Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City: Cityzens Player Ratings as they are held to draw by lowly Eagles | Premier League 2024-25

Manchester City's difficult run of results continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Selhurst Park on Saturday, December 7.

Coming off their first win in eight games - a 3-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest - Pep Guardiola opted to make four changes. Rico Lewis, Kyle Walker, Matheus Nunes, and Savinho came in for Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Jack Grealish, and Jeremy Doku.

Manchester City found it difficult to settle down and conceded early in the game. A sharp ball from midfielder Will Hughes found wing-back Daniel Munoz, who fired home to open the scoring inside eight minutes.

Both teams created opportunities to add to the scoreline, but it was eventually the visitors who did so. A cross from Nunes was misjudged by Dean Henderson, allowing Erling Haaland to nod home from close range to level the scores.

Palace pushed ahead and restored their advantage in the second half. An accurate corner delivered by Hughes found Maxence Lacroix, who headed past Stefan Ortega in the 56th minute.

Manchester City pushed ahead desperately for an equaliser and eventually found it through Rico Lewis. A smart exchange of passes in midfield eventually set Lewis free and he rifled home to make it 2-2 in the 68th minute.

City's hopes of finding a winner were severely dented in the 84th minute when Lewis received his marching orders. A second yellow for a sliding tackle foul saw the 20-year-old collect his second yellow.

Despite the result, Guardiola's men remain in fourth but Villa's win means the gap between them is down to just two points. Here are the player ratings:

Manchester City Player Ratings

Stefan Ortega - 5.5/10

Ortega could have done better to stop Palace's first goal, allowing Munoz's effort to slip through. He also had some nervy moments of miscommunication with the backline.

Kyle Walker - 5/10

A dreadful season for the Manchester City captain continues as he had a difficult outing against the Eagles. He played Munoz onside for the first and was beaten too easily for the second as his defensive frailties continue to get exposed.

Ruben Dias - 7/10

Dias was comfortably City's best defender on the night, putting in a strong performance. He finished with four blocks, three clearances and one interception.

Josko Gvardiol - 6/10

The Croatian had a difficult opening half hour, but eventually grew into the game and was mostly comfortable on the ball.

Rico Lewis - 5.5/10

He was largely a passenger for most of the game, with the hosts easily able to bypass him and Gundogan in midfield. Stepped up well for the goal but put his side in trouble by getting sent off needlessly.

Ilkay Gundogan - 6/10

A solid performance but cannot mimic Rodri's impact defensively, putting the side in trouble on occasion.

Bernardo Silva - 6.5/10

Silva was lively for moments, collecting the assist for the side's second goal. He finished with two chances created and seven passes into the final third.

Kevin De Bruyne - 7/10

The Belgian continues to be Manchester City's most potent threat going forward. His creativity was dangerous at times but they were unable to capitalise.

Savinho - 5.5/10

A largely silent outing as he was shut down well by Tyrick Mitchell on Palace's left.

Erling Haaland - 7/10

Haaland got back on the scoresheet with a simple header and had a few other chances.

Matheus Nunes - 6.5/10

Nunes' swinging ball in led to City's first goal, but he mostly had a mixed performance.

Substitutes

Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku - N/A

The pair came on for the last 10 minutes and hence did not play enough to merit a rating.