EPL: Crystal Palace stun Man-City in thrilling 2-2 draw
Manchester City’s hopes of closing the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool suffered another blow after a pulsating 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
City, fresh from a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, looked to continue their momentum but faced a resilient Palace side who struck early through Daniel Munoz in the fourth minute. The forward capitalised on a perfectly threaded pass by Will Hughes to give the hosts an unexpected lead.
Erling Haaland, who is neck-and-neck with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in the Golden Boot race, levelled the score with a towering header from Matheus Nunes’ pinpoint cross, marking his 13th goal of the season.
Despite dominating possession in the second half, City were stunned again when Maxence Lacroix rose high to head in Hughes’ corner, restoring Palace’s lead. Rico Lewis later equalised with a stunning strike, only to be sent off six minutes before full-time for a rash challenge, leaving City to fend off Palace’s late surge with 10 men.
Consequences For City’s Title Defence
The draw leaves Manchester City in fourth place, eight points behind league leaders Liverpool, who saw their Merseyside derby against Everton postponed due to high winds from Storm Darragh. This was City’s eighth game in nine without a win, further denting their ambitions of securing a fifth consecutive Premier League title.
READ ALSO: Chelsea triumph over Aston Villa to climb 3rd on Premier League table
Brentford solidified their fortress reputation at the Gtech Community Stadium, defeating Newcastle 4-2 to climb to seventh place. Bryan Mbeumo dazzled with a sensational opener, while Nathan Collins and Kevin Schade sealed the points in the second half.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran marked his first Premier League start with a decisive goal against Southampton, earning Villa a 1-0 victory and pushing them into fifth place.
With Liverpool’s postponement, Arsenal and Chelsea have opportunities to cut Liverpool’s lead at the top when they face Fulham and Tottenham, respectively, on Sunday.
As the title race intensifies, City’s struggles could be a significant talking point for the weeks ahead.
Written by Sakinat Musa Abubakar, Editor at Neptune Prime
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