Manchester kept themselves in strong contention for the title race with a convincing 4-0 home win over Crystal Palace.
Sergio Aguero was in fine form at the Etihad, with the Argentine scoring twice and assisting one as his side cruised to the three points. Fabian Delph and David Silva also got on the scoresheet. Alan Pardew’s side, on the other hand, continued their slump and have now only taken only five points from their last six games. Also losing their last three in the process, the Eagles still find themselves in eighth position in the league table.
Manchester City
Joe Hart – 6: Had to make a couple of smart saves early on in the game, but was more at ease as his side gained control.
Pablo Zabaleta – 6.5: Did not have much to do as he enjoyed a rather easy challenge at right-back on his birthday.
Martin Demichelis – 4: Was lucky to not be troubled against a shaky Palace attack, but struggled to cope when the visitors had their only real chance.
Nicolas Otamendi – 6.5: Did well whenever called upon, yet also was not given too much too deal with.
Aleksandar Kolarov – 5.5: Had a relatively easy game before his night was cut short, as he came off on a stretcher a little after the restart.
Fabian Delph – 7: Made his way back into the starting XI and repaid his manager’s faith after his deflected effort opened the scoring with his second goal of the season. Had a decent game from thereon.
Fernando – 6.5: Sat back as City and allowed his fellow midfielders to move further up the pitch as his dominated proceedings. Did not have a lot of defensive work to do though.
Kevin De Bruyne – 6: The Belgian has been slightly below-par in the last couple of games, but still managed to grab an assist on the night.
David Silva – 6: The Spaniard was unusually sloppy on his return to the starting lineup, misplacing way too many passes. Did manage to get on the scoresheet with a simple tap-in.
Kalechi Iheanacho – 6.5: The youngster did well as he lasted just less than an hour on the pitch and even managed to record an assist.
Sergio Aguero – 9: The Argentine talisman was on fire, scoring two and assisting another. He should have arguably also won a penalty, but showed great spirit as he managed to stay on his feet. A fine outing for the 27-year-old.
Substitutes
Gael Clichy – 4: Replaced Kolarov after his injury, but struggled against the Palace wingers on a few occasions.
Yaya Toure – 5: Did not have the most liveliest of games after he came off the bench to replace Iheanacho.
Jesus Navas – N/A: Came on late in the game after City had already sealed the victory.
Sergio Aguero's game by numbers vs. Crystal Palace:
5 shots
2 goals
2 chances created
1 assistEnd product. pic.twitter.com/TdCn0TBxnK
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 16, 2016
Crystal Palace
Wayne Hennessey – 3: Has been struggling in the last few weeks with crucial mistakes and did not do too well against City either. Beaten far too easily on his near post.
Joel Ward – 4.5: Had a rather dull game at right-back and struggled against Iheanacho. The Englishman has definitely put in better performances this season.
Damien Delaney– 4: Should have surely opened the scoring but his effort was straight at Hart. Four goals conceded summed up his side’s defensive performance.
Scott Dann – 6: Was the only decent Palace defender on the night and was unlucky as Aguero’s effort was deflected off his head past Hennessey.
Papa Souare – 5: De Bruyne kept him busy throughout the game and the Senegalese defender did well up until the last goal where he was caught out.
Yohan Cabaye – 5: Troubled Hart with a fine free-kick and a long distance effort, but was anonymous for the remainder of the game. Was very lucky not to be sent-off for a second bookable offence towards the end.
Joe Ledley – 4: Struggled against a strong City attack and almost gave away a penalty against Aguero.
James McArthur – 5: Did not enjoy too much freedom on the ball and struggled to get into the game. Was replaced in the late stages
Wilfried Zaha– 6: Enjoyed a better second-half as he showed much more attacking intent after the break.
Jason Puncheon –5: Showed signs of slowing down in the second-half of the season and did not take on the City defenders as much as his manager would want him to.
Connor Wickham – 6.5: Provided a fantastic cross in the opening minutes for Delaney, who failed to score. But was far too isolated for the rest of the game.
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Substitutes
Marouane Chamakh – 4: Replaced Wickham around the hour mark and failed to make any sort of positive impact and was booked for simulation.
Jordan Mutch – N/A: Came on for McArthur for the final 10 minutes but couldn’t get too involved in the game.
Chung-Yong Lee – N/A: Replaced Zaha towards the end of the game.
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