Manchester City have slipped to yet another poor result after drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Storm Darragh has brought dark clouds to the UK and it was suitably gloomy in South London as Manchester City dropped yet more points.
Pep Guardiola’s side were rattled from the opening seconds as a brave Crystal Palace took the game straight to their opponents. The bold approach paid off when Daniel Munoz found the opener after just four minutes.
A chaotic City looked vulnerable and would have gone two goals down if it wasn’t for Ruben Dias’s last-ditch block. Moments later, Erling Haaland headed in the equaliser.
Yet, Palace got their noses in front again after the break through Maxence Lacroix’s first goal in English football but Rico Lewis made things all squad once more with a well-taken finish.
City took control from then on in and looked destined to find the winner until Lewis was harshly dismissed for an incorrectly awarded second yellow card, which now rules him out of the derby, and derailed their momentum.
The Blues held on for a point but it’s yet another disappointing result and poor performance.
While City attacked reasonably well and dominated possession, it’s their shaken confidence in defence that is continuing to cost them.
While a lot of the team underperformed once again, Matheus Nunes actually put in another tidy display.
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Matheus Nunes continues to impress despite draw
It’s usually Kevin De Bruyne that pulls City out of the mud but on this occasion it was Nunes.
The Portuguese dug out a fantastic cross out of nowhere for Haaland to tower over his marker and gracefully head into the top corner.
It was Nunes’ sixth assist of the campaign, putting him at the top of the charts at City, but it wasn’t the only impressive thing about his performance.
In fact, Nunes’ entire game stats make for impressive reading. He created more chances (4) and had more successful dribbles (3) than anyone else on the pitch, completed 92% of his passes and made three accurate crosses.
It wasn’t just an attacking performance as Nunes worked hard in the opposite direction, too. He won the ball back five times, won eight ground duels, made five clearances an interception and a tackle.
Matheus Nunes is one of City’s best performers this season
Haaland is still among the goals, Dias is crucial and De Bruyne is already making magic after returning to the side but Nunes is rivalling all of them at the moment.
The 26-year-old has just been named City’s Player of the Month for November and while that was hardly a competitive race, it says a lot that he is one of the very few players who hasn’t let his level drop in recent weeks.
Nunes has took up a new position and really made the most of the opportunity. He is consistently good on the ball, creating chances and performing defensive duties.
On a season lacking success stories so far, he is by far the biggest.
