Manchester City beats Crystal Palace 2-0, takes an important step towards defending its title
Manchester City has continued its onslaught in the English Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, taking them a step closer to challenging the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea for the title this season. The match saw City controlling the game from start to finish with a fine display of possession football in the first half.
The first goal came from Gabriel Jesus, who gracefully converted a pass from Kevin De Bruyne, in the 39th minute. Raheem Sterling doubled the lead in the second half, with a header from Bernardo Silva's cross, which left Palace stunned and unable to make a comeback.
City dominates possession, while Palace lacks attacking prowess
Despite fielding some talented attackers, Crystal Palace was never able to find its rhythm in this game. With only one shot on target and 27% possession, the team struggled to create opportunities and challenge City's defensive line. In contrast, City enjoyed 73% possession, with 14 shots on goal and six on target, clearly establishing their dominance on the pitch.
City's all-round performance was helped by the return of De Bruyne, who had been out for several weeks due to injury. His creative playmaking, along with the skills of Jesus and Sterling, meant Palace was constantly under pressure. City's defense, led by Aymeric Laporte, also did an excellent job of limiting Palace's forwards to only a few chances.
City takes a step closer to defending the Premier League title
This win takes Manchester City to the second spot in the league table, just two points behind Liverpool, who have played a game more. However, City's overall goal difference is better than Liverpool's, meaning that they can take the lead in the standings by winning their remaining fixtures.
With a relatively easy run of games in the coming weeks, including fixtures against Newcastle, Brighton and Bournemouth, Manchester City seems well-placed to mount a title defence. However, Pep Guardiola's side still needs to play tricky fixtures against Manchester United and Leicester City, who are both in the race for top-four positions, before the end of the season.
Conclusion
This 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace was an excellent performance by Manchester City, who controlled the game throughout and never looked in danger of conceding. With the return of De Bruyne and their attacking prowess, Manchester City appears to be hitting form at the right time in the season. They are definitely in the race to defend their title, but there is still plenty of work to be done to catch up with Liverpool.
