Manchester City 0, Crystal Palace 2
Wilfried Zaha and Conor Gallagher scored in Crystal Palace’s 2-0 win over out-of-sorts Manchester City with Aymeric Laporte sent off just before half time.
Palace got off to an early start when they caught Manchester City cold after just six minutes – Conor Gallager sent Wilfried Zaha through on goal and the Ivory Coast winger slotted inside the back post as City started very sloppily.
Palace started time wasting immediately but attacked intelligently until Laporte was sent off for hauling down Zaha in first half injury time which put City on the back foot.
Gabriel Jesus thought he had equalised after an hour but the goal was ruled by out VAR for a marginal offside on Phil Foden who sent in a great cross for the Brazilian.
Kevin De Bruyne had another poor game for City and he was replaced for John Stones as Pep Guardiola looked for different angles of attack but the desperation grew until City overcommitted at the end and Gallagher was given plenty of space to beat Ederson two minutes from the end to confirm a deserved win for Patrick Vieira’s side.
Embed from Getty ImagesPLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 0, Crystal Palace 2
Ederson: 5. Weak attempt to stop Wilfried Zaha’s early goal. Beaten again by Zaha but he was offside. Saved from Conor Gallagher when the Palace looked set to double their lead but let the lively midfielder score right at the end.
Kyle Walker: 6. Solid defending, unambitious going forward – had a chance to shoot but passed the ball instead but his cross into the box in first half added time deserved a better finish.
Ruben Dias: 6. Physical contest with Wilfried Zaha, especially after the break when Aymeric Laporte was sent off but slipped at a crucial moment against Conor Gallagher.
Aymeric Laporte: 4. Poor defending allowed Conor Gallagher to get by him and give Wilfried Zaha a routine goal. Sent off in added time at the end of the first half for bringing down Zaha after the Ivory Coast winger had turned him and was about to get clean through on goal.
Joao Cancelo: 6. Wild shot, certainly was trying hard but little fluency as his diagonal balls into the right side didn’t come off and other shots were tame. Taken off as City chased the game.
Bernardo Silva: 7. Energetic in midfield both defensively and carrying the ball forward.
Rodri: 7. Sharp shot straight at Vicente Guaita in the first half a skied a great second half chance, also did his defensive work.
Kevin De Bruyne: 5. Tried to earn early spot kick but the referee was having none of it, not much else went right for him and he lost the ball an alarming number of times.
Gabriel Jesus: 7. Was up for the battle. Worked hard early on, getting into good positions and had a couple of chances himself and a goal ruled out for offside.
Phil Foden: 7. Seemed desperate to atone for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup exit. His cross created an equaliser for Gabriel Jesus before he was adjudged to have been offside.
Jack Grealish: 6. Isolated on the left and well marshalled by Joel Ward.
John Stones (on for Kevin De Bruyne, 59): 6. Added a bit of stability at the back and some extra angles for the build up but was bypassed at the end when Conor Gallagher scored.
Riyad Mahrez (on for Joao Cancelo, 78): Too late to mark.
Raheem Sterling (on for Jack Grealish, 78): Too late to mark.
GOALS – Manchester City 0, Crystal Palace 2
Man City 0, Crystal Palace 1: 6. Wilfried Zaha was slid through after a mistake at the back for City allowed Conor Gallagher to break with the ball, and he made no mistake with a shot that rolled inside the back post.
Man City 0, Crystal Palace 2: 88. Conor Gallagher couldn’t miss after City failed to keep out a Palace counter attack – Wilfried Zaha crossed to Michael Oliseh who laid it off to him for a close range shot which went in past Ederson.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 0, Crystal Palace 2
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo (Mahrez 78), Bernardo Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne (Stones 59), Jesus, Foden, Grealish (Sterling 78)
Man City Subs not used: Steffen, Ake, Sterling, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Palmer
Booked: Bernardo Silva 45+5 (foul on Wilfriend Zaha), Ederson 45+6 (dissent after the half time whistle)
Red Card: Aymeric Laporte 45+2 (denial of a goalscoring opportunity – hauling down Wilfried Zaha).
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell, Gallagher, Kouyate (Olise 85), McArthur, J Ayew (Benteke 65), Edouard (Schlupp 73), Zaha
Crystal Palace Subs not used: Butland, Milivojevic, Tomkins, Mateta, Clyne, Kelly
Booked: J Ayew 27 (foul on Jack Grealish), Gallagher 65 (foul on Jack Grealish); Guaita 86 (time wasting)
Goals: Zaha 6; Gallagher 88
Referee: Andre Marriner