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Townsend thunderbolt fires Crystal Palace past Manchester City

By Paul Myers - RFI
Sports News REUTERSDarren Staples
DEC 22, 2018 LISTEN
REUTERS/Darren Staples

Crystal Palace pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the Premier League season with a 3-2 win on Saturday at champions Manchester City. The defeat - City's second of the campaign - leaves them four points behind pacesetters Liverpool after 18 games.

City took the lead at the Etihad through Ilkay Gundogan after 27 minutes. Within six minutes Jeffrey Schlupp had levelled for Palace.

The bolt from the blue arrived two minutes later when Andros Townsend gave the visitors the lead in spectacular fashion. The City defence failed to clear a Palace free-kick and the ball fell to Townsend 25 metres out. He promptly thrashed it back past City goalkeeper Ederson into the top corner.

City boss Pep Guardiola summoned striker Sergio Aguero from the bench four minutes into the second-half. But the fourth goal of the game came at the wrong end for the Etihad faithful.

Two minutes after the Argentine's introduction, Kyle Walker chopped down Max Meyer in the City penalty area and Luka Milivojevic dispatched the resulting spot kick to give Palace a 3-1 lead.

Kevin De Bruyne's late strike for the hosts ensured a frantic finale but the south Londoners held on to record only their fifth win of the season.

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