Summary:
- Henderson makes first Premier League start for Palace
- Five changes for Hodgson’s injury-hit side
- Palace ‘keeper involved straight away with plunging stop from Alvarez header
- Dias strike from distance sails wide of the bar
- Guéhi diverts Rodri’s low strike beyond the far post
- Grealish capitalises on City’s early dominance with sweeping finish on 24 minutes
- Henderson denies Gvardiol, who ran clear
- Ederson avoids dismissal after fouling Mateta outside the box
- Olise sweeps free-kick narrowly over in final stages of the half
- HT: Man City 1-0 Palace
- Palace spring several promising breaks
- Alvarez curls in a free-kick but an offside Rodri sees goal chalked off
- Lewis sweeps home loose ball seconds later following Rodri’s forward run
- Henderson produces outstanding save from Silva’s curling shot
- Goalkeeper continues to excel as City apply pressure
- Mateta turns in from Schlupp’s cross with 15 minutes remaining
- Ahamada, França and Eze all come on for the closing stages
- City look set to run down the clock by retaining possession
- Mateta’s anticipation wins Palace a penalty in the final minute of stoppage time
- Olise finds the bottom-left corner to send the away fans wild
- HT: Man City 2-2 Palace
Not for the first time this season, Palace’s pre-match preparations were interrupted by a swathe of injuries, a number of them sustained during the previous week’s game against Liverpool – in which the Eagles were heavily unfortunate to emerge on the losing side.
Yet only one other team had recorded more away wins at the Etihad Stadium than Palace’s since Pep Guardiola’s appointment as manager.
Roy Hodgson’s side adopted a pragmatic approach to the challenge ahead of them, deploying a back five in front of Dean Henderson – the goalkeeper eligible again following a muscular injury, and straight in for his first Premier League start for the club after Sam Johnstone was taken off at Selhurst Park.
With Palace defending deep, a deep block did well to repel City’s relentless waves of forward pressure – although Henderson was called upon to make a fine save five minutes into his first league start, plunging low to turn behind Julian Alvarez’s early glancing header.
The pressure continued. Rúben Dias’ arrowed strike was not far from finding the top corner and Marc Guéhi produced an excellent block with his foot to divert Rodri’s close-range finish beyond the far post.
After 24 minutes, Palace’s stout resistance was broken – albeit by the tightest of margins.
A spell of City possession around the Eagles’ area culminated in Phil Foden turning on the edge of the box and sliding through Jack Grealish, whose first-time sweeping finish found the bottom-right corner.
For two or three minutes, the goal remained in doubt as a remarkably close offside call prompted VAR to review – yet, agonisingly from a Palace perspective, it was given.
In truth, it had been coming – and the Eagles needed Henderson to be sharp once again when Dias’ floated ball over the top picked out Josko Gvardiol. Under pressure from Joel Ward, the Croatia defender’s shot across goal was well blocked by Henderson, but cost Palace their captain Ward, who was injured while sliding to block.
As Guéhi took the armband and 18-year-old Academy graduate David Ozoh slotted into midfield, pulling Chris Richards back into central defence, Palace continued to fight for every loose ball.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, a potential turning point in the match: Michael Olise’s quick ball forwards set Jean-Philippe Mateta sprinting goalwards. The forward nipped the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper Ederson, who cleaned the Palace man out with a late sliding tackle – but the City ‘keeper received only a yellow card as the referee adjudged the striker’s touch to be taking the ball away from goal.
Even then, the danger for City did not pass as Olise struck a sweet free-kick from 25 yards out which beat both ‘wall and ‘keeper – but sadly did not dip beneath the roof of the net in time.
When the second-half began, City’s first-half pressure resumed – and Alvarez had the ball in the net not long after the restart, his free-kick delivery bouncing and sailing beyond Henderson. VAR correctly identified, however, that the goalkeeper was unsighted by an offside Rodri.
Yet that reprieve lasted only seconds. Grealish picked the ball up from deep and played a square ball which flicked up off Rodri and bounced between several players, allowing Rico Lewis to slam home – Henderson with no chance.
The game soon turned into an excellent full league debut for Henderson, who first produced a remarkable flying save to turn away Bernardo Silva’s curling strike, and then kicked away Ruben Dias’ fizzing low cross-turned-shot.
Then, with 15 minutes remaining, a bolt from the red and blue: Guéhi’s well-weighted lofted pass set Jeffrey Schlupp in behind, and the winger did well to bring the ball down, compose himself and fire an inviting low ball which Mateta turned home inside the six-yard box for his second goal in as many games.
With a potential route back into the match opened up, Roy Hodgson introduced fresh legs in the hope of a further breakthrough: Naouirou Ahamada, Matheus França and Ebere Eze – freshly-returned from injury – all came on in the closing stages.
You don’t win as many trophies as Pep Guardiola’s side have in recent times without some nouse, and the home team looked set to run down the clock successfully by retaining possession – their only threatening moment seeing Silva again have a curling effort beaten away by Henderson.
And then... the most extraordinary of finishes.
With four additonal minutes signalled by the assistant referee, Palace piled bodies forwards in search of an equaliser.
And moments after Ahadama had a shot blocked on the edge of the box and França's cross was diverted away from Mateta at the far post, the No. 14 nipped in ahead of Foden – swiping to clear for City – and won the Eagles a spot kick in the 94th minute.
Olise faced a long wait before he could take the kick, but VAR confirmed the on-field decision and – despite a lengthy pause – the No. 7 left Ederson grasping at thin air with a clinical strike into the bottom-left corner.
Wild celebrations in the away end ensued, every Palace player joining them as yet another remarkable result was secured at the Etihad. Never write off Crystal Palace.
Palace: Henderson (GK), Ward (Ozoh, 34), Guéhi, Andersen, Mitchell, Clyne (Eze, 90), Richards, Riedewald (Ahamada, 81), Olise, Schlupp (França, 81), Mateta
Subs: Matthews (GK), Tomkins, Adaramola, Ebiowei, Ola-Adebomi
Manchester City: Ederson (GK), Walker, Dias, Aké, Gvardiol, Rodri, Lewis, Silva, Foden, Grealish, Álvarez
Subs: Ortega (GK), Stones, Gómez, Akanji, Bobb, Phillips, Kovacic, Nunes, Susoho