Five Things Learned: Manchester City 5-2 Crystal Palace (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City conjured up an incredible comeback to grab a vital three points in a 5-2 win from 0-2 down at the Etihad Stadium, in one of their performances of the season.

The tone of the game was set early on with Eberechi Eze firing past Ederson after a great run down the right from Daniel Muñoz, who slid in Ismaïla Sarr to pull the ball back across the box for Palace’s number 10 to tap past the Manchester City goalkeeper.

City continued to have defensive woes as the half continued, with an Adam Wharton corner causing defensive disarray with Chris Richards heading home after some poor command of the six-yard box.

Subsequently, with City struggling in a huge clash for European football, the man so often reliable in important moments over the last decade refused to let his team suffer any longer and grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, determined to turn the tide of the fixture.

After Nico González was fouled on the edge of the 18-yard box, Kevin De Bruyne struck the set-piece true, finding the back of the net, and three minutes later it would be Omar Marmoush who would hammer home from close range to draw the game level.

76 seconds into the second-half, City completed an unbelievable comeback after a surging Nico O’Reilly run down the left followed by an excellent ball across which found Kevin De Bruyne, ended up with Mateo Kovačić guiding an effort into the bottom corner.

City showed no sign of slowing down; Ederson launching an inch-perfect long ball into the path of James McAtee, who cushioned it down and expertly guiding the ball around Dean Henderson and slotting home into an empty net.

On hand to put the win beyond all reasonable doubt and top off a dominant performance was Nico O’Reilly, connecting sweetly with a side-footed volley on the edge of the penalty area past Henderson and giving City their fifth goal of the afternoon.

Having pulled off a somewhat unbelievable victory, Manchester City earned an invaluable three points in the fight for Champions League football, rising to fourth in the division – two points behind Nottingham Forest in third, and one clear of Aston Villa in fifth.

The Sky Blues will now look ahead to another must-win fixture in the Premier League as they face a tough challenge travelling away to Goodison Park for the final time to go head-to-head with an Everton side showing remarkable improvement recently.

Here are Five Things We Learned from this box office clash at the Etihad Stadium that sees Manchester City take a significant stride forward towards a UEFA Champions League qualification place!

Kevin De Bruyne is irreplaceable!

In recent years, many have implied that a combination of age and injuries have impacted Kevin De Bruyne’s ability to influence games, with his usual outstanding creativity not on show as often. Many have also suggested he could not handle this level of football at his age.

The Belgian rolled back the years on Saturday to disprove this hypothesis, putting on an incredible display in all areas of the pitch, whether that be his relentless pressing, killer passes with pinpoint precision to create chances, or a brilliantly struck set-piece.

We saw just how big an impact De Bruyne can make even at his age, as City’s number 17 grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and refused to surrender points to Crystal Palace, single-handedly changing the game and guiding City to victory as he has so often in his ten-year tenure at the club.

With the departure of arguably one of the best players to ever play in this league imminent, that was some start to the home farewell tour, as a performance like that simply does not have enough superlatives to describe it.

This does raise the question, however, as everybody is aware that Kevin De Bruyne’s ability as a midfielder is second to none. How will City look to replace such an incredible player with such an unbelievable output?

The simple answer is: I don’t think it’s possible, but if Manchester City are planning to bring a player in to try and fill the Belgian’s boots, the newcomer will have one tough task ahead of them!

Omar Marmoush: The real deal

Since the departure of Riyad Mahrez in 2023, it has been argued amongst fans that City lack that constant goal threat from wide areas that can be relied on for output, and so the attack is not so heavily reliant on Erling Haaland.

A wide talisman with numbers to his game, clinical in front of goal? Omar Marmoush.

Since securing his signature in January, the Egyptian has operated more as a number ten rather than a front man with creative license to roam wide to wherever he can offer the biggest threat.

Manchester City’s new number 7 especially likes to operate inside from the left channel and make dangerous runs in-behind the defence in hope of finding himself with chances one-on-one against the goalkeeper.

It was clear last week that City’s narrow diamond shape caused a severe lack of creative freedom and dynamism, with the play seeming very robotic.

But this weekend, Omar Marmoush reiterated he could be that relied-upon talisman from wide areas, as in his most dangerous position operating in the half spaces of the left flank, making runs in behind, he was a constant threat, netting another goal for the Blues.

Our CFA Graduates: The future is bright

Three academy graduates were trusted from the start: Nico O’Reilly, James McAtee and Rico Lewis, and they did not disappoint.

Starting with City’s starlet of recent weeks, Nico O’Reilly was exceptional in both an attacking and defensive sense for the majority of the fixture, despite a shaky start on the whole in the first half an hour.

The Blues’ number 75 exuded confidence and class, working hard defensively, a much-needed physical presence at the back, but also a threat from wide areas in the opposition half, having a hand in the goal for 3-2 and also getting his perhaps fortuitous goal to seal victory.

Fellow goalscorer James McAtee shone on the right. Despite missing chances throughout – understandable due to lack of minutes – his runs to get himself into goalscoring positions and his overall play were top tier, with his performance capped off by a brilliantly taken goal.

Rico Lewis was also a standout performer, not putting a foot wrong for most of the game despite, once again, the aforementioned poor defensive start in the first 30 minutes, as he was told to operate in a more orthodox full-back role for the champions and keep the width.

With these three great performances from academy graduates, it is clear that these rising stars for the future of the club have potential in abundance, and the prospects of Manchester City in years to come are in safe hands.

Defensive fragility

Although this was a great overall performance to come back, a seven-goal thriller perhaps papered over cracks for City, who again lacked some of the basic defensive fundamentals, conceding two relatively avoidable goals.

With the lack of pace in defence exploited several times in the early stages, by Daniel Muñoz in particular, such an issue caused chaos for the Blues. The second goal for the visitors was abysmal defensively and really emphasised a lack of structure at the back for the champions.

Although it was a positive performance overall, City will have lessons to learn and aspects of their game that must improve if they are to return to their imperious selves next season, with one of the most significant aspects being consistent defensive solidity.

A statement performance, but consistency is key

This win for City sent a clear message to the club’s rivals for Champions League football, showing that Pep Guardiola and his team will not accept defeat and are willing to give everything in the final stages of the season to try and secure that ambition.

Despite an invaluable three points, giving City a huge boost in the race for the top-five in the Premier League, City had secured just two league wins in their last five games coming into the weekend’s fixture, which is certainly not the form of a Champions League club.

Therefore, it is vital that City use this win as a morale and confidence boost, building on a victory heading into the final six games, with a consistent and strong finish to the season absolutely necessary if the club are to make one of the top five positions in the league.