Manchester City vs Crystal Palace Report
Scorers: De Bruyne 33’, Marmoush 36’, Kovacic 47’, McAtee 56’, O’Reilly 79’; Eze 8’, Richards 21’
Manchester City produced a sensational comeback to beat Crystal Palace 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium, ending the Eagles’ impressive eight-match unbeaten run away from home in the Premier League. Despite trailing 2-0 inside the opening 25 minutes, Pep Guardiola’s side roared back to remind their top-four rivals they remain very much in the fight for UEFA Champions League qualification.
Nightmare Start for City
In what has been a turbulent campaign for Guardiola’s side, the early signs suggested more disappointment was on the cards. Crystal Palace started brightly and silenced the home crowd just 10 minutes in with a sweeping counter-attack. Ismaïla Sarr squared the ball across the box, and Eberechi Eze was on hand to tap in at the far post completely unmarked.
City responded almost instantly, with Kevin De Bruyne threading a trademark pass through to Omar Marmoush. However, Dean Henderson stood tall and made a vital save, with Guardiola visibly furious on the touchline. He felt Chris Richards had pulled Marmoush back just as he was about to shoot — a foul which might’ve seen red on another day.
The mood at the Etihad soured further on 22 minutes when Richards turned scorer, rising above the defence to head home Adam Wharton’s corner from close range to double Palace’s lead. Moments later, Eze thought he had a second with a classy finish, but the offside flag came to City’s rescue.
De Bruyne Inspires Response
That reprieve kick-started City’s comeback. On 33 minutes, De Bruyne stepped up and unleashed a sensational 30-yard free-kick that cannoned in off the post to halve the deficit. From there, the momentum shifted entirely.
James McAtee squandered a great chance to equalise immediately after the restart, but Marmoush made no mistake moments later.
A fortunate ricochet saw the ball drop to him in the box, and the Egyptian forward hammered it into the roof of the net from six yards.
Second Half Domination
City started the second half with intent and needed just two minutes to complete the turnaround. De Bruyne, pulling the strings once again, teed up Mateo Kovačić on the edge of the area. The Croatian midfielder calmly swept the ball into the bottom corner to put the hosts ahead for the first time.
McAtee, having missed two earlier opportunities, finally made amends with a goal of his own. Ederson picked him out with a superb long pass, and the young midfielder showed great composure to bring the ball down, round Henderson, and finish into an empty net.
O’Reilly Caps Off the Rout
With City playing some of their most fluid football of the season, the fifth goal felt inevitable. It arrived in style via Nico O’Reilly, who struck a sweet volley from the edge of the box to cap off a dominant second-half performance.
Palace, for all their bright early moments, had no response. The defeat ends their impressive away run and offers a timely reminder of City’s firepower.
Final Words
Having looked on the brink of a morale-sapping defeat, this emphatic turnaround serves as a serious statement from Manchester City. With rivals still to play this weekend, Guardiola’s men have cranked up the pressure in the race for the top four, showing once again they should never be written off.
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Man City v Crystal Palace, 2024/25 | Premier League