Crystal Palace 0-0 Manchester City RESULT: Pep Guardiola's side look to cap off 2017 with 19 league wins a row
- Palace captain Scott Dann and City's Gabriel Jesus both off injured early on
- Luka Milivojevic misses penalty in second-half injury time for Palace at Selhurst
- Kevin De Bruyne and Jason Puncheon also both off injured on stretchers late on
- Palace become first team to take points off Man City since Everton in August
- Premier League news: Click here for all the latest from the top flight
Manchester City will look to finish 2017 on a high as they aim for their 19th straight Premier League win away at Crystal Palace.
Guardiola's side are flying at the top of the Premier League, and victory will see them move 16 points clear going into the New Year.
Palace, meanwhile, have been rejuvenated under Roy Hodgson, but still only find themselves outside the relegation places on goal difference.
Join Sportsmail's BEN NAGLE for all the action from Selhurst Park, with updates from MATT BARLOW.
If you are following today's blog on the MailOnline app, please click HERE for full coverage...
Thanks for following that with Sportsmail... it ends 0-0 but both teams could have scored a few apiece!
Here's the first three paragraphs of Matt Barlow's match report, and you can read the rest of it by clicking HERE.
MATT BARLOW: Stop the clock. After 18 successive Premier League victories, Manchester City have failed to win, held to a goalless draw at Crystal Palace.
They are still top, with 59 points, comfortably clear of the rest and still unbeaten in the Premier League but they came mighty close to defeat as goalkeeper Ederson saved a last-minute penalty from Luka Milivojevic.
Palace thought they were about to achieve a famous triumph when Wilfried Zaha was adjudged to have been fouled by Raheem Sterling.
Wow. Breathless, brilliant stuff at Selhurst. Palace become the first team since Everton in August to take points from Manchester City. What a game!
And it could have been so different for the Eagles, too, who missed a last-gasp penalty.
90+4mins: It's all happening at Selhurst Park. Two stretchers on the pitch, for Jason Puncheon and Kevin De Bruyne.
After the penalty miss, City broke but De Bruyne was hacked down by Puncheon. It was almost missed in the melee of the breakaway, and replays show that actually it could well have been a red card.
Both players are seriously injured in the challenge, and both go off on stretchers. A manic five minutes.
90+1mins: Luka Milivojevic puts it straight down the middle but Ederson SAVES it! Scenes at Selhurst... Palace have now missed two absolutely golden opportunities.
What a chance to end City's winning run. Incredible.
Oh wow! This is mad!
90mins: Excellent from Luka Milivojevic, who wins the ball off Yaya Toure and then draws a foul. The Ivorian is booked!
89mins: Walker plays a long ball over the top, but Sterling - whose head it finds at the back post - is offside and Palace can clear with a long free-kick from Hennessey.
There will be three minutes added on at the end of this one. Can Palace hold on?
87mins: What an atmosphere at Selhurst Park... the Palace fans have been incredible, spurring their team on - and they're so close to a point now.
84mins: Wow. Another chance for City, this time due to a mistake from Fosu-Mensah. He can't quite clear the ball and it ricochets into the path of Aguero. Unfortunately for the Argentine, it comes at him fast, and he can only get his knee to the ball, directing it wide of the post.
83mins: Wilfried Zaha tries too much, too close to his own goal, and he gives away a free-kick for a foul on Raheem Sterling. On the edge of the box, left-hand side, De Bruyne stands over it, but Riedewald stands strong and heads the ball away.
81mins: De Bruyne has a shot on goal, but Kelly blocks it brilliantly. Palace still fighting, here. Bernardo Silva steps off the pitch now, and Toure comes on.
78mins: Palace with a HUGE chance, but Townsend can only blast over the bar. Jairo Riedewald stepped over the ball in the box, leaving his team-mate free to shoot... but he can't find the target. The fans right behind their team now, shouting and singing. A new wave of energy from the Palace players.
Yaya Toure ready to come on for the away side.
Some second-half action shots for you...
71mins: City come forward once more, playing the ball around their defence before De Bruyne plays in Sane down the left-hand side. The cross is blocked brilliantly by Martin Kelly, though. To a man, Palace have been excellent defensively so far. A special mention must go to Timothy Fosu-Mensah, so often a substitute this season... he's come in at right back today and has hardly put a foot wrong.
67mins: Yohan Cabaye gives a free-kick away on the edge of the Palace box, needless almost, but De Bruyne's effort once again hits the wall. He just hasn't hit the heights with his dead balls yet. Palace then try to break with a long ball through to Zaha, but Walker does well to shield the ball out of play. Palace sitting back and trying to play on the break, now. It's almost all they can do as City come forward with wave after wave of attack.
63mins: Wayne Hennessey makes a brilliant save from close range after a deflected cross found Leroy Sane at the back post. He lashed a shot goalwards, and it was going in if it weren't for Hennessey's shoulder. Top save from the Welshman.
61mins: Bernardo Silva gets in behind Cabaye and is able to cross the ball towards the head of Sergio Aguero. The weight of the cross means the striker can't get too much power on his effort though and, despite it being on target, is easy for Hennessey to save. City with most of the possession now. Half an hour to play.
59mins: Fernandinho lashes a shot from 30 yards out, and it ends up almost in the executive boxes at the top of the Whitehorse Lane End at Selhurst Park. Dreadful effort, and City look devoid of ideas at times, something which has been very rare so far this season.
57mins: Ilkay Gundogan exchanges passes with Kevin De Bruyne, before the former lashes a shot towards the far post. It is bending towards the corner, but goes wide and Hennessey had the shot covered anyway.
That turns out to be the midfielder's last contribution, as Raheem Sterling comes on to replace him.
55mins: De Bruyne lofts a ball over the top of the Palace defence, looking for Sergio Aguero, who stretches but can't quite reach it. On the City bench, Raheem Sterling is stripped off and ready to go... perhaps Guardiola thought he might not need him, but it turns out he does!
54mins: Kyle Walker comes down the right-hand side, exchanging passes with Bernardo Silva, before play is spread wide left to Sane. Fernandinho, too, right at the centre of the action. In the end, Luka Milivojevic bundles through Sane to give away a free-kick within shooting distance.
51mins: Wilfried Zaha, playing with a smile on his face, wins a free-kick down the left which is pumped forward towards Benteke. The Belgian wins the header, knocking it down to Cabaye, but he can't get it under control before he is ushered out of possession. Still really end-to-end at Selhurst.
47mins: An early free-kick for City as Fosu-Mensah brings the ball out of defence, but tries to take it past one too many players and concedes a free-kick. De Bruyne's effort is poor, though, and flies straight into the wall.
A few seconds later, Van Aanholt is booked for a foul on Bernardo Silva.
45mins: Palace get us started for the second half...
'Crystal Palace were excellent in the first-half. They played with courage, determination and intensity. They posed questions to Manchester City. They competed. They decided they want to be the team that halts City's extraordinary run, rather than a mere footnote of a team that meekly surrendered. The half-time stats show City had 73% of the ball. It did not feel that way and City know they face a challenge here.'
Eighteen wins in a row and, of course, that could well be 19 in an hour's time, but some credit has to go to Palace for that outstanding first half.
They have nullified City's attacking threat well, playing with discipline and shape, and you can see the effect Roy Hodgson has had on them.
That the City players left the field arguing with each other, and Sane had just been booked for kicking the ball away in frustration, says it all.
Can they do it for another 45 minutes though?
45+6mins: Right on the stroke of half-time, Leroy Sane gets a little over-frustrated and kicks the ball away after a foul is given against him. Jon Moss brandishes a yellow card.
And there's the half-time whistle... Palace go in level at the break. Excellent from the Eagles, and City have been left needing more.
To be expected, really... there's six minutes added time at the end of the first half.
43mins: Wow, City look rattled here. De Bruyne tries to play a pass through to Sane, but he mistimes it and the ball drifts out for a goal-kick. The two players then shout angrily at each other, and have clearly been frustrated by the first half at Selhurst Park.
With a couple of minutes left of the first half, it remains 0-0 and Palace have been brilliant so far.
Never nice to see, but here's the two major incidents from the first half...
35mins: Who knows how much longer it will last, but really it's Palace on top here with 10 minutes to go until half-time. Zaha at the centre of it once again, taking on the full-back before cutting a pass back to Townsend on the edge of the box. That was exactly how Palace's first goal against Arsenal came on Thursday.
This time, Townsend's shot is blocked, and was probably going over the bar anyway. But another opportunity for the Eagles at Selhurst Park.
32mins: Wilfried Zaha wins Palace a corner, which is whipped in by Yohan Cabaye on the far side. Benteke climbs highest to win the header, but he can only direct it wide of the post.
This game is a million miles from City's last game against Newcastle... Palace are really giving their table-topping opponents a go, and not sitting back at all. Admirable from Hodgson.
City hit the post!
29mins: City hit Wayne Hennessey's left-hand post after a huge deflection... and that's a let-off for Palace! Aguero is the man with the shot, as Palace's defenders back off and back off before he lets fly. Riedewald is the closest man to him, and the effort clips off his heels and loops onto the post.
25mins: James Tomkins inadvertently pokes a shot towards the Palace goal from a City corner. Wayne Hennessey is alert to it though, and saves low. From there, a huge kick up field finds Benteke, who very nearly gets a shot at goal. That seems to be the way through for Palace.
21mins: City take a shot at goal through Gabriel Jesus, but it's saved with ease as Wayne Hennessey gets down low to his right.
Jesus in trouble, too, and has gone down just in front of the dugouts just seconds later. He'll be coming off, with Sergio Aguero stripped off and ready to join the action.
In fact, he's distraught and is in tears here. He must fear a bad injury. Two injuries in the space of five minutes have marred this encounter.
17mins: Scott Dann in trouble on the pitch right now, in a lot of pain and the stretcher is alongside him. His right knee is the problem, something he's had issues with before, and he looks unlikely to continue. Martin Kelly will come on.
The injury occurred when he tried to tackle Sergio Aguero, stepping across the striker, but getting his knee caught. Five medical staff and six paramedics around the Palace captain.
He's taken away, not down to the tunnel, but to the other end of the stadium where an ambulance is waiting.
Oh, and he's been booked for the challenge too. Nice.
12mins: End-to-end stuff. Palace's free-kick is poor from Cabaye, but the follow-up is lashed goalwards by Van Aanholt, and deflected close to the right-hand post. Ederson isn't sure, and tips the ball wide. The corner is cleared, and immediately Sane is leading a blistering break for City. Fosu-Mensah does well to, eventually, help his side out of danger.
It's been a really interesting game to watch so far, with City on top initially but Palace really battling away. They have a free-kick, which Yohan Cabaye will be able to whip into the box now. Here's some action shots from the game so far...
Chance for Palace!!
9mins: Now it's Palace on top, as Benteke nearly makes the most of a mistake at the back between Mangala and Ederson. The ball falls to Benteke's feet for a shot on the edge of the area with Ederson miles off his line, but it comes off Mangala and out for a corner.
8mins: Another long kick forward from Wayne Hennessey is heading for Christian Benteke, who a few seconds later wins Palace the first corner of the game. It's taken short, but Yohan Cabaye then fires his cross high and wide, over the far post and actually out for a throw-in on the far side.
6mins: A mistake from Patrick van Aanholt gifts City another opportunity to break forward, bu the ever impressive Luka Milivojevic is there to clear up the Dutchman's mess and Palace survive.
Chance for City!
3mins: Worrying for Palace, immediately. Bernardo Silva inadvertently collects the ball at the back post after a deflection, but can only fire his shot wide. If he'd caught that sweetly, it would surely have been 0-1. Just seconds later, De Bruyne is given space and he creates another chance for City, this one swept up by Hennessey. Blistering start.
1min: Palace immediately get the ball, Wilfried Zaha storming down the left-hand side. He's been playing centrally of late, but is pushed to a more natural wide position for this one. He tries to bundle past Kyle Walker, but is pulled up for a foul.
0: Manchester City get us started at Selhurst, kicking from right to left in their home sky blue kit. Palace, of course, are in their red and blue.
With the games coming thick and fast, you could forgive Roy Hodgson for wanting to rest a few players against Manchester City. He's made four changes today, but he says injuries are the reason...
'It's more injuries than thinking of the Southampton game as we have six players we regard as regulars out through injury,' he told BT Sport before the game. 'Three were down to play today but dropped out after Arsenal.
'Changes were forced upon me rather than thinking of the Southampton game. We have to take each game as it comes… and try and keep the way we are playing and hope it will stand us in good stead.'
Get yourselves a drink and a bite to eat... there's only 10 minutes to go until this one kicks off!
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke to BT Sport before the game, and he reminisced about his side's incredible run...
'I don't think we will forget these six months together for the rest of our lives,' he told Des Kelly. 'No (couldn’t see it coming). 18 games in a row? No.
'It would be good (to get 19 wins), especially in the Premier League when it is really, really tough. Now, if we start again we could not do it again. It is a lot of points.
'I am guy to push a lot, I try not to let them breathe. Forget the victory, there is another one. At Barcelona it was after a long time, three or four years, here it is six months.'
Many managers would go into a run of games against Arsenal and City thinking that anything is a bonus, almost expecting to lose... Hodgson, though, was keen to insist this isn't the case for him. Here's a quote from last week:
After seven games of the season, Palace were rock bottom without a point, or even a goal. Cue the exit of Frank de Boer and the arrival of Roy Hodgson, who has changed things dramatically at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles are now far better defensively, and have started to pick up results. Before the narrow defeat against Arsenal on Thursday, Palace were eight games unbeaten... but they'll certainly do well to get anything from the game today.
Results didn't really go their way yesterday, and they sit outside the relegation zone on goal different going into the City game. A win, meanwhile, would take them 13th... and it's Southampton next up on Tuesday.
The top of the Premier League makes for fantastic reading if you're a Manchester City fan. Less so if you support one of the other teams at the top of the table.
Today, three points will take them 16 points clear at the top going into the New Year. Manchester United's dropped points on Saturday saw them drop to third, but it's all about City right now, who can take their winning record to 19 straight games this afternoon.
Rare to see a manager out of the tunnel earlier than a few seconds before kick-off, but Pep Guardiola is out already and watching his team warm up on the south London pitch.
'John Stones on the bench for first involvement since hamstring injury at Leicester on Nov 18.
'Four changes for Palace, including recall for goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.'
With the fixtures coming thick and fast in the Premier League, both sides were sure to make some changes today.
And that was certainly the case, as City make three and Palace make four.
For the league leaders, Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling drop out of the starting XI, with Eliaquim Mangala, Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane coming in.
John Stones also makes the bench following his hamstring injury last month, while Fabian Delph and David Silva don't make the squad.
For Palace, Wayne Hennessey replaces Julian Speroni in goal, while there is also a place in the starting line-up for Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Patrick van Aanholt and Jairo Riedewald.
Martin Kelly, Jeffrey Schlupp and Ruben Loftus-Cheek drop out of the team, with Southampton away coming up on Tuesday.
Palace XI: Hennessey, van Aanholt, Tomkins, Dann, Riedewald, Fosu-Mensah, Milivojevic, Cabaye, Zaha, Townsend, Benteke
Subs: Speroni, Lee, Souare, Kaikai, Kelly, Delaney, Puncheon
City XI: Ederson, Walker, Mangala, Otamendi, Danilo, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Gundogan, B. Silva, Sane, Jesus
Subs: Bravo, Stones, Sterling, Aguero, Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, Toure
Here are the City players just after stepping off their team bus at Selhurst Park... an hour to go until kick-off in south London.
The teams are just a minute or so away...
Hello and welcome to Sportsmail's live blog for the big Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City.
It has been a tale of contrasting seasons so far, with City flying at the top and Palace scrapping for points in the relegation zone.
The Eagles have recently improved under Roy Hodgson, though... so can they be the team to stop City's unbeaten run?
(Probably not... but let's see)
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