Key events
78 min: What was one of the best games of the season is fizzling out into something of a non-event, due in no small part to City’s almost total dominance. Things could have been a lot different if Eze had stayed onside to put Palace 3-0 ahead in the first half.
73 min: We’ve just had the second of two minutes’ worth of applause for the Manchester City-supporting father and son, Alan and Justin Chappell, who tragically passed away within four days of each other in March. Alan was 72, while Justin was 28.
72 min: That succession of stoppages for the substitutions and injuries has taken the momentum out of the game. If Palace could somehow pull a goal back it would make for an interesting denouement but they’ve been very much on the back foot since the break.
70 min: The jig is up for Ederson, who limps from the pitch to warm applause and is replaced by Ortega.
69 min: Now Ederson is on his back on the grass, in need of treatment. It looks like he has a groin issue and Stefan Ortega has been sent to warm up.
67 min: James McAtee is booked for a late lunge on Jefferson Lerma as the game starts to get a little scrappy.
66 min: There’s a lengthy break in play as Eberechi Eze receives treatment for what appears to be an injury to his left ankle sustained in a coming-together with Kevin De Bruyne. He hobbles to the touchline and play resumes.
64 min: Palace substitutions: Ben Chilwell and Nathaniel Clyne on for Maxence Lacroix and Tyrick Mitchell.
62 min: Having seen a replay of McAtee’s goal, it would be fair to say that I did Ederson a grave disservice by describing his inch-perfect 60-yard pass into the path of the goalscorer as “getting it launched” in the hit-and-hope style. He knew exactly what he was doing. Wow.
59 min: Henderson saves brilliantly from Marmoush, who had latched on to a brilliant low cross from De Bruyne and blasted the ball at the goalkeeper from close range. Gundogan’s follow-up is blocked by a defender and then O’Reilly shoots over the bar. This is amazing stuff and the cross from De Bruyne after he’d latched on to Kovacic’s defence-splitting through ball was exquisite.
GOAL! Man City 4-2 Crystal Palace (McAtee 56)
City score again! Ederson gets the ball launched and James McAtee pounces on it just outside the Palace penalty area after darting between defenders. McAtee takes the ball around the onrushing Henderson with a deft touch and then slots it into an empty net. Half of City’s players rush to congratulate the goalscorer, while the rest sprint in the direction of Ederson. That’s his fourth Premier League assist of the season.
55 min: Maxence Lacroix is penalised and booked for a late challenge on Kovacic. Unlike his teammate Hughes, he can have no complaints.
53 min: City continue to dominate possession, barely giving Palace a touch. Will Hughes loses patience and is penalised – harshly – for a foul on Kevin De Bruyne. He got the ball cleanly and City’s skipper just tripped over his outstretched leg.
51 min: Marmoush squares the ball across the Palace penalty area for McAtee, who has acres of space in which to op[erate and a clear sight of goal but blasts high over the bar. It’s a bad miss.
49 min: Hats off to Ilkay Gundogan, who picked out O’Reilly with an exquisite pass to the byline played between Richards and Daniel Munoz. The youngster stayed onside and was instrumental in setting up the goal.
GOAL! Man City 3-2 Crystal Palace (Kovacic 47)
City lead! Nico O’Reilly pulls the ball back to De Bruyne from the byline. Unable to take a shot, the City skipper lays the ball off to Kovacic, who lashes a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. His effort survives a VAR check for an offside in the build-up.
46 min: Ismaila Sarr has moved into Mateta’s position up front for Palace, while Hughes has taken up position in the middle of the pitch for his side.
Second half: Man City 2-2 Crystal Palace
46 min: Play resumes with Palace on the ball and Will Hughes on for Jean-Philippe Mateta in what seems a weird change, unless the Palace striker is injured.
An email: “New VAR technology introduced the same week City need to get on their bike for Europe,” writes Kieran. “Has just denied a third goal for Palace. That then gives City a lifeline to get some points. As an Arsenal fan, I know exactly what this means.”
All it means is that Eze was offside. His effort would have been ruled out with or without the new technology, it just would have taken a lot longer for the VAR officials to make their decision if it wasn’t available to them.
Half-time: Man City 2-2 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace went ahead against the run of play when the unmarked Eberechi Eze stroked home Ismaila Sarr’s cross at the far post, before Chris Richards doubled their lead with a header from close range at a corner. Palace thought they’d gone three up through Eze, only for their talisman’s effort to be ruled out for a tight offside. Ismaila Sarr was also guilty of missing a gilt-edge chance, when shooting over from six yards.
Manchester City hit the post through Kevin De Bruyne, who went on to smack the ball home off the same upright with a free-kick. Omar Marmoush restored parity with a low drive from just outside the six-yard box, before De Bruyne missed a glorious chance to put his side ahead in added time just before the break. It’s all square at the Etihad, where City have been very much in the ascendency since scoring their first goal.
45+3 min: De Bruyne whips in a cross in from the left but it sails wide of the far post. It’s half-time in a fantastic game of football.
45+1 min: Kevin De Bruyne runs on to a pass from McAtee, taking Lacroix out of the game with a wonderful touch of his left foot. With a clear sight of goal, he blasts the ball high over the bar from about 10 yards. That’s a bad miss.
45 min: De Bruyne’s delivery into the Palace penalty area is cleared but Ismaila Sarr runs into a wall of light blue resistance as he tries to break forward on the counter-attack. We’ll have three minutes of add-ons to a thoroughly enjoyable first half.
44 min: Mateta is penalised for barging into the back of Gvardiol after Kamada had given the ball away with a sloppy pass. Free-kick for City, about 40 yards from the Palace goal.
43 min: We approach the end of a first half that has simply flown by with City continuing to assert their dominance. Nico O’Reilly coughs up cheap possession to Daniel Munoz, allowing Palace some momentary respite.
40 min: Nico Gonzalez gets booked for dragging out of Mateta’s shirt. He joins Daichi Kamada, who was booked for the foul that led to City’s opening goal, in the referee’s notebook.
38 min: From being within a toenail of going three goals up, Crystal Palace have been pegged back by two quick-fire goals from Manchester City and look completely rattled. They’re defending incredibly deeply and given the current state of play, will do well to go in level at the break.
GOAL! Man City 2-2 Crystal Palace (Marmoush 36)
City are level! Omar Marmoush smashes the ball home through a thicket of legs from eight yards out after Ilkay Gundogan had completely miskicked a Kevin De Bruyne header across the face of goal from a James McAtee cross. It’s all square!
35 min: James McAtee leaps but can’t get enough of his head on the ball to steer Omar Marmoush’s excellent cross from the left on target. This is a terrific game of football!
GOAL! Man City 1-2 Crystal Palace (De Bruyne 33)
City pull one back! With Dean Henderson slightly wrongfooted, De Bruyne curls the ball just past the Palace wall and watches in delight as it goes in off the post.
32 min: City win a free-kick a few yards outside the Palace penalty area, directly in front of goal. Kamada fouled Nico gonjzalez to give City the set-piece, from which they score …
Palace have a third goal ruled out!
28 min: Eberechi Eze curls a low shot past Ederson from about 15 yards after receiving the ball from Sarr but semi-automated offside technology rides to the home side’s rescue. It’s a shame, as Eze had no reason to be offside. City are being eviscerated down both flanks, particularly the right.
