This all felt a bit new and fresh. Manchester City didn’t labour. The dads and lads XI played at pace.
Even with its mix of Athletic Bilbao and Almeira shirts, the half-and-half scarves, travel parties from Australia and America, the Etihad Stadium had an energy.
Beating Crystal Palace in this fashion meant something and Pep Guardiola, who has come in for mounting criticism in recent weeks, will possess some sense of vindication. He’d seen something in recent weeks that none of us had.
He sat in his chair just over the road from here on Friday afternoon and insisted that some ‘spirit’ within his group had returned.
He opted against elaborating on the point, and actually attempted to row back, yet it was obvious what he was driving at. City just hadn’t fought for results like this often throughout the season. He had noticed that they were beginning to show a touch more brawn.
They were pulled back into this by an inspired Kevin De Bruyne – whose emotional wave to the crowd when substituted suggested he knew that this could be his final weekend home match in blue – and made sure to keep pummelling even when the victory was sealed.
Manchester City strengthened their Champions League aspirations with victory over Crystal Palace
Club captain Kevin De Bruyne was at his talismanic best as City rallied after going behind early
City are now one point clear of Chelsea in fourth, with the Blues in action against Ipswich on Sunday
That seems like an alien concept here these days and completed without natural wingers – Guardiola’s selections criticised too – and a pair of academy products scoring. A productive display given how it started.
The defending for both of Palace’s opening two goals was deplorable, an Eberechi Eze tap in and Chris Richards bundling in underneath the crossbar from a routine Adam Wharton corner. They came 13 minutes apart, Eze’s after just eight minutes, and left City looking at requiring snookers in the skirmish for fifth spot.
Nico O’Reilly, the academy graduate learning on the job in unfamiliar left back surroundings, was finding himself targeted by Palace. Daniel Munoz slid for the unoccupied Ismaila Sarr, who in turn fizzed across for Eze. Guardiola claimed offside, City watched.
Statues from Wharton’s corner, too. Jean-Philippe Mateta stood vaguely in Ederson’s orbit, confusing the goalkeeper who ended up punching thin air as Ruben Dias lost the flight and fight for Richards to double the lead. Oliver Glasner danced and jigged but none of this came as any great surprise, Palace showing why they are the division’s form team outside of Liverpool.
The surprise was what came next. Sure, City had gone close through Omar Marmoush and Kevin De Bruyne – one thwarted by Dean Henderson, the other a post – but a sustained spell of something resembling the good old days at City shaped this game and perhaps their season. Eze thought he’d pushed Palace three clear by bending into Ederson’s far corner, only to be adjudged to have strayed on a busy afternoon for the debuting semi-automated offside system, and it turned from then on.
De Bruyne, gnarling and gnarly, took matters into his own hands. A reminder that he can still impact days like these; a reminder of what City need to replace in the summer. Palace left a gap to the right of their wall at a free-kick 25 yards out and Henderson thought he’d covered the angles. The goalkeeper gambled off one leg slightly and De Bruyne passed into the far corner 12 minutes before the break. Beauty in simplicity.
The Etihad felt truly alive for the first time in a long time. James McAtee, on his first Premier League start, glanced wide Marmoush’s centre and it became one-way traffic. Palace couldn’t contain the force of what was being thrown at them and Marmoush rattled in his sixth league goal three minutes after De Bruyne’s free kick.
Palace were off to a dream start when Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards gave them a two-goal lead after 21 minutes
Pep Guardiola couldn’t hide his frustration on the touchline following City’s lethargic start
But the hosts battled back from behind and took the lead through Mateo Kovacic shortly after the restart
Ederson assisted James McAtee for City’s fourth but was later substituted due to injury
City’s dominance was capped off by a first Premier League goal for 20-year-old Nico O’Reilly
It’s very difficult to keep McAtee out of games and he hustled to the byline again, clipping towards the back post where De Bruyne felt he couldn’t go for goal, so nodded backwards. Ilkay Gundogan barely connected and Marmoush stormed onto the bouncing ball.
Guardiola sent his players out from half time early and within 11 minutes of the second half, the catastrophe of early on had been forgotten. O’Reilly shook off earlier jitters and started really marauding forward, cutting back for Mateo Kovacic – via De Bruyne – and the Croatian fell into his shot angled into Henderson’s right-hand corner.
McAtee ought to have scored again and had his rewards soon after, with Ederson’s long ball catching Palace out. McAtee danced around Henderson – a day to forget for him – and placed home, embarking on a trademark celebratory flip those in the academy had seen countless times. Later forced off through injury, Ederson’s fourth assist of the season is a top-flight record seventh for a goalkeeper.
McAtee was again involved in the fifth, standing up a cross that made its way to O’Reilly on the edge. The volley with his instep was sublime, a first league goal. Controlled, assured. A bit like City once they’d remembered who they were and still are.
