CRYSTAL PALACE 0, MANCHESTER CITY 1
Sergio Aguero is taken off early with a knee injury
Kevin De Bruyne makes his Manchester City debut
Jesus Navas misses open goal
Teenage striker Kelechi Iheanacho scores his first City goal in the last minute
City now 11 points clear of champions Chelsea
Manchester City extended their winning streak to eleven league games in a row as they nicked the top-of-the-table clash at Selhurst Park thanks to a last minute goal by teenage striker Kelechi Iheanacho.
With a Champions League game against Juventus on the horizon, City manager Manuel Pellegrini will be sweating on star striker Sergio Aguero’s injury situation, which saw him taken off with a kick to the knee after just 25 minutes in South London following a cynical tackle by Scott Dann.
The injury may not be as serious as it looked and although Aguero was pictured limping from Selhurst Park after the game, Pellegrini was hopeful the City striker would be fit enough for consideration against Juventus on Tuesday.
Thanks everyone for your concern. I got a hard hit and it prevented me from playing more. It doesn't seem to be a serious injury though
— Sergio Kun Aguero (@aguerosergiokun) September 12, 2015
The in-form Argentine marksman was replaced by City’s new record signing Kevin De Bruyne as City, who were also missing Raheem Sterling with a slight hamstring injury, snatched victory in the last minute.
Before Aguero’s departure, City might have been punished if Crystal Palace had won a penalty after it appeared that Fernandinho may have conceded a penalty for a foul on Yohan Cabaye in the City area.
De Bruyne certainly shored up City’s attacking potency, which was now missing Aguero as well as Sterling and David Silva, and he laid on a number of chances which weren’t taken as City picked at the Palace defence.
Perhaps befitting the top-two clash, Palace gave as good as they got, and Eliaquim Mangala and Aleksander Kolarov were tested throughout and Joe Hart saved Jason Puncheon’s header while Dwight Gayle shot wide when clean through.
With the game seemingly heading towards a goalless draw, Samir Nasri’s speculative shot from the edge of the area seemed to take Eagles ‘keeper Alex McCarthy by surprise.
McCarthy fumbled the ball into the path of 18-year-old Kelechi, who had come onto the field of play just 54 second earlier for Wilfried Bony to make his second appearance for City after a cameo in the Watford game in August, and the young Nigerian raced in to complete the tap-in to send City’s travelling fans behind the goal crazy.
One particularly relieved City player will be Jesus Navas who had a game to forget as he missed an open goal earlier in the second half after being handed the chance on a plate by De Bruyne and raced past McCarthy only to send his shot wide and into the side netting.
City’s Champions League opponents on Tuesday, Juventus, have now failed to win their first three Serie A games after a 1-1 draw at home to Chievo.
They visit the Etihad on Tuesday for their first game against a City side that could be without Aguero, Sterling, Silva, Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy, and Fabian Delph while Kelechi Iheanacho was left out of City’s Champions League squad.