Three things we learned after Man City cruise to 3-0 away win over Crystal Palace

Three things we learned after Man City cruise to 3-0 away win over Crystal Palace

Man City made the trip to Crystal Palace expecting a fight on their hands, but they left with a 3-0 win. Here are three things we learned from the game.

Pep Guardiola’s side remain hot on Arsenal’s heals after a surprisingly comfortable 3-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden.

It was the Norwegian robot that opened the scoring just before half time, latching onto a perfect cross from Matheus Nunes after the midfielder/right-back found himself with plenty of time and space on the wing.

Foden got in on the act in the 69th minute. Rayan Cherki skipped past Adam Wharton and continue to drive forward before delicately sliding the ball onto Foden, who picked his spot and left Dean Henderson with no chance.

City’s third and final goal game from the penalty spot. Palace had pushed everyone into the attack when the ball fell to Savinho, who drove unopposed towards Henderson, who tripped the Brazilian as he attempted to round the ‘keeper.

On first inspection it looked a little harsh, but it was the right decision, and Haaland stepped up to finish the game off.

It took them a little while to get going, but City are looking like a functioning team once again. At the start of the season, their reliance on Haaland was startling, but now, the likes of Foden and Cherki in particular are stepping up.

Foden is the most notable, even if Guardiola wasn’t totally happy with his performance. The England international is in the form of his life having scored six goals and provided one assist in his last five games across all competitions, he’s becoming increasingly hard for Thomas Tuchel to ignore.

As for Cherki, he’s looking more and more like a bargain after every game. He reads the game supremely well, and he’s already building what looks like a really special relationship with Foden and Haaland. They don’t play as a traditional attacking three, but they may be the best in the league at the moment.

The right-wing back isn’t expected to return to action until mid-January after picking up a knee injury ahead of their 2-1 Premier League win over Fulham at the start of December, and Palace keenly felt his absence in this one.

Munoz has been arguably their best player of the season so far, contributing offensively and defensively. 0He’s got three goals, and two assists, making him their second most productive player in front of goal, just behind striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.

At the other end of the pitch, Munoz has won 33 tackles, 73 duels, and made 54 recoveries. Simply put, he has it all, it’s no wonder some of Europe’s big boys are reportedly interested. Nathaniel Clyne started against City; he’s a Palace legend but isn’t at the same level as Munoz.

City’s win over Palace may not have been too big of a problem if Arsenal didn’t need two own goal to scrape past bottom placed Wolves, yet here we are. Guardiola’s side have their ruthless edge back, and it’s starting to feel like we’ve seen this movie before.

Injuries have certainly taken their toll on Arsenal, it’s not all doom and gloom, and there will always be games they struggle in, getting results is ultimately what matters. City’s run of festive fixtures are a little kinder, though, as they face West Ham and Sunderland.

Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly have their game against Aston Villa on December 30th circled. Arsenal don’t have the best recent record against them, and dropping points could prove fatal. If they get through that game unscathed, perhaps Arsenal can start celebrating.