Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace side made it just one defeat in eight games when they hosted the champions Manchester City.
The Eagles got off to the perfect start inside the first five minutes of the game, as Will Hughes played a perfectly timed through ball into the path of Daniel Munoz to score his second goal in three games.
Palace were then on top for much of the first half as they looked to double their lead, with the Man City defence forced to make a number of crucial blocks to keep the score at 1-0. This was just before the half hour mark, where Erling Harland got his side back onto level terms with a looping header.
The second half started much like the first, as Palace looked to make it uncomfortable for Pep Guardiola's side. Just before the hour mark, Palace won a corner which was to be taken by Hughes, who's ball into the box was met by Frenchman Maxence Lacroix, scoring his first Palace goal.
Glasner's side would only hold onto the lead for 12 minutes however, when Rico Lewis equalised, before getting sent off in the 84th minute.
A point against Man City is never to be frowned at, but after taking the lead twice and being arguably the better team, it will be frustrating for Palace not to have walked away with all three.
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Will Hughes is proving his worth
Hughes was brought to Palace from Watford for just £6m in the summer of 2021 along with Marc Guehi, Michael Olise and Joachim Anderson. It is fair to say his arrival didn't set the world alight like some of the other names that summer but his impact is not to be looked upon.
The former Derby County midfielder was a good squad player under Patrick Vieira then seemed to lose his place under Roy Hodgson but since Glasner arrived, he has been a key asset.
The Palace manager mentioned his admiration for the midfielder at the end of last season before he signed a new deal and when used in the two man midfield he has displayed some of his best form.
Against City he was everywhere, anticipating passes, pressing high getting tight to his marker and was comfortable on the ball when under pressure. He has shown this on a number of occasions this season and has been the only real constant in the Palace midfield, due to injures to other players.
Adam Wharton is in line to return next weekend against rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, but with the form Hughes is displaying there is no need to rush the 20-year-old back.
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Lacriox is the answer
When Palace sold Anderson in the summer to Fulham, many saw it as a mistake, and rightly so, selling one of your better players to another mid-table side after the season had started is a strange thing to do.
From the clubs point of view they saw it as good business, a 28 year old who they brought for around £15m was being sold for double that. The question was who do they replace him with.
There answer was Lacriox, who joined from Wolfsburg in a deal worth £15m. After a shaky start under his former boss, Glasner, Palace fans first saw the Frenchman's true potential in the win against Tottenham Hotspur.
Since then he has won back-to-back player of the month awards and has created a great partnership with Geuhi and Trevoh Chalobah. His pace, strength and aggressiveness suits this Palace side perfectly, allowing them to start higher up the pitch to press more meaningfully.
He was up against one of the best strikers in the world against Man City which is Haaland and for the most part kept the Norwegian quiet, while also netting a goal for himself. Still only 24, there is a lot of room to grow and the questions over why they sold Anderson are starting to disappear.
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Munoz is a goal machine
The Colombian right-back went 31 games without a goal for Palace since he signed last January before going on to score two in three games this week. First the late equaliser against Newcastle United, followed by the opening goal against Man City.
It has been a long time coming however, as during his time with Genk, Munoz would often find himself on the score sheet. Prior to joining Palace, he scored seven in 29 games last season for the Belgium outfit.
It has certainly been something missing from his game, with his high energy and willingness to press it has been his end product at times that has failed him.
To be fair to Munoz, he is early rested given Palace's lack of depth in the right wing-back position, as well as regally featuring for his national team, so you can understand him being fatigued at times.
Nevertheless, both he and his team will be hoping this goal scoring run continues, especially with a trip to the Amex Stadium next weekend to face arch rivals Brighton.
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Palace can cause anyone trouble
We are finally seeing the Palace of old, the side which many thought would push for a place in Europe at the start for the season rather than one finding themselves in a relegation battle.
After a summer of transition with plenty of outgoings, incomings and extended holidays, Glasner's side are now looking their best. They caused all sorts of problems for Man City through the game both form open play and set pieces.
In their last three games, Palace have out shot their opponents on two occasions with the other being the game against City, where they both had 12 shots apiece.
They are starting to look more resilient defensively which in turn allows them to attack with greater purpose. It will be seen as an opportunity missed in the summer to not bring in another attacking player to subsidise the absence of Olise, but if they can put that right in January, then it is only up from here on in for Glanser's Palace side.
