Premier League outcome and reaction from Crystal Palace vs. Man City live: Kevin De Bruyne shines in the victory
With a thrilling victory over Crystal Palace, “incredible” Kevin de Bruyne scored his 100th goal for Manchester City, sustaining their merciless title drive.
Jean-Philippe Mateta gave Palace the lead early in the exciting match, and De Bruyne’s brilliant finish tied the score for the visitors in the first half.
In just the third minute, Mateta raced on to a pass from Adam Wharton and tucked the ball inside the far corner, causing a roar from the Selhurst Park fans.
However, ten minutes later, De Bruyne’s curling effort was a magnificent equalizer. He went on to play a key part for the remainder of the match, and City manager Pep Guardiola credited De Bruyne’s “incredible” abilities for their win.
Guardiola said to BBC Sport, “He has been one of our club’s best players for many years.”
“He has accomplished incredible things in England. Lots of goals, helpers, and regularity. We needed him at the end of the season after being without him for four or five months.
“I believe he enjoys scoring goals, but I’m not sure if he gets greater satisfaction from setting up goals. He needs to keep doing that since he is so giving with that.
Even though Oliver Glasner’s team displayed a lot of attacking danger, they were defeated in the second half. Jordan Ayew of Palace also hit the crossbar.
Within two minutes of the second half, Rico Lewis scored and Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson could not stop him after making a vital save moments earlier to deny Erling Haaland the chance to finish off a deft De Bruyne through-ball.
Then, the reigning champions took command as De Bruyne set up Haaland once more, and this time the striker from Norway completed. The Belgian then added a fourth goal, his 100th goal for City since coming in 2015, with a powerful first-time effort.
Although Palace’s substitute Odsonne Edouard scored a late consolation goal, Guardiola’s team yet emerged victorious in a thrilling three-way race for the championship.
Arsenal plays Brighton later on Saturday, while City moved level on points with leaders Liverpool, who visit Manchester United on Sunday.
De Bruyne fills in for Foden as City
Guardiola made four changes to City’s lineup with an eye toward Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Real Madrid. Only a few days prior, Phil Foden had scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa.
De Bruyne and Haaland, however, entered the game and immediately had an impact, helping City’s quest for an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title.
Palace, who are still getting used to their new manager Glasner, showed a lot of promise, especially in the first half when their organization and defensive tenacity kept the visitors at bay.
The fact that Michael Olise was back off the bench after missing seven games due to injury gave them hope.
and the vivacious Edouard came dangerously close before finishing with four minutes remaining.
“I’m not satisfied with the result but I saw many positive things in our performance,” Glasner stated.
“I don’t like to talk about good things when we lose 4-2, but we were competitive at some points in the match. It demonstrates our ability to create opportunities, but naturally, we lose when we give up four goals.”
At the end, Guardiola was allowed to rest Foden and Bernardo Silva because City was too strong, but after a season marred by injuries, De Bruyne rose to the occasion and scored his historic goal.
Further encouragement came from the fact that defender John Stones, who had been wounded while playing for England, was able to finish the game.
Palace has shown to be a formidable foe for City in the past; in December, they overcame a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 at the Etihad, so this win was crucial for Guardiola’s team to maintain pressure on Liverpool and Arsenal.
