Crystal Palace 0-0 Manchester City: 5 talking points

#2 Key injuries mar fixture, with three players stretchered off

Crystal Palace v Manchester City - Premier League

Both Hodgson and Guardiola will have been thinking beyond this fixture as it claimed two key men from each side, hopefully not for too long.

It was not a pretty sight watching three players being taken off on the stretcher at various stages of the game, while another fell in a heap close to the dug-out and was lifted off by team staff.

Scott Dann seemed to have hurt his knee while attempting to take on de Bruyne during a City counterattack barely a quarter into the game; he was taken off to warm applause with his knee in braces.

Soon after, Gabriel Jesus engaged in a duel but landed quite awkwardly in a split and looked hurt. He tried to carry on but slumped to the ground in tears just a few minutes later.

The Brazilian forward has been excellent for his side and his emotional state may have been a result of worrying about his place in the national team for the upcoming World Cup.

Kevin de Bruyne and Jason Puncheon were the next injury scalps, with the latter making a rash tackle on the Belgian and costing both players in the process.

With the FA cup beginning next weekend, the last thing any manager would want is for players to be out for extended periods.

Dann and Puncheon are as vital to Palace in their fight to stay up as de Bruyne and Jesus are in forging Pep’s attack and consolidating their status atop the table.