Phrase "Give up" isn't in Cityzens' vocabulary: Pep's crew easily sees off Palace

Manchester City never say die, and Arsenal will have to work hard for the Premier League title and earn it on the pitch. The Cityzens won't do them any favours, that's for sure, and the clash against Crystal Palace proved it.

Even without Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki in the starting lineup, Pep Guardiola's lads made light work of the visitors, beating them 3-0. Tonight, the Africans, Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush, Savinho, who came off the bench, as well as the inspired Phil Foden, who provided two assists, led the Manchester side to a triumph.

The Eagles came to Etihad Stadium to fight and try to stun the Manchester giants. For half an hour, Oliver Glasner's men played a decent game, occasionally threatening Gianluigi Donnarumma, and then, City's machinery started crushing them.

In an eight-minute blitzkrieg, the home team scored twice and sealed the London side's fate.

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Two minutes after the half-hour mark, Phil Foden split Palace's defence with a remarkable backheel pass, leaving Antoine Semenyo in a point-blank situation, which the Ghanaian did not waste, putting the Cityzens in front.

In the 40th minute, Omar Marmoush exploited Foden's new terrific assist - a cross from the left flank - to double his team's lead and score his first goal in over two months.

Even before the hour mark, Guardiola started subbing off his key players, trying to keep them fresh for the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday (17.00). The Spaniard had the luxury of doing so, as the match entered a rather peaceful stage and Palace were pretty harmless.

Following a "snoozefest" that has rarely been seen at Etihad in recent years, the Ciityzens saw the game out comfortably, scoring another goal thanks to the two players who came off the bench - Cherki, who made a timely assist and Savinho who found the net in the 84th minute.

In general, the second half was more than dull, as the rivals combined for only two attempts on target. Pep managed to rest some players and still record a convincing victory, which was an ideal scenario for him and his lads.

Therefore, the gap between the Cityzens and the table toppers Arsenal is back to two points, as the race continues next week when Arsenal host the already relegated Burnley (Monday, 22.00) and City face Bournemouth on the road (Tuesday, 21.30).

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 31

Rescheduled match

Manchester City - Crystal Palace 3-0 (2-0)

/Semenyo 32, Marmoush 40, Savinho 84/