LONDON – Leaders Manchester City drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace on Monday, opening the door for strong competition for English Premier League title contenders Liverpool.
Second-placed Liverpool narrowed the deficit to three points after beating Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, conceding an eighth straight victory and continuing to put pressure on the leaders.
City were able to dominate the first half at Palace Hospitality in Selhurst Park, but did not find the net.
City defender Joao Gonzalo hit the post in the first half, while midfielder Kevin de Bruyne did the same after the break.
Pep Cardiola’s team pushed to the end with all their attacking power, but he failed to score, wasting two valuable points in his attempt to win the league title for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
After this draw, if they win the postponed match against Arsenal on Wednesday, Liverpool can reduce the difference to one point.
“There is no room for luck in football,” Cardiola told the BBC: “We have to score, we have not.”
“We play to score, to give up a little. We worked a little harder. The team that played today played before, will play in the next match. I am fully satisfied with the performance and our style of play.”
City took full control of the match in south London and created a large number of easy chances, with Bernardo Silva very dangerous in the second half.
City defender Aymerich LaBorde missed a chance from close range as Cancello’s shot followed from the post.
Palace also made a dangerous counter-attack, and Wilfried Zaha shot wide from close range, but other than that City were very dangerous and scored 14 attempts in the first half.
Palace were the last team to stop City from scoring in the Premier League in October, and they did it again that day.
De Bruyne got a pass into the area and came close to scoring after hitting a powerful ball from the left side.
Silva scored after a low cross but was a little late to miss a chance on the goal line.
The Palace survived the final without compromise, extending an unbeaten record of five consecutive games in all competitions and remaining 11th in the Premier League, but the result will surely delight Liverpool fans more than any other team.
“When you play against City, you have to get chances,” Palace coach Patrick Vieira said. “It’s all about luck these days, but it’s about playing hard as a team.”
“Today we did it. We fought for luck and got a point. We enjoy acting.”
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