Manchester City Move Within Two Points of Arsenal with Win Over Crystal Palace
Manchester City edged closer to Premier League leaders Arsenal by securing a victory against Crystal Palace. Haaland opened the scoring in the 41st minute with a header from a deep Matheus Nunes cross. In the second half, Phil Foden extended City’s lead following a surge from Cherki, despite Henderson denying Reijnders earlier in the match.
Haaland sealed the win with a late penalty after Henderson fouled Savinho inside the box. Guardiola made a tactical change, starting Tijjani Reijnders in place of the injured Jérémy Doku. Palace's preparation was affected by a late flight back from Dublin; however, Mateta and Ismaïla Sarr returned from injury, and Nathaniel Clyne started on the right.
During the first half, Yeremy Pino struck the crossbar after a pass from Adam Wharton. Daichi Kamada was forced off with an injury during the second half. Mateta felt he should have been awarded a penalty before half-time, but replays indicated that Gianluigi Donnarumma reached the ball first. Eddie Nketiah came on as a late substitute for Palace.
