Manchester City left it late, but came away with all three points away at Crystal Palace last night, in what proved to be their toughest test yet of 2015-16.
Alan Pardew’s men will be devestated not to get anything out of the game, considering that they could have won it themselves had Dwight Gayle converted a golden opportunity in the dying moments. The miss proved to be crucial as City scored the winner in a matter of minutes, through their young striker Kelechi Iheanacho.
The win keeps the Sky Blues atop the league with five games gone.
Navas struggling in front of goal
Jesus Navas has gone over a year without a goal to his name and his low confidence in front of goal was evident when he missed the simplest chance to end that drought. Midway through the second-half, the Spaniard was put through on goal by Kevin De Bruyne and after beating the goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, he dismally put it wide with the net gaping. Navas will be desperate to end his drought soon and more importantly, will look to put this horrendous miss behind him. The signing of Kevin De Bruyne will put his spot in the starting XI in jeopardy, but the 29-year-old will be determined to continue to fight for his place.
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City’s injury problems strike again
The Sky Blues’ lack of strikers might begin to worry the team, as they saw last season’s top scorer Sergio Aguero limp-off with a knee problem early in the match. Pellegrini will be hopeful that it is nothing serious, but still has Wilfried Bony as a reliable replacement. David Silva and Raheem Sterling failed to make the squad last night, while the duo are expected to be back for the next fixture, with key players missing City struggled for the first time this season. As the Champions League begins next week, the games are bound to get tighter and the manager will be desperate to avoid any further injuries to his star personnel.
Palace can take pride in their performance
After taking a vital three points away at Chelsea a couple of weeks ago, Palace looked every bit up to the task as they welcomed the league leaders. The Eagles were dangerous for most of the game and were very unlucky to not get a deserved point. But Pardew will be extremely pleased with what he saw from his players, aiming to guide the London club to something better than simply a top-half finish. Yannick Bolasie and Yohan Cabaye had good games, with the former being a constant threat to the City defence in the first hour, while the Frenchman is proving why he was worth Palace breaking their transfer record to secure his services. A very promising start to the season, as they have now only dropped points to Arsenal and the Sky Blues.
The Eagles will travel Tottenham in their next fixture and will certainly be brimming with confidence. One area where they will look to improve would be the defence, as Pardew’s side have failed to record a single clean sheet this season even though they have put in some impressive defensive displays.
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City cement their position at the top of the league with a 100% record and are yet to concede a single goal. They will host West Ham next weekend, but not before they face a visit from Juventus in the Champions League. The Sky Blues look like real title contenders and might run away with the Premier League title sooner than anyone expected if they keep up these results.
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