Palace stun Man. City twice as Guardiola’s men extend winless away streak

Guardiola sad

Published By: Kazeem Ugbodaga

Manchester City’s away-day woes deepened at Selhurst Park as the Premier League champions clawed their way back twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.

This extends their winless streak on the road to six games across all competitions.

The drama began early, with Crystal Palace stunning the visitors just four minutes in. Colombian dynamo Daniel Muñoz broke through City’s defences, coolly slotting Will Hughes’s sublime through ball past Stefan Ortega to net his second goal in as many matches.

It was a lightning strike that left Pep Guardiola’s men scrambling for a response. Moments later, Erling Haaland almost levelled the score, only for Palace’s Dean Henderson to make a heroic point-blank save.

Man City pressed on with unrelenting intensity. İlkay Gundogan rattled the woodwork, while Savinho missed the rebound, curling it agonisingly wide.

At the other end, the Citizens faced a defensive trial by fire as Ruben Dias executed a game-saving block to deny Jefferson Lerma’s fierce strike.

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Just when it seemed City would enter the break trailing, Haaland rose to the occasion, heading home a perfect Matheus Nunes cross for his 13th league goal of the season, restoring parity before halftime.

The second half offered no reprieve. Palace struck again, with Maxence Lacroix leaping above Kyle Walker to head Hughes’ corner into the net, earning the midfielder his second assist of the match.

But City’s answer came in stunning fashion. Rico Lewis, with poise beyond his years, unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner after a Bernardo Silva setup, igniting hopes of a comeback.

However, Lewis’ night turned from hero to villain. In the 84th minute, a second yellow for a reckless challenge on Trevoh Chalobah saw him sent off, leaving City to fight the closing minutes with 10 men. Displaying grit, the depleted side held on for a draw, but it was far from a result to celebrate.

With this latest stumble, Manchester City remain in fourth place, a daunting eight points off the top, having played a game more than the leaders. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace edged four points clear of the relegation zone, their battling display underlining their determination to survive.