April 12 2025

Palace concede 5 goals in a bad day at the office

Crystal Palace stunned the Etihad with two early goals but were ultimately overrun by a resurgent Manchester City, who stormed back to claim a 5-2 win and climb into the Premier League’s top four.

Oliver Glasner’s Palace side looked to be pulling off a remarkable upset when they raced into a 2-0 lead inside 25 minutes. Eberechi Eze tapped in Ismaila Sarr’s cross at the far post, before Chris Richards doubled the lead from a corner, taking advantage of Ederson’s misjudged attempt to claim the delivery.

Eze thought he had made it 3-0 shortly after, curling a composed finish into the bottom corner, but the new semi-automated offside technology ruled the goal out in a marginal – but correct – call. It proved a pivotal moment, halting Palace’s momentum and waking City from their slumber.

With City rattled, it was Kevin De Bruyne who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. His exquisite 33rd-minute free-kick, whipped in off the post with Dean Henderson rooted, sparked the comeback. From there, the Belgian ran the show.

Omar Marmoush equalised minutes later, slamming home after a fortunate bounce in the box, and by the time the second half began, Palace’s lead was long gone. Mateo Kovacic made it 3-2 just seconds after the restart, collecting De Bruyne’s lay-off inside the box and rifling a shot into the bottom corner.

Youngster James McAtee got in on the act, latching onto a long ball from Ederson, rounding Henderson, and slotting into the empty net for 4-2. Nico O’Reilly rounded off the scoring with a deflected volley to put the result beyond doubt.

Having looked so assured in the opening exchanges, Palace quickly unravelled once their two-goal cushion evaporated. Glasner’s men couldn’t cope with City’s intensity and movement in the second half, and struggled to regain control even after switching personnel.

Adam Wharton was overrun in midfield, and the introduction of Will Hughes did little to stem the tide. Palace’s defence, missing Marc Guehi, was left exposed time and again by City’s wave of attacks.

It was a bruising afternoon that ended the Eagles’ unbeaten away run in 2025 and served as a reminder of the levels required to compete with the elite.

Despite the defeat, Palace can take encouragement from their early attacking play and will now turn attention to their FA Cup semi-final clash against Aston Villa later this month – a far more realistic shot at silverware.

Glasner will, however, be disappointed by how easily City sliced through his side after the equaliser:

"We started well, we caused problems – but we knew City could respond like that. We’ll look at the goals we conceded and try to learn. The FA Cup is now our focus."

Man City: Ederson (Ortega, 71), O'Reilly, Gvardiol, Rúben Dias, Lewis, Nico González, Kovacic (Grealish, 87), Omar Marmoush (Bobb, 82), Gundogan, McAtee (Savinho, 82), De Bruyne (Doku, 87)

Palace: Henderson, Lerma, Lacroix (Clyne, 63), Richards, Mitchell (Chilwell, 63), Kamada, Wharton (Devenny, 80), Muñoz, Eze Matheus (França, 80), Sarr, Mateta (Hughes, 46)