ABBEY CITY ROUTH PALACE AND ITS TOP-4 SPOT – Premier League Coverage – Matches, Transfer News, and More!

In a continued bid to secure a top 4 spot, Manchester City welcomed Crystal Palace to the Etihad. Before this game, Crystal Palace (19) had received more points than Manchester City (17) in their previous 10 games. However, things did not look too bright at the start as the hosts edged out in front. In the second minute, Martin Kelly made a poor “clearance” of the ball, carelessly stepping into the path of David Silva, who received the gift and slammed City ahead, returning them to the starting line. . His strike was Manchester City’s fastest PL goal since February 2015 (Aguero vs Newcastle). City held on to this early start for the entire first half, going into the break one down.

Four minutes into the second half, Vincent Kompany connected with Kevin de Bruyne’s powerful pass, pushing the ball into the top corner. He has now scored two goals in his last 4 PL games, as many as in his previous 43 games. Manchester City then countered the effort, scoring 3 goals in the final 30 minutes of the game. In the 60th minute, teenager Gabriel Jesus managed to keep the ball alive, beating de Bruyne who headed home beautifully from the edge of the box. De Bruyne is tied for the most goals for Man City this season with 5 goals and 15 assists; his 15 assists this season are the most by a Man City player in a single PL campaign (Silva 2011/12). City’s fourth and second goal came in the 82nd minute when Yaya Toure’s long ball was played down by Pablo Zabaleto for Raheem Sterling to tap home on his weaker left foot. It was the first time both Sterling and Silva scored in the same PL game for Manchester City. City’s last goal came in stoppage time when de Bruyne curled a free-kick past striker Nicolas Otamendi who headed powerfully past Wayne Hennessey, his first goal since October 2015 against Norwich and his 400th PL goal scored by an Argentine. After destroying Crystal Palace in their 9th win out of their last 10 meetings with them, Manchester City moved into third place, behind Spurs and Chelsea. Palace remain in 16th place, four points above the relegation zone.