Having helped Palace to one of their greatest victories to date, Townsend then handed his shirt to Ethan, a Palace-mad youngster watching at the Etihad with his grandmother.
Now, at a recent Junior Member Day, Ethan caught up with Palace TV in an endearing video that you can watch below.
After being snapped by a club photographer having received Townsend's shirt, Ethan was called back a few days later to lead the Eagles out with the 28-year-old winger as Palace faced Cardiff City on Boxing Day.
"I felt like being a player that was about to play a football match on the pitch!" Ethan said. "I felt happy and I felt like everyone was looking at me."
One day, Ethan hopes to become a professional himself, saying: "[I want] to be a footballer and score loads of goals and be one of the best in the world by playing for Palace."
And just how much does he love Andros Townsend?
"As much as I could."
You can hear more from Ethan by clicking on the video below.