Manchester City saw their faint hopes of winning the Premier League take a blow after suffering a 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace this evening.
Glenn Murray touched in from close range after Scott Dann's header had been saved, before Jason Puncheon curled in a free kick.
Yaya Toure pulled a goal back late on for City, but it was not enough as they stayed nine points behind league leaders Chelsea.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at Selhurst Park.
Match Statistics:
CRYSTAL PALACE:
Shots 5
On Target 3
Possession 26%
Corners 4
Fouls 11
MANCHESTER CITY:
Shots 22
On Target 4
Possession 74%
Corners 13
Fouls 11
Was the result fair?
City had all of the possession and completely dominated the match, but still ended up on the losing side. They looked the better team for long periods and had one of their early efforts on goal found the back of the net then it would have been a very different story. However, they didn't take their chances and Palace punished them with a debatable strike from Murray, who looked to be offside in the build-up. Puncheon's brilliant free kick early in the second half made it even more of an uphill struggle for City and the Eagles showed grit and determination to hold on and claim the points.
Crystal Palace's performance
Alan Pardew will be delighted at his players following a courageous performance this evening. They may have been second best, but they battled for everything and stuck to their gameplan. At times it looked as if they were sitting too deep and they certainly invited a lot of pressure, but due to a well-organised backline, it was difficult for City to work many clear-cut openings. Even though they saw a mere 26% of the possession and had just five efforts on goal, they took their chances and their victory tonight has lifted them up to 11th in the table and has virtually extinguished any lingering fears of relegation.
Manchester City's performance
The Citizens will be scratching their heads at how they ended up losing the match. They took control from the start and had the hosts pegged back deep inside their own half for long spells. It seemed to be only a matter of time until they broke the deadlock, but they were caught out as Murray gave Palace the lead. They were then dealt a further blow shortly after half time when Puncheon curled in a free kick, following a needless foul by Fernandinho. Despite their continued pressure and possession they were only able to find the net once as they slipped to a third successive league defeat on the road.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Glenn Murray: The Palace striker was brilliant tonight and he kept up his fine goalscoring run by scoring for the fifth time in five league outings. He worked tirelessly for his team and deservedly received a standing ovation from the supporters when he was replaced late on.
Biggest gaffe
Fernandinho must take the blame for giving Palace a free kick in a dangerous position for a poor challenge on Murray. Puncheon stepped up to take the resulting set piece and gave his side a two-goal lead just minutes into the second half. A goal at that point in the game would have ruined Manuel Pellegrini's plans at half time and in the end it proved to be too much for City to come back from.
Referee's performance
Michael Oliver had two difficult decisions to make and he got them both wrong. The first goal should have been disallowed as Dann and Murray were both standing in offside positions, while he should have given City a penalty in the second half when Murray handled a shot from Fernandinho inside the box.
What next?
Crystal Palace: The Eagles will return to action on Saturday afternoon with a trip to Sunderland.
Manchester City: City travel to Old Trafford on Sunday to take on their fierce rivals Manchester United.
Alex Meyers
