Manchester City climbed to fourth in the Premier League after an impressive 5-2 comeback victory over Crystal Palace at the Etihad on Saturday.
In the match’s first half, the Premier League introduced semi-automated offside technology for the first time, which was used frequently during a thrilling 45 minutes. Palace took a two-goal lead thanks to Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards, with Eze’s third goal narrowly ruled out for offside. However, City responded as Kevin De Bruyne and Omar Marmoush brought the score level.
The second half was all City, as Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee, and Nico O’Reilly found the net to complete the turnaround and seal a dominant victory that brought Pep Guardiola’s side closer to securing Champions League qualification.
How the Game Unfolded
City began positively in a must-win fixture but were caught off guard by Palace’s quick-fire two-goal lead. Ismaila Sarr played in Eze, who finished calmly within eight minutes, and Richards doubled the advantage soon after, capitalizing on indecisive goalkeeping by Ederson during a corner.
Things could have worsened for City when Eze saw his strike ruled out for offside after a close-range miss by Sarr. However, the home side seized the opportunity to mount a dramatic comeback. De Bruyne, who had already hit the post, curled in a brilliant free-kick beyond Palace keeper Dean Henderson, before setting up Marmoush for a close-range equaliser just three minutes later.
City came out firing after the break, and it took them just two minutes to complete the turnaround. De Bruyne again played a key role, providing the assist for Kovacic’s powerful strike into the bottom corner.
The Cityzens continued to dominate, and within 10 minutes of the second half, they had a two-goal cushion. Ederson redeemed himself for earlier mistakes by delivering a brilliant 60-yard pass to McAtee, who rounded Henderson and scored, although the goalkeeper appeared to injure himself in the process and was substituted shortly after.
O’Reilly capped off a fine individual performance by scoring his first Premier League goal 10 minutes from time. His deflected shot sealed the win and ensured City’s commanding 5-2 triumph, bringing them closer to a Champions League spot.
