The 32nd round of the English Premier League has started. In the opening match, Crystal Palace hosted defending champions Manchester City at Selhurst Park. The match started unexpectedly – Jack Stones made a playing error, which provoked a counterattack that ended with a goal by Jean-Philippe Mateta. The guests quickly started to make up for the loss.
Josko Gvardiol and Julian Alvarez had their chances, but it was Kevin de Bruyne from the side of the penalty area who equalized the score in the 13th minute with a beautiful shot into the goal window. In the 19th minute, Erling Haaland had a one-on-one opportunity with Dean Henderson, but he hit the goalkeeper. However, the Norwegian was to some extent hindered in this action until the end by Jefferson Lerma, who slightly disturbed the rhythm of the English champions’ sniper.
In the 37th minute, Rodri made an unprecedented loss. Palace created another dangerous counterattack, but Andre Ayew only hit the crossbar. Ederson would have had nothing to say if the ball had flown several centimeters lower. Nothing significant happened until the end of the first half. The teams went to the locker room with a 1-1 draw.
TOP 5 Goals of the week Fortuna 1 Liga. VIDEO/Polsat Sport/Polsat Sport
Crystal Palace – Manchester City. The second half shows off “The Citizens”
The second part quickly brought excitement. Just 95 seconds after the start, the players from Etihad Stadium took the lead. Jack Grealish crossed from the left wing, the ball was slightly headed by Joachim Andersen and fell to Rico Lewis, who beat Henderson from a few meters. In the 67th minute, the visitors scored the third goal. Grealish started the action again, finding Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian also played to Erling Haaland, who scored his 19th goal this league season. VAR confirmed that there was no offside at any point.
In the 70th minute it was already 1:4. This time it was De Bruyne who got on the scoresheet – it was his 100th goal for “The Citizens”. The whole action was fueled by Grealish, who passed the ball to Rodri – the short pass was served by the Belgian, who did not hesitate even for a second.
Despite everything, the “Eagles” still tried to attack – in the 81st minute, for example, Odsonne Edouard had a favorable opportunity, but his shot on goal was stopped. However, the player’s action in the 86th minute was much more important – he received a great pass from Jeffrey Schlupp on the left side and beat Ortega from close range without any major difficulties. It was only 4:2 for MC.
It seemed that there was a significant relaxation in the “Citizens” ranks, because soon Schlupp was close to scoring a goal. Ultimately, however, the result (even despite seven added minutes) did not change – the team from Etihad Stadium triumphed and added three points to their account.
Manchester City is in second place in the Premier League table. The situation can change instantly
Manchester City thus advanced to second place in the Premier League table – however, the situation of “Citizens” may change… within a few hours. It all depends on whether Arsenal manages to beat Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening. The next rival of Pep Guardiola’s team in the championship competition, Liverpool, will play their next match on Sunday – the Reds’ opponents will be Manchester United.
Kevin De Bruyne/Nigel Keene / ProSportsImages / DPPI via AFP/AFP
Pep Guardiola/OLI SCARFF/AFP/AFP
Manchester City/GRAHAM HOLT/ Pro Sports Images Ltd/ DPPI via AFP/AFP
