Manchester City had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in a Premier League match at Etihad Stadium. Despite dominating the game, City couldn’t secure a win, continuing their pattern of late-game concessions. Crystal Palace’s five-man defense and compact midfield successfully disrupted City’s creativity, resulting in a surprising outcome.

The match demonstrated Manchester City’s struggle to maintain leads, a recurring issue in November and December. The reigning champions are now three points behind Liverpool, who are yet to play Manchester United.

City had early opportunities to score, but Crystal Palace’s goalkeeper Dean Henderson and some lucky deflections kept them at bay. Jack Grealish eventually opened the scoring in the 24th minute after receiving an excellent pass from Phil Foden.

Josko Gvardiol and Foden missed chances to extend the lead. Palace’s only significant first-half chance was a free-kick from Michael Olise, which sailed over the bar after Ederson received a yellow card for a foul.

The second half saw City maintain control. They thought they had doubled their lead through Julian Alvarez’s free-kick, but it was disallowed due to Rodri being offside. Rico Lewis then scored his first Premier League goal, putting City two ahead.

Palace unexpectedly reduced the deficit in the 75th minute with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring from Jeffrey Schlupp’s cross. In the 94th minute, a penalty was awarded to Palace after a mistake by Phil Foden, which Michael Olise converted, resulting in a 2-2 draw.

Here are the player ratings for Manchester City:

– Ederson: 6 – Made a risky challenge but was largely untested in the first half.

– Kyle Walker: 6 – Had a better showing in a less familiar role on the field.

– Ruben Dias: 7 – Showed composure and stability in defense.

– Nathan Ake: 7 – Played with calmness and error-free, despite limited appearances.

– Josko Gvardiol: 6.5 – Had a solid game, creating chances and effective in the press.

– Rico Lewis: 7.5 – Impressive in midfield, scoring his first goal.

– Rodri: 8 – Controlled the game well with accurate passing and nearly scored.

– Phil Foden: 7.5 – Despite limited space, contributed significantly but was involved in the play leading to the penalty.

– Bernardo Silva: 7.5 – Brought control and threat on the right wing.

– Julian Alvarez: 6.5 – Struggled for space and impact, with a goal disallowed for offside.

– Jack Grealish: 7.5 – Continued his good form, scoring for the third consecutive Premier League match.