Oh, the luxury of resting world-class players and knowing those you do field will still do the business.
This time it was Phil Foden’s turn to take a breather for Manchester City, the England star fresh from his hat-trick against Aston Villa in midweek but kept on the bench here.
Back into Pep Guardiola’s team came Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. Two goals and an assist from the Belgian and a 19th Premier League goal of the season from Haaland; a 4-2 win at Crystal Palace despite trailing after three minutes and one second; and now level on points with leaders Liverpool. More than job done for City.
It wasn’t always pretty from Pep Guardiola’s side, this. That must be placed on record. Despite an eventually attractive scoreline, their football was often unpolished and Palace posed serious questions of the visitors’ title charge for much of this early afternoon.
That was particularly true in the first half, which began in frantic and fantastic circumstances for Palace as Adam Wharton set Jean-Philippe Mateta away and the Frenchman cannoned the ball past Stefan Ortega and in off the post. Off down the touchline to celebrate ran Palace manager Oliver Glasner, still awaiting his second win as manager and in that moment surely dreaming this could, against all odds, be it.
City initially struggled to penetrate a structurally solid Palace defence, which featured a back-three where only Joachim Andersen is a recognised centre-back owing to injury absences.
But it took just ten minutes after conceding for City to breach Dean Henderson’s goal, though, with De Bruyne’s deflected strike curling into the top corner. A fine strike, but his second would prove even sweeter and was his 100th for City.
First, they edged into a 2-1 lead just 104 seconds after the restart — galling for Glasner but great from Rico Lewis who volleyed home after a poor Andersen header. Lewis loves facing Palace. Two league goals for the 19-year-old; home and away against the Eagles.
City showed their intent not by playing well for the remainder of the game but by scoring their third and fourth goals within the space of four minutes, adding welcome daylight between themselves and their hosts.
First came a much-needed goal by Haaland — rather out of sorts in recent weeks — as he tucked home from De Bruyne’s cross after a sumptuous pass through Daniel Munoz’s legs by Jack Grealish.
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Then De Bruyne applied the finishing touch himself, taking Rodri’s tee-up in his stride and lashing first time past Henderson. The power his shots from distance can generate is extraordinary.
There was a consolation of sorts for Glasner and Palace fans that Michael Olise came on for a late cameo — his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury at Brighton on February 3 — and then an even more pleasing one as two more substitutes combined to make it 4-2. Jeffrey Schlupp delivered and Odsonne Edouard was alive to flick past Ortega.
The headlines, and the points, though, were City’s. They keep pace with Liverpool and Arsenal.
