Five Things Learned: Crystal Palace 0-3 Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City’s pursuit of the Premier League title gathered further momentum with a 3-0 victory away at Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.

Fresh from their midweek Champions League triumph at the Santiago Bernabeu, City were far from fluent for long spells in south London, edging the first-half in terms of possession and yet ultimately emerged with a convincing scoreline that cut the gap to leaders Arsenal to two points.

Erling Haaland set the platform shortly before half-time, powering home a header from Matheus Nunes’ cross with City’s first effort on target. Palace continued to threaten after the break, striking the woodwork through Adam Wharton, but City’s quality told again when Phil Foden drilled in a second after some fine work from Rayan Cherki.

Haaland completed the scoring late on with a penalty after Dean Henderson fouled substitute Savinho, sealing a result that felt as significant psychologically as it did materially.

Here are five key takeaways from City’s performance at Selhurst Park.

1. Haaland the ultimate difference-maker in the title race

There is a growing sense that Manchester City can look ordinary for long stretches and still win convincingly, simply because Haaland exists. Selhurst Park was a case in point.

For much of the first-half, Palace controlled the rhythm, disrupted City’s build-up and created the clearer chances. Haaland was peripheral, tightly marshalled by Palace’s back three and starved of service.

Then, with City under pressure and approaching half-time, one moment changed the entire game. Nunes delivered a deep, measured cross from the right. Haaland peeled away from his marker, attacked the space and thundered a header beyond Henderson.

One touch, one header on target, one goal. That is the movement and finishing that continues to separate him from every other striker in the league. His late penalty, calmly dispatched after Henderson tripped Savinho, took his Premier League tally for the 2025-26 campaign to 17 and underlined another aspect of his value.

Even when City are not flowing, even when they are second best for spells, they carry a constant threat that alters how opponents play. Palace could not afford to fully commit, knowing one lapse would be punished. It was.

In a title race likely to be decided by fine margins, Haaland’s reliability in moments that tilt games feels increasingly decisive.

2. City no longer need dominance to control outcomes

This was not a vintage Guardiola performance in the traditional sense. City had fewer shots than Palace in the opening 45 minutes and struggled at times to progress the ball cleanly through midfield. Their pressing lacked its usual cohesion early on and they were caught out repeatedly by direct passes over the top.

Yet the visitors never looked like they panicked. This speaks to an evolution in how City manage games. They are more comfortable now, allowing opponents to control the game, trusting their structure, goalkeeper and individual quality to absorb pressure before striking decisively.

The opener just before the break was crucial. It flipped the narrative of the match and forced Palace to chase the game. From there, City were able to play with greater patience, conserve energy after a demanding week and pick their moments. Foden’s goal was a perfect example: not the product of sustained pressure but of precision, timing and individual execution.

Guardiola has often spoken about being present in the title race rather than leading it early. Performances like this explain why. City can win without control, without fluency and without dominating territory. That adaptability makes them extremely difficult to stop over a long season.

3. Foden’s form aligning with City’s attacking balance

Phil Foden’s resurgence has been one of the most important developments in City’s season and Selhurst Park offered another reminder of his growing influence. Operating largely from the left due to Jeremy Doku’s absence through injury, Foden started slowly, yet his attacking presence grew as the game went on, carrying the ball and probing Palace’s defensive shape.

His goal was the defining moment of the second-half. After Cherki drove into the inside-right channel, attracting defenders and riding a challenge, Foden found space on the edge of the area and struck low and early. It was the kind of finish that speaks to confidence and clarity of thought.

What stands out is Foden’s adaptability. He is no longer simply a wide attacker or a number 10 as such. He drifts between roles, understands when to accelerate play and when to recycle possession – increasingly looking like a player Guardiola trusts to interpret games in real time.

With England manager Thomas Tuchel watching on at Selhurst Park, this was another statement that Foden is back to the level that once carried him to individual honours. For City, it restores a balance that was occasionally missing last season.

4. Cherki quietly redefining City’s creative structure

The summer departure of Kevin De Bruyne left an obvious creative void, one that many assumed would require collective compensation rather than a single replacement. Rayan Cherki is not De Bruyne and City are not asking him to be. Instead, he is reshaping how creativity arrives in this team.

His assist for Foden was his sixth in just 466 Premier League minutes, encapsulating his value. Cherki does not dominate possession or dictate tempo. He provides incision. His ability to receive on the half-turn, carry the ball through traffic and release runners at precisely the right moment is becoming a recurring theme.

Equally important is his work without the ball. Palace attempted to overload City’s right side but Cherki tracked diligently, allowing Nunes to advance and maintain width. That defensive discipline has helped Guardiola trust him in high-stake fixtures.

The developing relationship between Cherki and Foden is particularly intriguing. Two players once thought too similar are finding complementary rhythms, rotating positions and combining in tight spaces. City may no longer rely on one central creative hub but Cherki’s presence ensures their attack still carries unpredictability.

5. Defensive questions remain despite shutout

A 3-0 scoreline and a clean sheet suggest control but the reality was more fragile. Palace created enough chances to make this a very different afternoon. Yeremy Pino hit the crossbar in the first-half and Wharton saw his shot deflect off the post after the break.

Pino and Ismaïla Sarr found space behind City’s back line, particularly targeting Josko Gvardiol when quick balls were played in behind. Guardiola has settled on a consistent backline of Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Gvardiol and Nico O’Reilly – and this was their seventh consecutive Premier League start together.

Continuity has helped but vulnerability remains when City are asked to turn and defend space at speed. The offside trap misfired several times and Palace’s inability to capitalise owed more to poor finishing than robust defending.

That said, City managed the final stages well. After Foden’s goal, they dropped deeper, narrowed the pitch and protected Gianluigi Donnarumma more effectively, much as they did in Madrid. This suggests a growing pragmatism rather than a solved problem.

Over a title run-in, such imperfections can be costly. But City’s capacity to outscore problems rather than eliminate them entirely has long been part of their identity.

This was not Manchester City at their most elegant but it may have been them at their most convincing in context. A demanding away fixture, four days after a taxing European win in Madrid against a side that denied them silverware last season, required resilience and precision rather than spectacle.

City showed both. They absorbed pressure, struck ruthlessly and leaned on the players who can go on to define their season – Haaland, Foden and an increasingly influential Cherki. It is a combination that keeps them firmly in Arsenal’s shadow and reinforces a familiar truth.

When Manchester City find this balance between control and efficiency, the title race can bend subtly back in their direction.