C Palace v Man City

HALF-TIME: CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 MANCHESTER CITY

As one minute of additional time is signalled, Cherki wriggles his way into a shooting position on the edge of the Palace box and pulls the trigger. It never truly comes alive off his weaker right foot, rolling through tamely into Henderson’s gloves – and that will be that for the first half.

While it’s been an incredibly tough fixture for Palace over the years, they chose the perfect moment to come out on top in the 2025 FA Cup final. They may need to draw on those memories now, because belief could be the spark they’re missing.

Foden looks to attack down the right‑hand side but can’t quite produce the same threat as Semenyo on the opposite flank. Mitchell’s positioning plays a big part – he keeps Foden firmly on his weaker right foot and refuses to let him shift onto that left‑foot wand.

Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 33 Premier League matches kicking off at 8pm (W27, D6), a run stretching back to a 2‑1 defeat at Newcastle in January 2019. Whatever it is about this hour, it sparks them into life, and the performance here fits the pattern perfectly.

SAVED! Semenyo is relentless down that left flank, driving at Palace again before unleashing a strike at the near post. A deflection shaves off just enough speed to give Henderson a chance, and the keeper reacts sharply to push it clear.