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An Erling Haaland hat-trick inspired Manchester City to come back from two goals down to a dramatic 4-2 triumph over Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium.
It took just three minutes for the visitors to take the lead as a ricocheted cross went in off John Stones into his own net, leaving City goalkeeper Ederson mystified.
Despite Pep Guardiola's men applying pressure on the visitors’ defence with several attempts, Palace stormed into a shock two-goal lead when Joachim Andersen powered a free header in from Eberechi Eze’s corner.
City began the second half on the front foot and capitalised on this as their best player in the first half, Bernardo Silva, powered home from outside of the box after a darting crossfield run.
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The painful 2-0 deficit was then fully wiped out when the home side managed to find an equaliser, causing the stadium to erupt as an enticing, curling ball from Phil Foden picked out Haaland to head home for his first goal at the Etihad Stadium.
Excitement turned to elation amongst the home crowd as Manchester City completed their energetic comeback with another goal from Haaland, who tapped home from a Stones pass after a scramble in the opposition box.
The Norwegian rounded off a man-of-the-match performance as he sealed his hat-trick, calmly slotting past Crystal Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita after receiving the ball from substitute Ilkay Gundogan.
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The dramatic victory puts the Premier League champions in first position in the table ahead of their midweek clash with newly-promoted Nottingham Forest, with previous league leaders Arsenal to play Fulham later tonight.
Here's how we rated the players from Manchester City's eye-catching Premier League contest with Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
Ederson - 6
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Failed to keep a clean sheet for the second week running and whilst his passing was on point, the Brazilian would be disappointed with how the tie began.
Kyle Walker - 5.5
Poor marking from him allowed Andersen a free run to score Palace’s second. Improved in the second half as City applied more precise pressure to the visitors’ backline.
John Stones - 6
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Was extremely unlucky with his own goal as he knew nothing about it and had no time to react. Great recovery run to deny Eze’s run at the end of the first half. Thought fast to set up Haaland to fire City into the lead. A great turnaround after an unlucky start to the game.
Ruben Dias - 6
A solid game from the Portuguese, who remained resolute despite conceding twice early on, putting in several tough tackles and winning the ball back for the home side on several occasions.
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Joao Cancelo - 6
Not to blame for either goal but was once again too quick to commit silly fouls in the first half. Cancelo was lacking in his usual creativity today, leading to an early second half substitution.
Rodri - 7
Stopped Palace on several occasions from breaking forward, giving the hosts more stability than that they showed whilst defending set-pieces. The Spaniard also picked Silva for City’s opening goal to claim a well-earned assist.
Kevin De Bruyne- 6.5
Some loose passing from the Belgian cost City dearly early on. Surprisingly wasn't as directly involved in the City comeback as much as others but his tighter second half passing ensured City’s attacking moves were not wasted and breaking down like they did in the first half.
Bernardo Silva - 8.5
All over the field, immense workrate. City’s liveliest player on the pitch and this was rewarded with a goal to get City back into the game early in the second half. If not for Haaland’s impressive hat-trick, Silva would have been man of the match after a captivating performance.
Riyad Mahrez - 6
Constantly linked up with Bernardo Silva on the right wing in the first half, looking threatening. Despite a lively showing, the Algerian went off early in the second half as his contributions weren't making headway.
Phil Foden - 7
After a slow first half, Foden began to go at the Palace defence more precisely in the second half, crafting a perfect ball to assist Haaland for the Citizens’ equaliser.
Erling Haaland - 9.5 (MOTM)
Once again was feeding on scraps in the first half which is a surprising statement for an attacker in this City team. Came to life in the second half and, like against Newcastle last week, was part of the City comeback, netting his first Etihad goal to draw City level.
He then added a second from close range to fire City into a deserved lead. This was all before sealing his hat-trick with a composed strike past Guaita. A perfect game from City’s big summer signing.
Substitutes:
Ilkay Gundogan - 7
Things started to swing City’s way as their captain entered the field and this is no coincidence. The German brings a calmness to midfield that was severely lacking in the disappointing first half. Gundogan topped off his impressive cameo with an assist for Haaland’s hat-trick goal.
Julian Alvarez - 7
His energetic workrate helped City to tick when coming forward in search of the much-needed goals to reverse the result.
Sergio Gomez - N/A
Making his Premier League debut, the young Spaniard was afforded six minutes at a jubilant Etihad but was barely involved in the closing stages.
Cole Palmer- N/A
Another appearance for the talented young man but not enough minutes to make an impact.
Featured Image Credit: TwitterTopics: Manchester City, Premier League, Crystal Palace, Pep Guardiola, Patrick Vieira, Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva
