City applied the pressure to Liverpool and Arsenal in the title race.
De Bruyne reinvigorated
Having joined Haaland as an unused substitute for Wednesday's 4-1 rout of Aston Villa, De Bruyne was restored to Pep Guardiola's starting line-up here as the in-form Phil Foden made way.
The Belgian looked reinvigorated by his rest, bringing up 100 goals for City on his 372nd appearance for them across all competitions, eight years and 200 days after netting his first goal for them against West Ham in September 2015.
The City playmaker now has 16 goal involvements across all competitions in 2024 (four goals, 12 assists), with De Bruyne’s former team-mate Cole Palmer the only Premier League player with more, 17.
Something to build on for Glasner?
Despite an encouraging start, Palace saw their winless streak stretch to five Premier League games, failing to hold on to their early lead as De Bruyne took control.
A masterclass, presented by @KevinDeBruyne 🌟#CRYMCI pic.twitter.com/w8tR2PRQKC
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 6, 2024
While the Eagles' defending won't have impressed Oliver Glasner, there were positives for him to take from their attacking display as Mateta, Ayew and Edouard troubled City on the break.
Palace managed just three shots totalling 0.19 expected goals (xG) in their midweek defeat to AFC Bournemouth, their lowest respective figures in any Premier League game this season. On Saturday, however, there were signs of Glasner's methods beginning to bear fruit.
Club reports
Palace report | Man City report
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Key facts
Both of Lewis’s Premier League goals have come against Palace, also in December of this season. He’s only the second teenager to score home and away against a specific opponent in a Premier League season for City after Kelechi Iheanacho against Swansea City in 2015/16.
Haaland has reached at least 30 goals in all competitions in each of his two seasons with City (52 in 2022/23), becoming the first player to do so in each of his first two seasons as a Premier League player since Ruud van Nistelrooy (2001/02 and 2002/03).
Mateta became the first Palace player to score in three successive Premier League games at Selhurst Park since Odsonne Edouard in January 2022.
This match was the 11th time City have conceded the opening goal in a Premier League match this season, only in 2019/20 (12 times) have they done so more often under Pep Guardiola. Indeed, they are unbeaten in their last six such matches (W5 D1).