- Man City thumped Crystal Palace
- Plenty of positives to reflect on
- Two players become talking points
Manchester City put on another fine display, and Erling Haaland was not even required to play a single minute.
Here are five observations we have made from a night which saw the 2023/24 champions move within two points of the Premier League leaders.
Pep Guardiola is determined to win the FA Cup
Man City may have got the job done tonight, but they were some way off being full strength due to the changes Pep Guardiola made.
Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku were both left out of the starting lineup, with the manager clearly resting them for the FA Cup final.
Guardiola knows that even if City win all their remaining Premier League matches, the title is still in Arsenal’s hands.
Whereas the cup is a competition the Citizens have a real chance to win, especially with the form Chelsea are in.
It was a risk mixing the team up by the margin Guardiola did, but everything worked out for Man City in the end.
Man City’s second string players delivered
As we now know, Guardiola’s gamble paid off, with players who would usually be on the bench registering brilliant displays.
Omar Marmoush landed on the scoresheet again, while Savinho also found the net, making the most of a rare start.
It just goes to show that City have an excellent squad. They might not have played so well against Southampton recently, but Wednesday night was full of positives.
Phil Foden has rediscovered his confidence
Since reports emerged about Phil Foden being offered a new and improved deal, he has faced what could be described as criticism for deciding to stay at City.
It would be fair to say the Englishman proved them wrong on Wednesday. Foden showed some promise against Brentford, and he has followed this up with a terrific showing.
No player created more chances than Foden [five], and he recorded two assists, both of which were quite brilliant.
The first was a clever backheel to set up Antoine Semenyo, while he played a fine ball to Omar Marmoush later on.
Omar Marmoush is proving his worth
Excluding a poor FA Cup semi-final performance against Southampton, Marmoush has been really good for Man City this season.
Some of the Egyptian’s goals have turned out to be quite important, despite the fact he has only made 15 starts in all competitions.
This will be something which needs to change if Marmoush is to remain at the club, as he cannot keep being benched for playing well.
Guardiola has to look at finding ways to give the 27-year-old more time on the pitch, because finding a backup striker at his level will be extremely tricky.
City have kept their title dreams alive
Arsenal would have been almost certain to win the Premier League if Palace got a result against Man City, but the hosts got the job done.
Barring a draw with Everton, the Sky Blues have been phenomenal recently, delivering across all areas of the pitch.
City have found the net six times in their two most recent matches, all while adding a couple more clean sheets to their tally.
The Gunners will still be feeling confident, with victories against Burnley and Palace being all that is required to win the league.
Still, at least Guardiola’s team have done enough to give themselves a fighting chance.
