Premier League result: John Stones scores two goals as Manchester City beat Crystal Palace

John Stones scored his first Premier League goals for Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s side rose to second place with a convincing 4-0 win over Crystal Palace at the Etihad.

The Stones had gone 93 Premier League games without a goal for Manchester City, but the fit center-back produced two very neat finishes in his 94th league appearance for the club to help put an energetic but completely outgunned Palace team. .

City largely dominated the first half, but it took a world-class quality moment to unlock Palace’s packed defense, when a delicious cross center from Kevin de Bruyne with the outside of his boot put him on a plate for the Stones. headed home.

And the hosts picked up where they left off after the break, completely dominating the game and converting that pressure through a kinky shot from Ilkay Gundogan’s range and a second shot into the Stones’ penalty area, before Raheem Sterling top off a spirited solo exhibition with a peach from a free kick later.

The result sees City overtake Spurs, Liverpool and Leicester in the Premier League table, with Guardiola’s team now just two points behind league leaders Manchester United and with a game in hand over him. rest of the top five.

Palace’s first loss in four league games keeps them 13th in the table, but Hodgson’s side remains closer to the Champions League places than the relegation zone.

Man City entered this game as a favorite for the Premier League title with the bookmakers, and those odds will only have narrowed after a graceful performance and a win that sends them second on the table with a game in hand over the rest of the top five. . The fact that they have come this far without a single league goal from Sergio Agüero should be even more worrying for their rivals: what will City be like when Agüero returns?

Slowly and quietly, Guardiola’s team has been gaining momentum in its season and, based on current evidence, it looks like the best-equipped team in the league to take the title. It’s no surprise when you break it down: City have been one of the top two teams in the league in recent years, plus they have a team with a level of depth that even the rest of the super-rich clubs in the league can. ‘ ‘. compete with. They have all the necessary tools to face this unusual and demanding season.

All the smart money will be on City getting the title back, but it’s been a strange season so let’s not rule out another fluctuation in form for now.

The Man City man is so consistently excellent that it is sometimes easy to take his contribution to the games for granted. Against Palace, for example, many might point to Gundogan’s outstanding performance as the standout solo exhibition, and the German was certainly excellent throughout. And two-goal hero John Stones also made a strong case for the Man of the Match award with a composed performance alongside his double.

But De Bruyne was the best player on the court, pulling the strings as he does so often with City, and producing the moment of magic that put City on their way to victory with that sumptuous cross to hit the Stones.

It was telling that when Guardiola’s third goal was gone he immediately looked to give De Bruyne a break. The City manager knows how crucial this player is to the club’s luck this season.

City man: Ederson 6; Walker 6, Stones 8, Days 7, Zinchenko 6; De Bruyne 9, Fernandinho 7, Gündogan 8; Sterling 7, Jesus 7, Bernardo Silva 6. Subs: Foden 6, Cancelo 6, Torres 6.

Crystal Palace: Guaita 6; District 7, Tomkins 7, Cahill 7, Mitchell 7; Eze 6, Milivojevic 6, McCarthy 6, McArthur 6; Townsend 6, Ayew 7. Subs: Riedewald 6, Batshuayi 6.

26 & # 39; GOAL! – The city breaks the deadlock and it is John Stones who has it. The center-back remained on his feet after Palace cleared a half-corner kick, and nods an absolutely delightful cross from Kevin de Bruyne. The ball was perfect, curved with the outside of De Bruyne’s boot just in the perfect spot for Stones to finish. 1-0.

57 & # 39; GOAL! – What a peach is that! Ilkay Gundogan takes advantage of an excess of play on the edge of the Palace area by Andros Townsend, takes possession from the open man and then doubles a shooting beauty to the top corner. 2-0.

68 & # 39; GOAL! – It took him years to break his Man City duck, but now John Stones has two in one night as he punches a bounce through a multitude of bodies. It took a big save to deny the Stones’ defensive counterpart Dias with the opening shot, but Guaita had no chance with the follow-up. 3-0 and surely game over.

88 ‘GOAL! – That’s really good of Raheem Sterling! He beats City with a free kick right on the edge of the area and takes it himself, making a hitting gem in the far top corner to make it 4-0.