With games at Selhurst Park usually at the business end of the season, Manchester City’s stars have the opportunity to replicate some club legends on Monday night.
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Yaya Toure, Edin Dzeko, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Agüero have all stepped up with huge goals at Selhurst Park for Manchester City in previous title run-in’s – so it is now time for a member of the current crop to do the same.
After City’s sensational derby day win, there was a certain sense of relief that Pep Guardiola’s side had put behind them a shaky run of form. There was only one defeat to Spurs that actually rocked the boat, but further performances against Everton and Peterborough United were far from convincing.
The Blues had found their groove again and swatted aside their local rivals, with the Reds barely laying a glove on the defending champions. But one team who knocked City clean off their feet were Crystal Palace, who back in October, inflicted City’s second Premier League defeat of the season.
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Monday’s opponents will pose a significant threat to City retaining their league crown, however, it’s not an unusual position for the Blues going into a title run-in.
Let’s go back to perhaps the biggest of them all – April 27 2014. Warming up next to the away faithful, the City players would usually only see a cluster of fans taking their seats during their warm-up – usually, because the rest are enjoying a pie and a pint in the concourse.
But that day was different. Even 30 minutes before kick-off, that away section was full and in fine voice. The reason? Crystal Palace had kindly shown Liverpool’s 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea on the big screen – meaning the title was now in City and Manuel Pellegrini’s hands.
It made that Sunday afternoon was one of the biggest of the season, and City’s players certainly rose to that. Edin Dzeko met Yaya Toure’s cross five minutes into the contest, before the Ivorian himself curled in a fantastic goal. It finished 2-0, and with three games to go, put City in the driving seat for their second-ever Premier League title.
In 2019, City were again neck-and-neck with Liverpool for the title, with perfection needed to fend off their Merseyside rivals. Again, the Blues’ big players stepped up at Selhurst Park – this time Raheem Sterling, who netted a sublime brace in a 3-1 win.
Last year’s meeting – towards the end of the campaign – was maybe not as intense given City’s sizeable gap at the top of the table. However, the Blues had faltered against Manchester United and Leeds United in previous weeks and needed to get back on track. So out of the shadows and into the limelight stepped Sergio Agüero, with a thumping finish.
This leads us on to Monday night.
Liverpool have won their last eight Premier League games and remain hot on City’s heels. Victory against Brighton and Hove Albion in Saturday’s early kick-off cut the gap to three points, meaning the trip to Selhurst Park takes on added significance.
In the past, some City greats have stepped up to the mark in this particular fixture, maybe it’s time for a new hero to enter the fray and edge the Blues close to a fourth Premier League title in five seasons.
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