Manchester City dropped more points in the Premier League on Saturday, failing to capitalise on Liverpool’s postponed match against Everton.
The Merseyside Derby had been due to take place at lunchtime but was called off due to adverse weather conditions affecting travel for supporters.
So with Liverpool not in action, there was a chance for Manchester City to get closer to the Reds at the top of the table.
But City could only manage a 2-2 draw with the Eagles, coming from behind twice in the game through Erling Haaland and Rico Lewis.
There was more poor defending on show from City, with Kyle Walker again struggling.
Rico Lewis was sent off towards the end which killed the momentum a bit for City – Alan Shearer felt the decision to send Lewis off against Palace was correct.
Shearer also responded on Match of the Day last night to whether City are still in the title race.
Merson and Shearer insist Man City are out of the Premier League title race now
It has been a very tough past couple of months for City.
Injuries haven’t helped, but City just aren’t the same team as in recent seasons with a number of players who are usually so consistent struggling to have the same influence.
City are now eight points behind Liverpool in the league, but it could and maybe should have been six points.
But City slipped up against Palace, and Shearer reckons City are now out of the title race.
When asked by Gary Lineker on Match of the Day whether he felt City were out of the race, he quickly and emphatically replied ‘Yes!’
Over on Sky Sports, pundit Paul Merson was also fairly sure City are now out of the running. He said: “Yeah I would say so (City are out of the running).
“When I say I think that’s it for Man City in the title race, I’ve seen Man City play too many times, they dominate games, they probe, if they don’t win the goalkeeper is the best player in the pitch. They have 30 shots a game.
“I don’t give them a chance (now), I don’t see them going on a 12-game run. There’s too many players not performing anywhere near their capabilities. I just don’t see it.”
Man City need a miracle to win the Premier League title
The win over Nottingham Forest in midweek gave everyone associated with City a boost, but it seems clear that winning a fifth straight Premier League title will be a huge task from this position.
There’s a lot of football left to play this season of course, but there are just so many issues right now that Pep Guardiola needs to address that are surely going to take a lot of time to fix.
City have lost Rodri for the season and cannot seem to truly cope without him.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 11 | 18 | 35 |
| 2 |  ChelseaChelsea | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 15 | 16 | 28 |
| 3 |  ArsenalArsenal | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
| 4 |  Man CityManchester City | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 27 |
| 5 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 25 |
| 6 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 25 |
There remain question marks over Kevin De Bruyne’s fitness and ability to play every game, and players like Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan are long past their best.
It’d be a truly staggering feat if City did manage to win the league from here. Gary Neville said after the defeat to Liverpool it’d be ‘beyond ridiculous’ if Man City won the league and few would argue with him at this point.
Not only are City eight points behind Liverpool, the goal difference is also firmly in the Reds’ favour, so it really is just a mountain to climb at this point.
