Man City maintain title chase, dismember Crystal Palace in London

The Premier League’s reigning champions, Manchester City, pulled level on points with leaders Liverpool on Saturday thanks to a double from Kevin De Bruyne, which included his 100th goal for the team at Crystal Palace.

After a mistake by John Stones allowed Jean-Philippe Mateta to put Palace ahead, more careless passes from Rodri resulted in Jordan Ayew hitting the crossbar, and Stefan Ortega had to make a Cruyff turn in his own six-yard box to stop Mateta from adding another, it was far from easy sailing for a wobbly City in the first half in south London.

But the returning De Bruyne curled in a brilliant equaliser, and two minutes into the second half Rico Lewis gave City the lead their possession and chance creation in that first 45 warranted.

Haaland and De Bruyne buried the win for the defending champions who are pushing to maintain their dominance in the most popular football league in the world.

With the crucial win away from home, Pep Guardiola’s City moved level on points with leaders Liverpool, who visit Manchester United on Sunday, while Arsenal face Brighton later on Saturday.