Last minute mistake, Man City lost the victory

Man City have only won one of their four meetings with Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium in previous seasons. In the Premier League round 17 clash on the evening of December 16, despite leading by 2 goals, the defending champions were still unable to defeat Crystal Palace.

Erling Haaland is injured but Man City still has enough effective attacking options. Coach Pep Guardiola's team dominated the match and put pressure on their opponents right from the first minutes.

Julian Alvarez was put in Haaland's place but the home team did not pass the ball to the Argentine striker. Man City attacked in a diverse way and any position in their formation was ready to threaten the opponent's goal, including the center-backs.

Crystal Palace's defense had its limits and they conceded in the first half. Phil Foden assisted Jack Grealish to open the scoring in the 24th minute. VAR took another 3 minutes to check the situation but concluded that the goal was still valid.

Man City led by 2 goals but still held to a draw. (Photo: Getty Images)

Man City had nearly 75% possession in the first half. They had 14 shots but could not increase the gap before the break. The fans at the Etihad had to wait until the second half to celebrate the second goal.

Minutes after Alvarez's goal was ruled out for offside, Man City continued to put the ball in the net against Crystal Palace. Rodri's penetration into the penalty area confused the visitors' defense. Rico Lewis took advantage of the opportunity to score his first goal in the Premier League.

However, a lack of concentration in defence remains a problem for the defending champions. A few moments of carelessness in the back line cost Man City the victory when they were 2 goals up.

Ruben Dias did not mark the ball firmly, allowing Jeffrey Schlupp to assist Jean Mateta to score a goal to shorten the score in the 76th minute. Man City tried to keep the ball firmly, playing safe for the rest of the match but mistakes still appeared.

In the final minute of stoppage time, Phil Foden tried to clear the ball but kicked it straight at the opponent's leg. It was a clear foul in the box. Michael Olise converted the penalty to equalize for Crystal Palace.