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 class. Produced a sharp early stop from Anderson, then stood up well to deny Semenyo and Cherki. Without him, the scoreline looks a lot uglier.

Jaydee Convot – 6
Held his own for long spells and rarely put a foot wrong, yet found himself exposed once Cherki caught fire. Stuck to the task, but the one-v-one duel went the City man’s way.

Chris Richards – 6
Relished the scrap with Haaland and never hid, but there was only ever going to be one winner in that contest. Should have levelled things up with a free header in the first half, a moment that will sting.

Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6
Exactly what Palace thought they were getting: calm, reliable, unflustered. Read danger well and used the ball sensibly, adding a layer of experience that will serve this back line across the season.

Anan Khalaili – 6
Ran, pressed, chased lost causes. The energy was there, the final ball wasn’t. Got into promising positions but couldn’t quite stitch together the decisive contribution.

Daichi Kamada – 5
Forever on the move, always showing, always available. Yet City’s midfield carousel kept spinning around him. Struggled to dictate tempo or stamp any real authority on the game.

Adam Wharton – 7
The standout in Palace colours. Showed real poise under pressure, picking passes others didn’t even see and switching play with a lovely range. At the core of Palace’s best passages, until City’s waves of pressure eventually swamped the midfield.

Tyrick Mitchell – 6
Tenacious in the tackle and quick across the turf, he gave Palace an outlet on the flank. But the big moment passed him by: a first-half header that should have brought the equaliser flashed wide.

Eddie Nketiah – 5
Started brightly, stinging Donnarumma’s palms and buzzing across the front line. After the break, the spark faded. Spurned a huge chance early in the second half that could have changed the tone of the night.

Yeremy Pino – 6
Frustrating and thrilling in the space of a few minutes. Not everything came off, but his threat was constant, and his wicked free-kick forced the Donnarumma own goal that dragged Palace back into it.

Jorgen Strand Larsen – 5
Worked tirelessly but never truly unsettled Dias. Lost too many of the physical duels and, when his big first-half chance arrived, he couldn’t take it. Left the pitch looking like a man who knew he’d let one slip.

Subs

• Guessand (on 63, Strand Larsen) – Injected fresh legs up top and chased the channels, but City’s control limited his touches.
• Gozo (on 68, Pino) – Tried to carry the ball and offer a spark from wide areas, without finding the killer action.
• McNeil (on 68, Nketiah) – Dropped into clever pockets and helped Palace keep the ball better in advanced areas.
• Disasi (on 74, Tomiyasu) – Added height and strength at the back as Palace braced for City’s late pressure.
• Mingueza (on 74, Khalaili) – Slotted in and kept things tidy, but arrived too late to alter the pattern.