Manchester City crystal palace goalless draw



Manchester City were finally stopped from winning thanks to an admirable performance from Crystal Palace who certainly did more than their bit to make it a great contest.Crystal Palace, the team who lost their seven opening matches of the campaign before stunning Chelsea in October, looked did just that at Selhurst Park against none other than unbeaten Premier League leaders Manchester City.

 The battling hosts came away with a point, which could have just as easily been three had it not been for Ederson's heroics. Despite starting on the front foot, Pep Guardiola's men struggled to dismantle the organised defensive scheme laid out by Roy Hodgson. The Eagles threatened City in equal measure, defending deep in their own half but proving a menace on the break and bringing the game to life with relentless tempo.

Clear openings came at a premium at either end even though Sergio Aguero's deflected shot bounced off the post midway through the first half. The Argentine started on the bench but was called into action when Gabriel Jesus fell to the turf in front of the dugout with what looked to be a knee injury. The Brazilian limped off the pitch in tears and Palace captain Scott Dann had to be stretchered off shortly after, injuring himself when cynically bringing down De Bruyne. Wilfred Zaha and Andros Townsend looked lively for the hosts as they exploited the gaps in the hosts' pacey forays up the pitch, while City attempted to claim control by taking the pace out of the game with time-consuming passing.

There was no breaking the hosts and, as time went by, it unavoidably brought City's frustrations to the fore. Rash and imprecise passing led to a change of game plan for Guardiola's side who after the break dominated possession to a ludicrous degree. The visitors found it easier to create chances but were still unable to beat Hennessey. Gundogan, Sane or De Bruyne all came close but it was the hosts who, against the run of play, had the clearer openings. Working the ball into the box patiently, Zaha's low ball found Townsend in acres of space but the former Spurs man fluffed his lines and fired well over the bar. Zaha was again involved as he went down under a challenge from Sterling and referee Jon Moss pointed to the penalty spot.

 With the game going into stoppage time, Milvojevic saw his penalty saved by Ederson. There was still time for De Bruyne and Puncheon to be stretchered off after a bad foul from the latter, before the game was brought to an end. A dramatic goalless draw to halt City's 18-game winning streak and a well-deserved point for Crystal Palace to continue their bid to avoid relegation.

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