Crystal Palace produced one of the finest away victories in the club’s recent history on 30 October 2021, defeating Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium. The result made Palace the only team to prevent Pep Guardiola’s side from scoring both home and away during the 2021/22 Premier League season.
City entered the match as reigning champions and were pursuing back-to-back league titles. Guardiola named a strong side for his 200th Premier League match as manager, but Palace made the perfect start. After only six minutes, Wilfried Zaha bundled the ball home to put the visitors in front.
The hosts dominated possession and applied sustained pressure, yet Palace’s defence remained resolute. Joachim Andersen and Marc Guéhi helped keep City at bay, while Conor Gallagher, Cheikhou Kouyaté and James McArthur battled in midfield against Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.
Palace’s task became more complicated just before half-time when Zaha broke through on goal and was brought down by Aymeric Laporte. The City defender received a straight red card, leaving the hosts with 10 men for the second half.
City continued to press despite the numerical disadvantage, but Palace settled the contest in stoppage time. Michael Olise drove forward before combining with Zaha, then received the ball back inside the area and picked out Gallagher’s late run. Gallagher finished first time, his effort going in off the post to secure a memorable three points for the Eagles.
