Manchester City stayed tight behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race, easing past Crystal Palace 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium. The result moved City to within two points of the leaders and nudged their goal difference one ahead, maintaining strong pressure with only a few league fixtures remaining.
Pep Guardiola rotated heavily ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea, leaving Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki on the bench. Six changes came into the starting side, and Phil Foden made the most of the opportunity with two first-half assists and a dominant creative display.
The victory carried extra weight as it arrived exactly 14 years after Sergio Aguero’s famous stoppage-time winner secured City’s first Premier League title.
This success ensured Arsenal could not clinch the league this weekend, keeping City’s hopes alive as the chase moves into the final stretch.
The first half featured long spells of patient play, with little incident for 32 minutes. Then Matheus Nunes threaded a pass into Phil Foden, who produced a clever backheel into space for Antoine Semenyo. The forward guided a controlled finish into the bottom-left corner, giving City a deserved breakthrough.
City’s second goal soon followed, though with an element of fortune in the build-up. Josko Gvardiol lofted a ball towards Foden, whose first touch did not fully stick. The ball broke kindly for Omar Marmoush, who shielded it under pressure and spun to score with a sharp swivel finish.
2 - Phil Foden provided two assists in the first half against Crystal Palace, making it the first time in his career that he has provided multiple assists in the first half of a Premier League match. Creator. pic.twitter.com/KbKkdUAEy6OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 13, 2026
Those assists meant Foden produced multiple assists in the first half of a Premier League match for the first time in a career that already includes many key moments. Foden also created five chances before the interval, the highest total by any player in the opening half of a Premier League game this season.
The performance further underlined Foden’s value to Guardiola and will not have gone unnoticed by England boss Thomas Tuchel. It was also the first Premier League match in which Foden delivered two assists since December 2023 against Sheffield United, reinforcing the sense of a player peaking at an important stage.
After the break, the contest slowed, yet Palace briefly threatened to change the mood. Ismaila Sarr capitalised on a mistake from Bernardo Silva but shot straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma. Later, Daichi Kamada went down inside the penalty area, though the referee booked the midfielder for simulation rather than awarding a spot-kick.
City regained full control late on and added a third goal in the 84th minute through Savinho. Substitute Rayan Cherki slipped a neat pass into the winger, who finished calmly to seal the result. That strike not only confirmed the victory but also moved City’s goal difference one better than Arsenal’s.
Guardiola was able to rest Haaland for the full 90 minutes, continuing a strong record without the striker. Since Haaland joined before the 2022-23 season, City have played 19 Premier League matches without the Norwegian and recorded 15 wins, two draws and two defeats, underlining the squad’s attacking depth.
The underlying numbers reflected City’s control, even if the scoreline might have grown further. City attempted 15 shots, with four on target, generating 1.56 expected goals. Crystal Palace managed six efforts, two on target, and finished with 0.68 expected goals, showing how limited the visitors were in dangerous positions.
Attention now shifts to knockout and league challenges still ahead. City target a second trophy of the campaign in the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday, before monitoring Arsenal’s meeting with Burnley on Monday. Any Arsenal slip would allow City to move top by defeating in-form Bournemouth a day later.
