Edin Dzeko's late strike gave Manchester City a crucial 1-0 win over Crystal Palace to take the top of the Premier League table for at least 24 hours.The Citizens have been untouchable at home in the first half of the season, winning their tenth straight at the Etihad Stadium after a hard fought victory over Tony Pulis' side.
City completely dominated possession throughout the match, but a few missed chances in the first half gave Palace some much needed momentum. Pulis' defensive approach paid off early against the hottest club in the Premier League going into the New Year, but late subs by Manuel Pellegrini made the difference once again.
Samir Nasri has been in brilliant form all season and as a late sub on Saturday he quickly changed the pace of City's attack which led to Dzeko's winner. The City boss is pleased to move top of the table, but he made it known after the match that fresh legs weren't enough to play against "10 players around the box."
"No I don’t think we were fortunate to win – one team wanted to play for the 90 minutes, the other wanted to sit in front of their own goal,” Pellegrini said after the 1-0 win.
Taking all six points on the week against a very strong Liverpool side and an emerging Crystal Palace is all the Chilean manager could ask for, but he continued to express the importance of winning close matches as the Citizens move forward.
"It’s impossible to play well 44 hours after the game against Liverpool, that’s why it’s so important to know how to win 1-0," Pellegrini stated. "They were both very different games but we were absolutely sure that we weren’t going to have an easy game today – it’s very difficult to play against a team who doesn’t want to play."
Manchester City will now move on to face Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on New Years Day. Manuel Pellegrini's side won the home fixture 3-0 against the Swans on December 1st with goals by Alvaro Negredo and Samir Nasri.
Both players were subs on Saturday and will likely start on Wednesday as City's schedule reaches a grueling stretch of four matches in 12 days. Can Manchester City continue their run of form and hold the top of the table as we reach the second half of the Premier League season?
