Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise were both on target for Crystal Palace as they came from behind to hold Manchester City to a 2-2 stalemate at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Mateta pulled one back for Palace, while Olise drew them level with a penalty deep in second half stoppage time to ruin City’s party and ensure they are without a win in their last three home games.
What a finish! ????
The points are shared in Manchester ????#CPFC | #MCICRY pic.twitter.com/thI6CO4VbV
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) December 16, 2023
The home team began the game on the front foot, with Julian Alvarez coming close to breaking the deadlock in the fifth minute, but Dean Henderson was on hand to deny the Argentine’s glancing header with a superb save.
City would not stay without a goal for too long, as Jack Grealish put the defending champions ahead in the 24th minute. The Englishman, who scored in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time, drilled in a low strike into the bottom corner after receiving the ball from compatriot Phil Foden.
After a barrage of attacks from City, Olise almost drew the away side level just before the halftime break, but his freekick, which had Ederson troubled, sailed just over the bar, landing on the roof of the net.
Alvarez thought he had doubled the home side’s lead seven minutes into the second half, but his cross, which creeps into the far post from a set-piece, was cancelled after Rodri, standing in an offside position, was adjudged to be interfering with play.
Pep Guardiola’s men eventually doubled their lead from the unlikeliest of sources as academy graduate Rico Lewis got his first-ever league goal in the 54th minute. The 19-year-old England international reacted quickest to a lost ball inside the Palace box before volleying it past Henderson, who could do nothing about it.
Henderson was called into action soon after by Bernardo Silva, with the English goalkeeper tipping his far-post effort away with an acrobatic save.
Shortly after, Mateta got on the scoresheet for the Eagles with his second league goal of the season. The French forward, who opened his season account in their defeat to Liverpool last weekend, tapped into an empty net on the 76th-minute mark after brilliant work down the left from Jeffrey Schlupp.
With the clock winding down and the game looking all sealed for City, Palace were handed a huge lifeline after Mateta was hacked down by Foden in the danger area, leading to referee Paul Tierney pointing to the spot. Olise stepped up to take the kick, and the 22-year-old winger calmly converted it, leaving Ederson rooted to a spot.
The draw helped Roy Hodgson’s men end their two-game losing streak, while pressure continues to pile on Guardiola’s side as they have won just one of their last six games in the Premier League, playing out four draws from winning positions.
Palace remain 15th in the league standings and will welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to Selhurst Park next Thursday, while City maintain their fourth position and will turn their attention to the FIFA Club World Cup, where they will face the Japanese outifit Urawa Reds on Tuesday at the King Abdullah Sports City in Saudi Arabia.
