Anyway, that’s about us - night-night.
Palace defended their box very well indeed tonight - sitting so deep leaves plenty of space for their attackers - but also made it hard for City to pick passes outside it, especially in the second half. On reflection, City might have kept Dzeko on so that they had more of a presence in the box, but the reality is that they weren’t good enough to avoid defeat, else they would’ve done.
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FULL-TIME: Crystal Palace 2-1 Manchester City
So, Chelsea are more or less champions, seven points clear of Arsenal with a game in hand - they need 15 points from eight games to be sure. City stay fourth, a point behind United and two behind Arsenal.
Palace meanwhile, could lose all their remaining games and still probably stay up. They won’t, and they will.
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90+3 min Lampard prompts again just outside the box, sliding square to Milner. He runs at Kelly, who does very well to insert a toe, and Palace clear.
90+2 min Palace manage to waste the first minute of added time, denying City space. They force them to pass laterally, no one keen to take the risk that cedes possession, until Silva crosses from wide on the left and Speroni claims at the back post.
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90 min There shall be fo’ additional minutes.
90 min Lampard crafts space outside the box, dinks a chip and Dann thunks a header clear.
89 min Milner hurries a low cross across the face of goal from the right, but no one in back post vicinity has mithered to gamble.
88 min Fernandinho - who’s been really aggressive tonight, both a compliment and criticism - departs, Milner arriving. Meanwhile, Palace - oddly, given that they might have wasted more time by waiting - take off Zaha and introduce Gayle.
86 min After another Nasri effort is deflected narrowly wide, Toure shoots from the left-hand side of the box. It’s deflected again, again looping towards the far post, and Speroni does exceptionally well to move his feet in order the he might palm-claw it away. Not as good as Howard’s save from Saturday, but of similar genre.
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84 min Two quick but not concurrent changes from Palace. Sanogo replaces Murray - my days, he’s earned it - and Souare replaces Bolasie.
83 min “Regarding Nick Cooke’s halftime comment desiring refereeing consistency from game to game,” emails Thomas Cope, “I once had a conversation with a French ticket tout who theorized that only English speakers expect consistency from game to game because we use the words ‘referee’ and ‘official’. He speculated that because the Romance languages use the word “arbitrar”, they expect more of an arbitrator role- i.e. not consistency from game to game, but even handedness within a game (or dispute). I don’t know, it made sense at the time; but I had a drink or two.”
That’s a lovely distinction; I’m on board. And even if I weren’t, I struggle to grasp, or at least feel, the fascination with decisions. Who was drawn to football because of fairness and justice, or because the refs are either good or bad?
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81 min City press once again, Nasri collecting possession just outside the box, right of centre. He spanks a shot seeking the near corner, but it’s deflected and loops up the other way, only narrowly evading the far corner. The ensuing corner comes to nowt, but City keep Palace pinned inside their area for a good while afterwards.
WHAT A GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-1 Manchester City (Toure 79)
Nasri wheedles down the right and crosses low and well. It’s cleared, but the ball skips into the path of Toure, trotting just outside the box, again right side. He annihilates a low curler of a zooter directly into the far corner, with consummate brilliance.
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77 min Nasri replaces Navas.
76 min Glenn Murray has been superb this evening, occupying two centre-backs with clever movement and brilliantly-timed jumps. Again, he finds space in between Kompany and Demichelis, but hasn’t quite the legs to reach Delaney’s clipped pass.
74 min And now Palace break with Zaha, screeching down the middle and across halfway. He has Bolasie to his left so finds him, but he overruns slightly, allowing Kompany to thud into him and away.
73 min All City these last few minutes, and again, Fernandinho finds space to shoot on the right of the box. Against he swivels his body into a low one, and it’s headed for the corner, until McArthur runs back at it, somehow diverting it over the bar from underneath it. This is a really excellent game.
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71 min City win a corner down the right, and it’s diverted back to Fernandinho when Kompany can’t make contact at the near post. Right of the box, he swivels into shot that loops up off Zaha’s attempted block, then makes its way to Murray’s outstretched arm - that’s well off the seenemgiven scale - except Michael Oliver doesn’t see it, so doesn’t give it.
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70 min Palace have done a pretty good job of shutting City down since the second goal - of course, they’re not about to dominate or a completely frustrate a side this good, but they look as likely to score.
68 min Demichelis pulls Murray down as Palace break, and is booked. This gives Palace a free-kick on halfway, clipped diagonally right-to-left. puncheon is up and knocks down to Murray, who shoots accurately and immediately - Hart dives right to save, though it turns out that he was offside in any event.
67 min “As William Munny (Clint Eastwood) says in Unforgiven”, emails Mike MacKenzie:, “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it!”
I spent that film being way too young for it, chucking chewed American hard gums around the cinema. Broken Britain.
66 min Lampard replaces an apparently fuming Dzeko - at what, it’s hard to discern. He has not played well.
64 min Palace win a corner down the right, and various projectiles hit Puncheon, so there’s a hiatus. The corner is a belter, low and whipped to the near post - Delaney is on the scene, but Hart does superbly to block it away. And the ensuing corner yields another, this time from the left - but it’s clipped to the back of the box, headed back in, the headed away.
63 min This video doesn’t quite capture it, but Kompany’s second yellow card for Belgium against Israel was spectacularly good - he gets caught in possession, performing a stepover.
61 min Palace are defending deeper this half, and City are finding it harder to pull them out of position. This forces Fernandinho to aim a long pass at Dzeko - he’s made a good run between the centre-backs - but Delaney recovers well, inserting a clearing leg.He then rubs at a hamstring, which looks ominous, but he seems fine now.
59 min Despite City’s dominance, Dzeko has done almost nothing this evening. He’s an interesting one - an excellent sub, as he changes things, and when he’s on it, a good player. But it’s hard to predict when that might be.
57 min Puncheon fouls someone - I missed whom - and is booked. City have a free-kick, the range and position very similar to that from which he scored. Toure prepares to take it, coming from almost adjacent to it in order to generate requisite whip - he ruffles the netting above the top-left corner.
56 min A grown man has come to a football match with a blackboard, upon which he has written Palace accompanied by an up arrow, and City accompanied by a down arrow. The dartsification of football continues apace.
55 min “Seeing as the objective of football is to get that round thing through the big rectangle, the team that deserves to be ahead is the one that’s managed to do that the most times. Simple!” exclaims Owen Parsons.
I suppose there might be occasional remarkable injustices - but even then, they’d have to go some to explain why the supposedly unfortunate team hadn’t rendered them irrelevant.
53 min Mangala, dressing room nicknames Nel and Mrs, prepares to come on - Kompany has nondescript knack, apparently. But he’s changed his mind, and everyone sits down again.
52 min City flurry, and a cross has Toure leaping high and hard. Dann flicks clear, and City build again, Navas bousting past Kelly - but his low cross is turned away.
49 min “Is this the beginning of the end for Pellegrini” asks Lee Madden. “Surely defeat tonight would mean City wait and see if Ancelotti is available.”
I’m not sure. I think Pellegrini is stroogling whatever happens tonight, but City’s squad needs more of an overhaul that Ancelotti usually undertakes - he’s more a make everyone feel nice to perform well kind of cat.
GREAT GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-0 Manchester City (Puncheon, 47)
This is lovelily done. It’s true that Hart offered Puncheon a lot of space in the corner protected by the wall, and that he was very close to saving it - a step left, and he’s there. On the other hand, the strike was caressed with perfect accuracy and sufficient power given the target, left-footed and curling away from the keeper’s fingers. Pellegrini acquaints head with hands.
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47 min More excellence from Murray. dragging the ball into his path on the half-turn and escaping Silva and Demichelis. Fernandinho pulls him down, and that gives Palce a free-kick, 25 yards out, dead centre
46 min Rockin’ under the melody, rocking over the beat.
“I can’t agree re consistency across more than one game,” emails Nick Cooke. “That’s exactly what fans (and players and managers) are looking for e.g. re. offside calls, red card offences.”
Of course, that might be ideal - I’m not sure if I think so - but the referees are different, so apprise things differently. Consistency across a game is all we can ask.
“Burnistoun town’s favourite son is the sort of chap folks on the MBM should readily sympathize with”, reckons Phil Podolsky.
“Keen insight from @DanielHarris”, tweets Jack Goodson. “36 min Palace deserve to be ahead by virtue of their being ahead.”
Point is that the only way to measure who deserves what is by the objective matrix of the score.
Turns out that Murray was behind the ball, as pointed out by Gary Neville after slowing down the film and putting lines across the pitch. Whatever, well played linesman.
That was enjoyable. Palace started well, City were excellent for 25 minutes, then a controversial goal. Well, controversial in that Murray was offside, not controversial in that it wasn’t by much, and these things happen. City had plenty of time before and have plenty of time after to resolve matters to their advantage; should they lose or draw, it won’t be the reason why.
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HALF-TIME: Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester City
Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart are still emoting to Michael Oliver as they depart the pitch at half-time - the former in infinite languages, no doubt.
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45 min There shall be a single, solitary, additional minute.
44 min “After that Palace goal, Kompany placed his hands on Michael Oliver while arguing - isn’t that a booking like Di Maria received?” asks Nick Parmenter.
I’d be inclined towards leniency in both cases, but reckon Di Maria suffered because he approached from behind. Also, we can only expect referees to apply the laws consistently across a single game.
43 min The email address to use is not as previously stated, rather daniel.harris.casual@theguardian.com
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42 min It looks as though Dann might have been marginally onside and Murray marginally offside in the goal. Or, put another way, there are no grounds for apoplexy whatsoever.
40 min Aguero runs at Ledley, nipping the ball past his outside and skating by. Naturally, Ledley crumps legs into legs, and is booked.
38 min This vaguely sums up the madness with accents: “This vaguely sums up the madness with accents,” tweets Jamie Gordon.
36 min Palace deserve to be ahead by virtue of their being ahead.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester City (Murray, 34)
Er, as I said, a goal was coming. Palace skanked a corner from the right - it was nonsense, straight to a defender at the near post - but, somehow, earned them another. This too was cleared, but Kelly clipped a pass to the edge of the box, where Ledley’s flick-on suddenly found Dann one-on-one with Hart, inside the box on its left. He slid a just about acceptable effort that was stopped via legs that diverted the ball into the path of Murray, who ran it home - that’s five in five for him. City are certain that both he and Dann were offside, and accordingly, significant displeasure ensued. Football is hilarious.
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32 min Another long passage of City excellence. First, Silva’s low shot from just outside the box is seen late and parried away well by Speroni. Then, another Silva shot from the right of the box hits a back and loops to its far side, where Zaha dallies and is robbed by Aguero. He nudges back to Fernandinho, who slides him back in, and, unwilling to use his left foot, pokes powerfully, futsal-style, just over the bar.
31 min Toure emerges into the game, knocking off a ball wide to Sagna. His cross is a goodun, headed behind, and Palace don’t clear the corner properly at first instance, eventually hacking a low cross behind. This time, the ball goes near post, Demichelis flicks, and someone manages to nudge away from Dzeko, but only just. A goal is imminent.
29 min Fernandinho strides through midfield and finds Dzeko, collects the return, and finds Navas. The cross, though, enables Zaha to break - but only for a second, as Clichy is right into him, a tackle that sets City off on another passage of possession - 80% in the last ten minutes.
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27 min Pardew needs to devise a plan for Silva - he’s wandering infield unmolested at the moment. Though, on the other hand, if Bolasie stays wide, he’s primed to attack into space when Palace break.
25 min Another passage of City passing, Silva zoning across the face of the box then snapping back the other way, to leave McArthur gasping. But nothing comes of the attack, Toure adjudged to have fouled Ledley - I think - in pursuit of a ball in behind.
23 min “It’s been gnawing at me a while,” emails Charles Antaki, “but why do the commentators insist on calling Silva ‘Davvid’? As I remember, Ginola was always ‘Daveed’”.
I’m no expert, I’m afraid, but presumably his name isn’t Dayvid Silver. What I do find odd, though, is the use of accents - but only for Continental names. There was no Laindun Duhnavon, nor Dwight Yarke.
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21 min City are bossing this now, passing accurately and with purpose.
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19 min This is beautiful from City. Sagna finds Silva at inside-left, and he shuffles inside, as he does, gliding a pass to Aguero, loitering across the face of the box. Despite the attention of various defenders, he sidewinds back right, as he does, conjures a yard, as he does, and spins into a cross shot, as he does - it’s low and hard, but smacks the base of the far post.
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18 min Puncheon drills a searching ball down the line, both Zaha and Bolasie charging at Kompany - he does well to arrive first and clear firmly.
16 min Murray is putting hissel aboot, winning headers against both Kompany and Demichelis, but City are quicker to the second balls than they were in the first ten minutes.
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14 min Better few minutes for City, pushing Palace back and moving the ball sharply. Silva, on the right of the box, tries to stab a pass past Ledley, looking for Dzeko, but it catches a shoulder - there’re appeals for handball, but they’re nonsense.
11 min Ward raps a pass into Murray’s feet, Demichelis gets too close, and pulls him down to compensate. The free-kick is wasted, and Hart immediately clips downfield, Sander Westerveld-style. Haring off to the left is Aguero, and he nips by Speroni, who elects to come out. With Aguero too wide to shoot, he jockeys, and the bal’s cut back to Silva, arriving into the box. Ward’s presence forces him to jink, Speroni sprinting back to mind his net all the while, and the eventual shot clips his shoulder and dashes over the top.
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10 min “Pardew does know something - how to finish 12th”, tweets Gary Baylor. “Some managers fit in at one level: Harry Bassett; Tony Pulis; Ian Holloway...”
I agree - but I think Pardew might be better than that/
8 min Ledley snaps a ball into Puncheon’s feet, and he flips it around the corner as Fernandinho rattles in from behind. Palace make nothing of the space it’s created, but they’ve already shown City that they’re in for a tricky evening.
6 min David Silva twinkles infield, opens his body, and glides a ball between Delaney and Kelly for Toure, but Speroni is out sharply to avert the danger.
4 min Bit of possession for City, but when Clichy’s cross is headed clear, Bolasie’s excellent ball away finds Murray. With little assistance nearby, he doesn’t back himself to get by the much quicker Kompany, and instead runs himself out of position.
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1 min There’s a crackling atmosphere at Selhurst tonight, and Palace are at it right away, Zaha’s clever backheel facing the right touchline transferred inside to Murray. He spots Kelly advancing down the left - Sagna has been drawn inside - who snaps a perfect cross to the back post. It evades Puncheon, but only just, reaching Zaha, in hectares of space - but he leans back, ramming a side-footer over the top. Great move, miserable finish.
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1 min Yo DJ, pump this party!
Perhaps it’s the Croydon sun, but, for those of you watching in black and white, City are in the lilac shirts.
Out come the players, cheerleaders, clapping.
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Returning to Puncheon - turned into a support striker by Pardew - makes me wonder what that makes him. A centralised winger? A 10/7?
Mention of Papa Souare reminds me that Jonathan Pearce once called Tom Soares Tom Swarez. Which reminds me that in his Capital Gold “Ian Wright, Wright, Wright!” and “Ready, Teddy, Go!” days of the early-to-mid-90s, he was very good at his job indeed.
Back to this evening, I wonder if City might find it tricky to contain Palace’s wingers, given wide midfielders not much given to defending, and whether Jason Puncheon might find space behind City’s midfield, given Yaya Toure not much given to defending.
Tangentially, this is very funny.
It’s your Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I feel sorry for, all left out of the Gregorian namechange. So many alliterative and hyperbolic possibilities, all wasted.
The lights are on! It’s MNF!
Palace make one change from their win at Stoke, your Martin Kellys replacing your Papa Souares; City insert your Bacary Sagnas in place of your Pablo Zabaletas, and Sagna, Demichelis, Fernandinho and Dzeko come in too, while your Yaya Toures is fit.
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Teams, teams, good for the heart.
Crystal Palace (a rudimentary 4-2-3-1): Speroni; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Kelly; Ledley, McArthur; Zaha, Puncheon, Bolasie; Murray.
Subs: Hennessey, Hangeland, Souare, Boateng, Sanogo, Gayle, Ameobi
Manchester City (a continental 4-4-2): Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy; Navas, Fernandinho, Toure, Silva; Dzeko, Aguero
Subs: Caballero, Zabaleta, Mangala, Milner, Fernando, Nasri, Lampard
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Preamble
You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you just might find, you get what you need. Deep, man, pal, buddy, mate, mucker; makes you think, yeah?
More or less, this is how Manchester City have aimed to do business since Manuel Pellegrini arrived at the club. Need a winger, buy Jesus Navas; need a defensive midfielder, buy Fernandinho and Fernando; need a striker, buy Alvaro Negredo, Stevan Jovetic and Wilfried Bony; need a centre-back, buy Martin Demichelis and Eliaquim Mangala; need a right-back, take Bacary Sagna on a free.
Though a few of those aren’t bad, perhaps only Mangala was a first choice - the rest play positions in which there was a vacancy, and as such, were expected to fill them; they have not. This isn’t all City’s fault; yes, they should’ve chosen more wisely, and yes, they have benefitted from various strains of the outrageous, but Uefa might also have arranged a salary and transfer cap, rather than instituting FFP to protect the existing cartel; they did not.
So, here they are: out of Europe, out of the Cup, and fourth in the league. And, because with new status comes new expectations, it may be that Pellegrini is already for the off; a bad end to the season and it’ll be almost inevitable.
Alan Pardew was confirmed as manager of Crystal Palace on 2 January; at the time, his new old club were third-bottom of the league, with 17 points from 20 games. Now, they are twelfth, with 36 points from 30 games, as safe as Newcastle are sorry.
In particular, Pardew has drilled his defence properly and extracted improvements from Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon, but, more generally, his confidence and zest has permeated the performances of all his players. Like it or not, he knows something.
Kick-off: 8pm
