Manchester City drop points, another late twist in the Premier League?

As the Premier League is coming towards its business end, the league table is shaping better and better with each passing week. Arsenal, Manchester United, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspurs are already fighting for the fourth spot and after City’s 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace, they have given Liverpool a chance to come closer to the top spot.

City threw everything that’s possible but couldn’t find the winning goal. Shots from Joao Cancelo and Kevin De Bruyne hit the post as well as they were looking for that magic goal which will help them earn three crucial points. Unfortunately, Pep Guardiola’s boys couldn’t find that and they now have 70 points from 29 games. Meanwhile, Liverpool has 66 points from 28 games and with a win against Arsenal on Wednesday, they can build the bridge and be just one point behind City and put enormous pressure in the business end of the tournament.

City dominated the possession but couldn’t take advantage of the chances that they created. Bernado Silva missed a couple of chances while Crystal Palace was lucky on a few occasions. Despite not scoring a goal, Pep Guardiola didn’t make a single substitution as players like Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling were warming the bench. Guardiola in the post-match press conference justified his intentions by saying, “I thought to make changes, but they were playing good. They all had the ability to score goals. We were playing good. Many games to play still - we still have to win a lot of games still. The way we played we have no regrets. We prefer to win of course but we played well”.

Pep definitely regrets not being able to sign Harry Kane in the last summer window. He needs a number 9 who can step up and show his class. Phil Foden is an exciting talent and can create chances but you can’t expect him to finish chances. Same goes for Silva, Mahrez and De Bruyne. They are creative midfielders and not players whom you can bank on for goals. It’s great that these players score goals but again, it’s not possible for them to score week in and week out.

Patrick Vieira, the Palace boss, was happy with the performance from his boys. In the post-match press conference he said, “When you play against City you have to concede chances. It's all about having your luck on the day but also putting in a shift as a team. We did that today. We fought for luck and we got a point. We're happy with the performance”.