EPL: Dazzling De Bruyne helps Manchester City sink Crystal Palace after early scare
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Manchester City showed their strength and resilience with a stunning comeback against Crystal Palace. Despite a frustrating first half, Kevin De Bruyne’s 99th and 100th goals for the club, along with key roles played by Jack Grealish in goals for Rico Lewis and Erling Haaland, led City to a dominant second-half display full of control, poise and deadly finishing. It’s now up to Liverpool and Arsenal to play their hands in the three-way game of who blinks first. Pep Guardiola’s attention now turns to the Champions League.
The excitement in Oliver Glasner’s selection came in the reappearance of Michael Olise on the bench. Risking Olise with an injury against Brighton in February was one of the final blows under Roy Hodgson, and Palace had won only one game since his absence. He arrived to applause with 15 minutes to play just as Rodri, much improved after an uncharacteristically dodgy first half, was withdrawn, the talisman’s exit a sign that even Guardiola’s anxieties had abated. When Odsonne Édouard knocked in Jeffrey Schlupp’s cross with five minutes to play there was little panic from the visitors, though Olise whipping a trademark shot across Stefan Ortega’s goal suggested there might still have been life in the game.
In Olise’s absence, Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton have taken up creative duties, the latter signing from Blackburn augmenting his reputation as someone with an eye for a pass thanks to his role in Palace’s opener. After John Stones lost possession in deep midfield, it was Wharton’s ball that picked out Jean-Philippe Mateta to gallop beyond the City defence and beat Ortega at the far post. Guardiola raged at being torn asunder by someone he will have marked as dangerous. Not for the first time, Palace’s speed of transition had caught out City but such attacks would become fleeting as first Julián Álvarez and then Rodri forced good saves from Dean Henderson.
The Palace goalkeeper had no such answer to De Bruyne, who received a short pass from Grealish, shrugged off Wharton and curled the ball into the net for an equaliser celebrated with clenched fists from scorer and manager. City hurriedly sought a quick second but Henderson won a one-on-one with Haaland and Palace, with Jordan Ayew smashing over, showed themselves still capable of creating chances. Oscar Bobb, a young player handed his assignment on the right wing, was struggling for space when adeptly marked by Tyrick Mitchell.
