Player Ratings: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
Dean Henderson – 7
No chance with either of Manchester City’s goals, but this was a reminder of his pedigree. Denied Anderson with a sharp stop early on, then stood up well to efforts from Semenyo and Cherki. Kept Palace in it for long spells while those in front of him creaked.
Jaydee Convot – 6
Solid, tidy, rarely flustered. The problem? Palace never really worked out Cherki. Convot didn’t implode, but he never found the answer to City’s most inventive threat either.
Chris Richards – 6
Threw himself into the duel with Haaland and never hid, yet it always felt like an uphill struggle. Won his share of headers but crucially failed to bury one at the other end in the first half. Against this calibre of striker, half-chances matter.
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6
Brought exactly what you’d expect: calm decisions, good positioning, no drama. Slotted into the Palace back line as if he’d been there for years, even if his experience couldn’t stem the tide once City turned up the tempo.
Anan Khalaili – 6
Endless running, constant pressing, real willingness to carry the ball. The issue lay in the final act. Promising situations fizzled out too often, leaving Palace short of the incision they desperately needed.
Daichi Kamada – 5
Busy, always on the move, always showing. Yet the game largely passed him by when City tightened their grip on midfield. Struggled to impose his rhythm or disrupt theirs, and Palace paid for that imbalance.
Adam Wharton – 7
Different class at times. Calm on the ball, scanning, picking passes that opened pockets of space. His range of distribution stood out, and most of Palace’s better moves ran through him. As City swarmed, even he was eventually smothered, but the quality was obvious.
Tyrick Mitchell – 6
Snapped into tackles, recovered quickly, and gave Palace some edge down the flank. Then came the moment he’ll replay in his head: a first-half header, well placed but not well enough. A big chance to level, spurned.
Eddie Nketiah – 5
Started brightly, darting in behind and forcing Donnarumma into action early. After the break, the spark dimmed. Missed a crucial opening at the start of the second half and never really recovered his sharpness.
Yeremy Pino – 6
Frustrating, then explosive. Drifts in and out of games, but when he connects, he hurts teams. His free-kick, whipped with menace, forced the Donnarumma own goal and gave Palace a lifeline. The threat is real, the consistency less so.
Jorgen Strand Larsen – 5
Worked the channels, battled with Dias, but rarely looked like winning that contest. Had one clear sight of goal before the interval and couldn’t take it. For a lone forward in this kind of game, those moments are everything, and he let his slip.
Subs
- Guessand (on 63, Strand Larsen) – Added fresh legs up top but couldn’t unsettle City’s back line.
- Gozo (on 68, Pino) – Tried to inject pace out wide without finding the decisive delivery.
- McNeil (on 68, Nketiah) – Dropped into pockets and linked play, yet never carved out the big chance Palace craved.
- Disasi (on 74, Tomiyasu) – Brought physicality late on, helped steady a tiring defence.
- Mingueza (on 74, Khalaili) – Offered energy on the flank, but by then City were managing the game on their terms.
