Pep Guardiola’s reaction to the game …
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Read Jonathan Wilson:
Match report: Jesus and De Bruyne injured as Manchester City’s winning run ends at Palace
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And that’ll be your lot for now. Jacob Steinberg will be here with West Brom v Arsenal later on, and Dominic Fifield’s match report from this game will be up shortly. Cheers for reading!
Could be a costly one for both teams, injury-wise though: Gabriel Jesus and Scott Dann both went off in the first half with knee injuries, and Jason Puncheon managed to banjax both himself and De Bruyne late on with that horrible challenge.
Well that was a very good game indeed. Despite no goals, we had most other things: very good stuff from Palace, and it was quite nice to see a side counter City without just stringing ten men across the edge of the box. Not that managers who do that should be particularly criticised, because this relied on City having an off-day, but it certainly made for a better spectacle.
Full-time: Crystal Palace 0-0 Manchester City
Peeeeeeeeeeep.
90 mins +8: Zaha gets down the right and wins a corner. Can they nick it at the last....no! Benteke gets a good run on the header, relatively free, but he sends the header wide.
90 mins + 7: Some time in the distant pass City were awarded a free-kick: Toure hits that into the wall, and it bounces away to safety.
90 mins + 5: Lee comes on for Puncheon, but City have made their three subs so will play out the last few minutes with ten men. There were initially four minutes signalled for injury-time, but obviously we’ll have plenty more now.
90 mins + 3: This really doesn’t look good for De Bruyne, or Puncheon. Both are being taken off on stretchers, and the City man has his leg in a brace. It really was an awful challenge, a massive hack at shin-height when De Bruyne was going at some pace, and Puncheon was probably lucky to only get a yellow card for it.
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90 mins + 2: Bit of chaos after that: City attack with pace, De Bruyne is absolutely wiped out by a horrible hack from Puncheon, but both find themselves on the turf requiring attention. City then go up the other end, Tomkins is booked for taking down Sane on the edge of the area, and City have a free-kick in a very threatening position.
SAVED!
Well! Milivojevic takes it, not Benteke this time, but it was a poor kick and Ederson saves with his legs! Drama! Football! Sport!
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PENALTY CRYSTAL PALACE
Sterling bundles Zaha over as he goes into the box from the right! Ooof, looked like a shoulder charge, could have actually been outside the area...but you can see why it was given...
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89 mins: Toure has only been on for a few minutes, but he goes into the book for wrestling Milivojevic to the floor.
88 mins: We are but a few minutes away from Manchester City dropping points. But then again we’ve said that a few times recently - they absolutely love a late goal, as Southampton, Bournemouth, Huddersfield, West Ham et al will tell you.
87 mins: Benteke finds himself eating advertising board, after Walker eases him off the ball while at full pelt down by the left touchline. Not much wrong with Walker’s challenge, and Benteke is OK.
86 mins: City launch one of those attacks where they look like a load of TIE fighters swarming on the Rebel fleet, but the driving force De Bruyne charges through the centre, options right and left, and plays a pass to Sane that’s easily intercepted.
84 mins: Sane flicks a cross over from the right, Fosu-Mensah half-clears and it goes to Aguero, but he doesn’t have time to either control or hit a proper shot, and it skews wide.
83 mins: Again De Bruyne has a free-kick, again his cross doesn’t beat the defenders. He’s not been awful, but if he was at his peak in this game City would almost certainly be two or three up.
81 mins: And now City should be ahead. Walker gets around Townsend pretty easily on the right, then cuts back to De Bruyne in the box: if he was at his best he probably would’ve buried that, but Kelly was there to block it. Meanwhile, Yaya Toure comes on for Bernardo Silva.
79 mins: Aguero concedes a free-kick, then picks up a daft yellow card for standing in front of Townsend as he tried to take it. Milivojevic gets his head to the cross when it’s sent over, but it goes well wide.
77 mins: And they should have nicked it! Benteke wins the ball in the air, then smartly lays it off to Puncheon. His shot is blocked, but falls to Zaha on the right, his cross does right across the area to Townsend, free at the back stick, but he skews his shot over. Great chance.
75 mins: And it’s Cabaye coming off: interesting move from Hodgson, perhaps a little more attacking intent. Maybe he fancies they can nick this.
74 mins: Jason Puncheon, an unfortunate candidate for nominative determinism, is readying himself to come on for Palace.
72 mins: Corner to City on the left, which is taken short and ultimately ends in a Bernardo shot, blocked, but Aguero was offside in the build-up. The Argentinean hasn’t done a great deal since coming on.
70 mins: Zaha has popped up on the right now, and he dances past Mangala like he’s a mirage, but Danilo puts in a solid challenge. You’d think Palace would have a better chance of all three points if they had someone other than Zaha to attack.
69 mins: De Bruyne again, he spins around 25 yards out and shoots: enough power on this one, but it was straight at Hennessey.
68 mins: ...which again De Bruyne hits into the wall. By the lofty standards of the Premier League’s best player, he’s not been great today.
67 mins: Yellow card for Cabaye for tripping Sane on the edge of the box: bit harsh, was just a mistimed tackle, but City have a free-kick about a yard outside the box, on the left...
65 mins: Sane walking a bit of a tightrope after bundling Zaha over: it would’ve been pretty harsh to give him a second booking for that, but Sane has looked a little scrambled today. He’ll need to watch himself.
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64 mins: Actually, scratch the wrists thing: another replay reveals it hit him in the face. Still, they all count.
63 mins: City go close: the ball sweeps across the area, it falls to Sane at the far post who gets plenty on a left-footed shot, but Hennessey’s reactions and wrists are strong enough to keep it out.
62 mins: City obviously very much on top now, but a brief break by Palace ends when Zaha overhits a pass down the left side of the area to Van Aanholt.
61 mins: Really lovely play by Sterling and Bernardo down the right, the former clipping to the latter just inside the area. Bernardo then lofts a ball into the middle for Aguero, but it was slightly behind the forward and there wasn’t enough pace on it for the header to threaten the goal, and Hennessey saves with relative ease.
59 mins: Fernandinho tries a shot from way downtown, but it goes way over and halfway to Croydon. This was just after a remarkable pass from Otamendi, hooked in the air over his own shoulder, square across the centre-circle to Mangala. Rebuilding Otamendi into a ball-playing centre-half who doesn’t spent his time on the floor might be Guardiola’s biggest feat.
57 mins: Smart one-two between Gundogan and De Bruyne on the edge of the box, but the former’s curling shot goes just wide of the far post. And that’s it for him: Gundogan is off, and Sterling comes on.
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56 mins: Bernardo plays another of those passes down the right flank, De Bruyne cuts it back to Aguero but he’s eased out as he tries to create space for a shot. Zaha counters down the left and claims a foul by Walker, but no dice there.
54 mins: One thing about this Palace performance is that they keep giving away free-kicks: Milivojevic barges Sane over for the latest one, which De Bruyne clips over but it’s headed behind for a corner. Meanwhile, Sterling is readying himself to come on.
52 mins: Lovely left-footed pass down the right channel by Bernardo which finds Fernandinho running on, but Tomkins gets across well to block. Sane takes a poor corner, then the ball comes back to him and he gives it away. Won’t be long before Raheem Sterling is on, I’d wager.
50 mins: Should have clarified for those just tuning in: the cotton wool in Aguero’s schnozz is to stem the blood from an incident towards the back end of the first-half. Still not really sure what happened but it clearly wasn’t major.
49 mins: Signs that City aren’t quite at it today: De Bruyne’s delivery has been off, as he sends another corner from the right thunking into the head of the man at the near-post.
47 mins: A flurry of legs clashing into each other leads to a free-kick to City, about 30 yards out to the left of centre. De Bruyne shoots, but it’s pretty poor, and merely thunks into the defensive wall.
46 mins: And we’re away.
Players are back out on the pitch, doesn’t look like either team have made any changes. Sergio Aguero has some cotton wool shoved up his left nostril.
As you can see just to the left here, City had 68% of the ball in the first-half. Didn’t feel like that: perhaps an indication that Palace were generally more effective and purposeful with the possession they had.
Really, really good half that. City haven’t quite been at it, but Palace have countered them pretty well overall. Zaha has been their most threatening attacker, but that’s a given: Fosu-Mensah and Cabaye have both been good too. If they had a striker in any sort of form or confidence, they might be ahead.
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Half-time: Crystal Palace 0-0 Manchester City
Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
45 mins + 6: Sane pushes Fosu-Mensah and is duly penalised, then doubly so after kicking the ball away, rather pointlessly and sillyly.
45 mins + 5: Zaha and Walker tussle just inside the City half: the former goes down and wins the free-kick, much to the latter’s chagrin. He screams at the referee with some fervour, veins popping out all over the shop.
45 mins + 4: Lovely trickery by Bernardo on the right, but after he spins around Van Aanholt does well to deny him any further progress.
45 mins +1: De Bruyne gets down the right well and crosses to the near post, where Aguero flaps a shot towards goal, but the angle was always tricky and it goes wide.
45 mins: The injuries to Jesus and Dann mean there will be six minutes of added time.
44 mins: Now Aguero is having some treatment on the sidelines - for a bloody nose, apparently. Not sure how that happened.
43 mins: Brief squabble between Sane and De Bruyne: the former makes a run on the shoulder of the defence, checks it slightly as he drifted offside, but the latter chose that exact moment to play the ball through. They shout and flap their hands at each other a bit.
41 mins: Fosu-Mensah has Sane in his pocket. The German gets down the left, but the United loanee manages to liberate the ball from him and furthermore ushers it out of play for a goal kick. Great combination of smarts and strength.
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38 mins: Bit of an incident between Walker and Milivojevic: a stout but fair challenge between the two leaves the Palace man on the floor, and he sort of shoves his forearm into Walker’s midriff in retaliation. Walker shoves him away, and the incident comes so a slightly petty conclusion.
36 mins: Smart work by Fosu-Mensah to bring the ball out of defence on the right, sashaying around two defenders as he goes, and he plays a long pass forwards looking for a smart Zaha run in from the left, but Walker tracks him well and Palace can’t get nearer to goal than about 40 yards out.
35 mins: He’s right, you know.
This is a v good game. Really like Palace's high energy Hodge-of-war approach. Probably still lose 4-0 mind
— Barney Ronay (@barneyronay) December 31, 2017
34 mins: Zaha, it is not news to report, is a constant menace. He streaks down the left and cuts back to Townsend, but his shot from the edge of the area smacks Danilo in the face. Is Zaha the best player outside the top six? Him and Riyad Mahrez, probably.
31 mins: Zaha outsmarts and outmuscles Walker in the left corner, somehow works himself a bit of space and crosses, but it’s put behind for a corner. Said corner finds Benteke on the edge of the six-yard box, but he looks like he very slightly mistimes his jump and the glancing header goes well wide.
30 mins: De Bruyne goes down in the area, claiming a nudge in the back. There might have been a smidge of contact, but nothing to justify a penalty.
28 mins: Great pressing from Palace, as City try to knock the ball around and play out from their own penalty area, but Cabaye among others ultimately forces the ball out of play. City then counter, Aguero’s first involvement is to gather the ball outside the area and shoot - it takes a big deflection, and hits the post! Closest to a goal we’ve had so far.
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27 mins: Relatively even game so far, if a little disjointed because of the two injuries. City been marginally better, but Palace are showing there is a way to keep them out with jabs rather than just covering up and hoping they punch themselves out. Not that teams who do that can necessarily be blamed.
24 mins: Corner to City out on the right, which De Bruyne pings over low. It canons off the left foot of James Tomkins and almost flummoxes Hennessey, but he ultimately keeps the ball out.
22 mins: Jesus clearly hasn’t shaken off that injury from earlier - knee, I think - and has gone down again. He’s in tears, comforted by various coaches, although he is able to walk down the tunnel. Sergio Aguero comes on in his place.
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21 mins: Otamendi passes to De Bruyne, who is dispossessed but the ball falls to Jesus on the edge of the box. He spins and shoots, but with little power.
20 mins: After all of that, City have a free-kick to take, a few yards outside the box out to the right. Sane tries to whip it over the wall, but can only hit the top of the human barrier. He collects the loose ball and puts a cross into the area, but Hennessey claims.
19 mins: Dann is indeed going off, replaced by Martin Kelly.
17 mins: Doesn’t look good for Dann, this. A stretcher is on and a substitute is readying himself.
16 mins: Dann eschews subtlety by body-checking De Bruyne, but appears to do more harm to himself: looked like his knee got caught under a falling Belgian, and he looks in pain. Moss this time allows treatment immediately.
13 mins: Free-kick to Palace out deep on the right. Cabaye’s delivery isn’t great and it’s cleared to Van Aanholt who shoots, it’s deflected and Ederson then has to scramble to his left and paw it wide. The subsequent corner follows a similar pattern, but this time City counter at pace: Sane gets the ball down the left side of the area, but Fosu-Mensah does well to dash back and track his run, and snuff out the attack.
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11 mins: Jesus is down injured, having done an approximation of the splits over on the left flank. He looks in some pain, but for some reason the referee initially refuses the physios permission to come on and offer treatment. Eventually they do, and Jesus limps to the sidelines: that said, he doesn’t look in excessive amounts of distress.
9 mins: Slapstick! A big boomer downfield from Hennessey causes Mangala and Ederson to dither over who’s going to deal with the ball, eventually neither really does and it falls to Benteke, whose shot is just about blocked by the French defender.
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7 mins: The ball hits referee Jonathan Moss. Always good fun. Gundogan gets into the area but a good challenge from Van Aanholt denies him a shooting chance.
6 mins: Zaha vs Walker might be fun: their first tussle of the day ends when the City man holds off Wilf, and a heavy touch takes the ball through to Ederson.
4 mins: A high ball bounces in the City area, and while Sunday league coaches across the land cry out in anguish, Ederson barrels off his line and heads the ball clear.
3 mins: City wander their way with troubling ease into the area, and while Gundogan’s cut-back comes to nothing, that’s perhaps a portent of how the game will pan out.
2 mins: Early chance for City: Danilo cuts back onto his right foot from the left side of the area, he clips a cross into the middle which takes a flick off a defender. Bernardo Silva controls with his stomach, half facing away from goal, but can only direct his shot just wide of the post.
1 min: We’re away. Palace in the usual blue and reddish stripes, City in sky blue and white.
A query, from former Guardian good egg McCourt...
A question for the MBM: is it OK to eat a doughnut with a knife and fork?
— Ian McCourt (@ianmccourt) December 31, 2017
Teams are in the tunnel. The penultimate Guardian MBM of 2017 (which is surely how both teams will be thinking of this game) is imminent.
Anyway, enough of that...
2017, year of supreme majesty pic.twitter.com/94SZ8j2oAN
— James Dart (@James_Dart) December 31, 2017
Pep Guardiola is sitting on the away bench at Crystal Palace already, chatting away with one of his assistants. He stops when a young whipper snapper asks for a photo. “Of course,” he says. Which is nice. It’s nice to be nice.
Is Guardiola a nice man? How does he come across in public to fans, both City and not? He certainly frustrates journalists with some of his answers in interviews and press conferences, but that’s not really especially important.
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Goals? Goals! Goals.
Not directly related to this game, but related to football as a whole: have a read of Danny Taylor’s column on Rhian Brewster and what this means for football.
Team news
Crystal Palace
Hennessey: Fosu-Mensah, Tomkins, Dann, Van Aanholt; Cabaye, Milivojevic, Riedewald; Zaha, Townsend; Benteke Subs: Speroni, Lee, Souare, Kaikai, Kelly, Delaney, Puncheon.
Manchester City
Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Mangala, Danilo; Gündogan, Fernandinho, De Bruyne; Sané, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus Subs: Bravo, Stones, Sterling, Agüero, Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, Touré
Referee: Jonathan Moss (West Yorkshire)
Preamble
Bit of a weird time for football, this. Everyone’s a bit sleepy, can’t really make proper plans for the day with the evening looming over us all. Plus it’s a noon kick-off, the players presumably having enjoyed a lovely plate of pasta for breakfast. It’s also drizzling in south London, the sky is as grey as our moods.
But then again, we do have Manchester City to watch. And that’s usually a good thing. What new way will they find to thrill us in this match? What strange formation will Pep Guardiola come up with? How will Jose Mourinho blame United’s draw yesterday on this game, somehow?
Or, perhaps even more excitingly, will this be the first time since 5 April that a Premier League team has beaten City? Roy Hodgson’s Palace have been pretty solid recently - unbeaten in eight before the Arsenal game, the only teams they have lost to in the last couple of months have been Tottenham and Arsenal, and even then only just. And teams like Newcastle and West Ham have shown it is possible to frustrate City, it’s just that they tend to find a way through in the end.
Should be interesting, anyway. Hang around and see how it goes.
Kick-off: 12pm GMT
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