It's Not How You Start It's How You Finish, City 4 vs. 0 Crystal Palace

"We’ll sleep a little easier tonight,” Fabian Delph - 16/1/2016

Goals; Delph 22’, Aguero 41’, 68’, Silva 84’

Line Up (4-4-2); Hart, Kolorov (Clichy 52’), Otamendi, Demichelis, Zabaleta, Fernando, De Bruyne, Delph, Silva, Aguero (Navas 85’), Iheanacho (Toure 57')

Stats;Possession, 53%/47%; Shots, 17(4)/9(3); Fouls, 10/11

I read an interesting article this week floating the idea that possession football had had its day, and that the Premier League was proving this was true. The points made to support this theory were that, firstly it was not just the possession teams in the mix for the title, and secondly that winning results were evenly distributed between those sides dominating possession, and those that did not.

Maybe Manuel read this article, maybe he didn’t, but he certainly proved City are anything but one dimensional, sending out a City side today set up as much to sit deep and counter attack, as it was to boss the final third of the pitch and retain possession. 

Palace played their part well, having sat deep and been soundly beaten in the League Cup, they were much more offensive in this fixture, but this played into the more direct style City tried to play. Starting with very standard 4-4-2, City welcomed back Kelechi Iheanacho alongside Sergio Aguero, though it was his pressing and tracking back which was more relied on in an opening twenty minutes where Palace matched City blow for blow.

With David Silva (a wandering) left midfield, and Kevin De Bruyne taking up the right, City relied on a central midfield two in Fernando and Fabian Delph to do the heavy work against Palace’s 4-2-3-1. After a early scare with Palace's Delaney heading straight to Hart, it was Delph’s left foot which broke the deadlock on ’22, as out of the blue he picked out the bottom right hand corner of Hennessey’s goal with a low strike.

City were warming up slowly, and despite some uncustomary wayward passes from Silva and De Bruyne, started to make better use of the ball. On 35’ Iheanacho created his own half chance, chesting down Delph’s knock back only to mistime the attempted half volley. On 38’ Aguero took Silva’s pass in full flow and whilst being felled in the box managed to sweep the ball just wide of the right post.

Three minutes later City were two nil to the good. Only a little to closer to goal (25 yards) Aguero responded to the “SHOOT!” bellow of the crowd and cracked the ball into the bottom left, the ball taking a deflection from Palace’s centre half Dann, before nestling in the corner. City had seemed to be barely out of second gear but were two nil to the good. Aguero tried to make it three just before the first half whistle but his turn and shot from a City corner went high and wide to the left. Half time 2-0.

The second half started with a flurry of snow, but the cold and lack of end product from Palace did not dampen their enthusiasm. Palace continued to press for the opening ten minutes, until Yaya replaced Iheanacho on 57’, to revert to a more conservative 4-2-3-1, with Yaya pressed ahead of Delph and Fernando.

On 68’ the change paid off, following a break on the right, Yaya swept the ball to De Bruyne in the box, and City’s record signing cooly played an inch perfect ball for Aguero to get his second, 3-0.

De Bruyne was involved again on 83’ as he put his foot in where it hurts to continue a City break on the half way line, Aguero charged into box at speed before, sliding the ball to Silva to pass the ball into the right hand side of the goal for City’s fourth and to rap up the game. Aguero received a deserved ovation as he left the pitch to be replaced by Navas on 87’.

And that was pretty much that. Cabaye did his best to get himself dismissed with two nasty challenges late in the game, but walked away from the second with only a further telling off from referee Moss. All of which was bit of a shame as Palace had certainly played their part in an entertaining game of football.

4-0, and a clean sheet on Zaba's 200th game! Bring on Everton for round three!

@l0ngwayfr0mh0me