October 30, (THEWILL) – Crystal Palace stunned the English Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, winning 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium thanks to goals from start forward Wilfried Zaha and Conor Gallagher.
Patrick Vieira’s team got off to a flying start, scoring after six minutes. Gallagher snatched the ball off a sluggish Aymeric Laporte and played it through to Zaha, who just got the ball past Ederson Moraes in the goal for the hosts.
In first-half stoppage time, Laporte’s day took a turn for the worse. Zaha turned his man before charging at goal, only for the Spaniard to grab hold of the forward’s shirt and bring him down in a clear infringement. Laporte was confirmed as the last man after a quick and conclusive VAR check, and he was sent off for an early shower.
Around the hour mark, two goals were scored, but both were called back due to offside. In the first, Gabriel Jesus’ effort was chalked off before Zaha’s, who thought he had doubled Palace’s lead.
Gallagher’s late goal sealed Palace’s 2-0 victory. The 21-year-old started and finished a slick counter attack, dispatching Michael Olise’s cut back calmly and decisively before celebrating with the travelling fans.
City remains third in the standings with the loss, albeit five points behind Chelsea. They have shown they can play without a traditional striker, but they could benefit from one. They had ten shots in the box, but only three of them were on target.
Guardiola’s side suffered a setback in their attempt to defend their Premier League crown, but full credit to Palace. The win helped them climb to 13th place, safely out of the relegation zone. If they keep playing like this, they have no business in the red zone.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
