Manchester City held to a draw by Crystal Palace

Manchester City’s Premier League struggles continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Despite twice coming from behind, Pep Guardiola's side failed to secure a much-needed win, leaving their title aspirations further out of reach.

Early setback for City

City’s hopes of building on their midweek victory against Nottingham Forest were dashed almost immediately. Just five minutes into the match, Daniel Muñoz capitalized on a defensive lapse by Rico Lewis and Kyle Walker, slipping through a failed offside trap to give Crystal Palace an early lead. The reigning champions responded by controlling possession and patiently probing Palace’s defense. Their persistence paid off after 30 minutes when Matheus Nunes delivered a pinpoint cross that Erling Haaland headed powerfully into the net, leveling the score at 1-1 before halftime.

Palace strikes again

After the break, Crystal Palace regained their lead. Maxence Lacroix rose highest during a corner kick and headed the ball past Ederson, putting the home side ahead once more. The goal marked another defensive lapse for City, as they struggled to deal with Palace’s set-piece threat. City, however, did not take long to respond. Rico Lewis, eager to make amends for his earlier mistake, found the back of the net with a well-placed shot to make it 2-2, restoring hope for Guardiola’s side.

Missed opportunities

In the final 20 minutes, City threw everything forward in search of a winner. Despite dominating possession and creating several chances, they could not find the decisive goal. Haaland came close on multiple occasions, but Palace’s defense held firm, frustrating City’s attackers and denying them the three points.

Title race worries

This result marks the seventh time this season that Manchester City has dropped points in the Premier League. With this draw, they now sit fourth in the table, eight points behind league leaders Liverpool. The gap between City and the top of the table is growing, and Guardiola’s side must quickly find consistency if they hope to stay in the title race. Manchester City will need to regroup quickly as the season progresses. With every dropped point, their margin for error diminishes in an increasingly competitive title race. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace will take heart from their spirited performance, showing resilience against one of the Premier League’s top teams.