Erling Haaland and Phil Foden guide Manchester City to victory over Crystal Palace
Even after a midweek triumph over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, this win ranks among Pep Guardiola’s most rewarding moments of the season. The defeat for Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace—who once marked their greatest day of all by beating City in the FA Cup final—adds another layer of satisfaction for Guardiola as he plots City’s path back within two points of league leaders Arsenal.
Haaland began City’s scoring after weathering a stubborn Palace defense in the first half and added a late penalty to bring his league tally to 17 for the season. Yet it was Phil Foden who stole the spotlight again, scoring for the sixth time in his last four appearances and sealing the win in front of England manager Gareth Southgate after delivering another high-impact display.
Both teams entered the match buoyed by midweek European results against contrasting foes. Guardiola kept his team rotation light, making only one change: Tijjani Reijnders came in for Jérémy Doku, who was sidelined with a leg injury.
Palace, meanwhile, faced travel hurdles after returning late from Dublin due to a plane issue that disrupted their Conference League celebrations. Glasner welcomed back Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaïla Sarr for the attack following injuries, while veteran Nathaniel Clyne filled the right flank in the absence of Daniel Muñoz.
The managers exchanged a few words before kick-off, with Glasner reminding Guardiola of his warning before the FA Cup final that City may need to adapt their system after Palace’s 5-2 league win in their recent clash. Glasner’s game plan focused on “controlling the pockets” against City’s fluid, Haaland-supportive setup.
Initially, Palace looked the more dangerous side, crafting the moment of the half when Adam Wharton’s through-ball released Yeremy Pino, whose shot struck the bar after being onside thanks to Nico O’Reilly’s moment of sleep. Palace’s defensive organization has become a hallmark under Glasner, with only Mateta and Clyne among the Wembley starters missing from the current lineup.
City’s best chances stemmed from moments of individual brilliance, notably a curling free-kick from Foden that forced a sprawling save from Dean Henderson. The deadlock broke when a superb cross from Matheus Nunes found Haaland, whose towering header beat Henderson. Replays suggested Mateta could have earned a penalty before the break, but Donnarumma beat him to the ball.
Yorkshire-born Adam Wharton, still awaiting his first Palace goal, came close again after a second-half spell of pressure, his shot striking the post following Nico González’s turnover. Foden continued to drive City forward, linking with Rayan Cherki and forcing Henderson into another save on Reijnders’ attempt from a tight angle.
Wharton’s frustrations grew as another chance slipped away, and Palace’s hopes of a late surge were dampened when Daichi Kamada departed with an injury. City sealed the outcome as Foden’s influence grew, with Cherki’s relentless runs creating space for Haaland’s late clinching strike from outside the box, finishing off a counter-pressing move.
Palace pressed on with Sarr and substitute Eddie Nketiah looking for a late lifeline, but Donnarumma remained solid to preserve the two-goal cushion. Haaland then wrapped up proceedings from the penalty spot after Henderson fouled Savinho inside the area. With City firing on all cylinders, Arsenal will already be aware of the threat they pose as the title race gains renewed momentum.
