Leading by two goals, Man City conceded a penalty in the fourth minute of injury time and drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace in round 17 of the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola's team seemed certain to have all three points when they led 2-0 after 54 minutes. However, Jean-Philippe Mateta's surprise goal in the 76th minute changed the game. With a one-goal lead, Man City maintained pressure while fearing the risk of a counterattack. The nightmare came in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Midfielder Phil Foden became the culprit when he kicked Mateta in the penalty area and referee Paul Tierney immediately pointed to the penalty spot without the help of VAR.
Jean-Philippe Mateta shortened the score to 1-2 for Palace against Man City on the evening of December 16. Photo: Reuters
The City players surrounded referee Tierney in the hope of changing his mind. But the foul was too obvious. Michael Olise fooled Ederson from the spot to give Palace a point. After the final whistle, veteran manager Roy Hodgson shook hands with his counterpart Guardiola with a smile on his face while the City manager looked disappointed.
This was a bitter defeat for Guardiola. Because Man City dominated all the parameters. They controlled the ball up to 74%, shot 14 times, of which 9 were on target. Palace only hit the woodwork twice in the whole match but scored 2 goals. Hodgson showed the experience of a 76-year-old coach who has worked for many years in the Premier League.
The draw means City have won just one of their last six Premier League games. They remain fourth but just one point ahead of Tottenham. If Aston Villa, Arsenal and Liverpool win tomorrow, the gap at the Etihad will widen behind the leaders. It's also poor preparation for City ahead of their trip to Saudi Arabia to play in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Jack Grealish celebrates with his teammates after opening the score for Man City. Photo: Reuters
Man City were almost entirely confined to Palace's half after the kick-off. The talent of goalkeeper Dean Henderson helped the visitors avoid conceding an early goal. But when the Palace defence let Jack Grealish meet Foden's through ball in an open position, Henderson had no chance against the opponent's curling shot into the far corner.
Palace were unlucky to see off the opposition's attacks, with centre-back Joel Ward forced off with an injury. However, the visitors were very tenacious. Even when they conceded a second goal 10 minutes after the break, Palace remained undaunted.
The second goal came after a chaotic spell of play. Palace defenders were drawn towards Rodri, leaving no one to stop Rico Lewis as he volleyed in from close range. However, the hosts were unable to extend the lead in the following minutes and paid the price.
Rico Lewis volleyed close to the goal to increase the score to 2-0 for Man City. Photo: Reuters
From a long ball by Marc Guehi, Jeffrey Schlupp broke the offside trap and crossed for Mateta to finish close to the goal. The match became more exciting after this goal. Both teams wanted to attack to find a goal. But while Man City could not take advantage of the opportunity, Palace fully exploited the opponent's mistake to complete an unbelievable comeback.
Hodgson's side are the first team to come from two goals down at the Etihad and not lose since Man Utd beat Man City 3-2 in April 2018. Guardiola's side have won 68 home games when leading by that margin. The 2-2 draw also means Man City have failed to keep a clean sheet for the seventh consecutive Premier League game. The last time this happened was in January 2019. In the last 11 games, Man City have kept just one clean sheet.
Quang Huy
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