Now, and avoiding any further mention of Townsend’s Goal of the Season effort, the 28-year-old has sat down with Premier League Productions to preview Palace’s clash with City and explained how Roy Hodgson and his men have prepared tactically for the visit of the current title holders.
Townsend started by running through the squad’s routine in the week preceding a game, saying: “We do a lot of video prep. That will be on Thursday and Friday and Saturday so we do a lot of video prep, preparing for the games.
“We see how other teams have exposed them and how they've exposed other teams so we don't get caught in the same trap.
“On the other side, we know what areas we can exploit, not that there'll be many with City but we know what to expect coming into the game and we're fully prepared.
“We do a lot of work defensively, not only just the defenders but our whole 11. We do a lot of shape work, so when you come into the field on a Saturday, you know exactly where you need to be and what phase of play.
“If the ball is on the opposite side, you know where you need to be in position at all times. We are well drilled and we know what we need to do so I think that's why you're starting to see more and more defensive displays as an XI.
“We've played them before, we've beaten them before so we know it's going to be probably one of the toughest games of the season but we're fully focused on it.”
To watch Andros' interview in its entirety, click here now or 'Palace TV' in the app!