MATCH REPORT: Arsenal vs Chelsea

If Chelsea beat Arsenal and then win at Leicester on Wednesday then the Premier League trophy will be in their possession before the month is out. They looked strong, especially after a narrow win against Manchester United last week, but Arsenal will certainly prove to be strong opposition after winning their last 8 games in the League and also with the knowledge that their home form has been excellent this season. From the team sheet alone, Jose Mourinho's team could be interpreted as simply playing for a result and not necessarily a win as he chose to play without a prolific striker. 

Arsenal did register the first chance of the game after they had won a free kick and Santi Cazorla stood over the ball. He took the chance with his right foot but Thibaut Courtois stepped out quickly and easily caught the ball and pulled it into his body. Not long after Olivier Giroud was being pressed tightly by three Chelsea defenders extremely close to their own goal, but he still managed to keep the ball up. Just as he was about to take the shot on, Courtois rushed out to help his defenders and took the ball, quite literally, off his boot. 

The 16 minute mark saw Chelsea's first chance of the game being registered when Cesc Fabregas, who didn't get a great reception on his return to the Emirates, played a beautiful looping ball over the top of the Arsenal midfield and defence which Per Mertesacker failed to deal with, which allowed Oscar to latch onto the ball. As it bounced up, Oscar jumped up to meet it and chipped it towards goal and over David Ospina's head. It was heading towards the target but Hector Bellerin was covering and headed the ball out to safety for a corner. This was one of the very few chances that Chelsea had in the first half as they stayed compact and were just allowing Arsenal to have time on the ball, but not get to close to their box. Mourinho had almost set out with the same tactics that he did against United in the previous game. 

The half was finished with a chance from each team. The visitors had the first go when Willian slipped the ball between the Arsenal defenders to find Ramires who timed his run perfected to stay onside and he took on the shot first time with the outside of his right boot. Ospina had an excellent starting position though and he was in the perfect place to collect the ball with ease. Arsenal were camped out in the Chelsea third of the pitch for the rest of the half after the Ramires chance and just before the half time whistle went, a host of chances were fired towards Courtois' goal. After the ball bounced around the penalty area falling to the feet of many different players, it was Mesut Ozil who had the most clear cut chance at goal as he turned and curled his shot towards goal. Courtois, like Ospina before, took up a great starting position and easily caught the ball. 

The half was definitely dominated with the amount of penalty shouts that were denied for both teams. The first one came within the first 10 minutes of the match when Oscar made a run into Arsenal's box and Bellerin put his arms on Oscar and caught him slightly as Oscar's running leg caught his opponent. It was a weak shout though, and the referee rightly waved it away. Oscar had another shout not long after when he took on the chipped shot over Ospina. The keeper was late coming out to make his clearance and the ball had already cleared him when he clattered in Oscar and taking the midfielder out. It did look to be a stronger appeal than the first, but again the referee waved it away and Oscar made way at half time with suspected concussion due to the challenge. 

Fabregas had the third shout for Chelsea when Cazorla stuck out a leg to try and win back the ball for him team. He did try to pull back from the challenge, but he wasn't quick enough and did make contact with Fabregas which caused him to go down. He did make a big deal out of the fall though, which seemed to make the decision clear in the referee's mind that he deserved a yellow card for diving, which was slightly harsh. The last appeal came from the home side after Bellerin had stretched for the ball and kept it in play which allowed him to play the ball back across the box towards the penalty spot where Giroud was shaped ready to turn his shot into the back of the net. Gary Cahill was quick to the ball though and as he went to ground to make the block, the ball bounced back off his arm, but he was very close to the ball and the decision would have been harsh. 

The second half was dominated by Chelsea in the early stages, and they were able to push forward after bringing on Didier Drogba as they had someone up field to reach to. Eden Hazard was making the Arsenal defence work hard, but in the spaces on the pitch where it mattered most, he didn't seem to have a magic touch. He got into a decent position on the edge of the box and hit the ball in the general direction of the goal, but he swung at it and the ball went high and wide of the target. 

The game had turned into a tactical battle between the two managers as both teams were having long stints of possession which allowed them to dominate the period of the game, but neither looked extremely threatening when they were stood in front of the opposition net. Arsenal had won a few free kicks, and as Chelsea moved into place, they began to look scrappy and not like the level headed defence which so many people had become accustomed to seeing. 

Not long after the hour mark, Arsenal put together a good bit of build up play which allowed Alexis Sanchez to come across and put a great ball in from the left. The ball curled back round to Giroud who placed himself near the penalty area, but as he set himself up to take the shot, John Terry got across and time his challenge well to put the ball out for a corner. As a result of this corner, Chelsea were able to break on the counter attack. When they reach the opposition half, the layoff is made to Drogba who is the player positioned on the edge of the box, but his shot is straight at Ospina. Mertesacker did get a chance handed to him after a free kick which Courtois could only palm down into the ground; if any other player had been in his position it could have been nestled in the bottom corner. The defender kept his head down and scuffed the shot and dragged the ball wide of the target. The defending from Chelsea once again was scrappy and it could have cost them a goal. 

The remainder of the game didn't present many more clear cut chances and it took until the last minute of added time at the end of the second half for one to actually be registered. Both teams had been pushing forward, then sitting back as the pendulum of who dominated the game swung back and forth, and Chelsea were the team to almost get caught out. A great ball was fizzed across the face of goal, meaning it was difficult for any of the defenders to come and get the ball, but the two Arsenal forwards in the box also looked lost about what to do. Danny Welbeck standing at the far post was the closest to getting his boot to the ball, but the speed of the cross was a bit too much and the chance went begging. 

This result means that Chelsea can't win the title on Wednesday, but if they beat Leicester, who have been on an excellent run in the past four games, and win on Sunday, then the League title will certainly be on its way to Stamford Bridge. This result did cause Arsenal to slip a place in the Premier League table due to Manchester City beating Aston Villa, but they know that having a game in hand over their top rivals is definitely an advantage they'll be glad to have at this moment. Who knows, there may still be a few shocks left in these last few games of the season. 

MATCH REPORT: Chelsea vs Manchester United

Manchester United have faced a lot of tough opposition in their recent run of games, but have looked good during this period after pulling together a winning streak of six games that included wins over rivals Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City. Chelsea have also been hard to beat though as they come into the game with a six game unbeaten run as well. Chelsea know that they only need three wins from their last run of games, but United know that with a win they can leapfrog Arsenal into second place, leaving both teams with a pretty good incentive to win. 

It was United that started the brighter of the two teams and had a good chance to take the lead within the first five minutes. The ball was played in behind the defence to Luke Shaw who was able to run past his defender without any difficulty. A few of the United forwards were in the box waiting for the cross and drew the Chelsea defenders with them. Shaw decided to cut the ball back to Wayne Rooney who was waiting on the edge of the box. His shot was very close to going into the goal, but it was inches wide of the post, causing some of the fans, and his goalkeeper, to start their celebrations a bit too early. 

Chelsea did get an early chance as well when Cesc Fabregas got the ball into a dangerous position on the edge of the six yard box. The angle was extremely tight though, and he manages to keep the ball in play, but can only let his cross find its way onto the gloves of David De Gea. It was the only chance that Chelsea created for themselves in the opening half an hour though as they allowed United to play the ball around in front of them and keep possession as long as it was in front of their defence. 

Shaw and Ashley Young were causing the Chelsea defenders throughout the first half. Shaw played the ball back to Ander Herrera, who was on the run towards the penalty box, but he felt like he had little time on the ball and took the shot on straight away and his shot went well wide of the left post. He could possibly have played in Juan Mata who was in a better position at the far post. Paddy McNair was allowed to make runs forward from defence as well, and he had the confidence to make a run directly towards the Chelsea box and his powerful shot took a deflection which stopped it from causing Thibaut Courtois any problems. 

The home team were not being allowed any time on the ball and when they did try to push forward and release their forward players, they were making mistakes that wouldn't normally be associated with their team. Jose Mourinho was changing his shape around often to try and gain some control in the game, but they just couldn't handle their opposition. Eden Hazard was at the middle of most of the chances that Chelsea did manage to create and was able to cut out a pass from Antonio Valencia. He turned to run at the defence and put in a good ball to Fabregas in the box, but he had come back from an offside position which fizzled out the move. 

The half an hour mark seemed to be a turning point for Chelsea and they finally looked settled in the game. Hazard was allowed some space when his team took a quick throw, but luckily for United, Chris Smalling got back to cover him. The resulting corner looked dangerous in the beginning but United blocked all of the shots that went towards their goal well. It took until the 38th minute for a bit of quality to produce the first goal of the game. The ball was slipped in to Oscar who back heeled the ball; it seemed without looking around him, into the feet of Hazard. He was left with a lot of room on the left side of the box and he kept his cool long enough to slip the ball between the legs of De Gea and into the back of the net. The goal went against the run of the first half, but Chelsea had been building up to it in the last few minutes.

For all the possession that United had in the game, it all seemed to be in front of the Chelsea defence as they tried to play their way into the box. The Chelsea defence have been one of the best throughout the season and they were proving this as United tried to break them down repeatedly, and failing. However, when the home team did get the ball on the counter attack they looked dangerous. Herrera needlessly gave the ball away in midfield to a Chelsea player whose first thought was to pick out Didier Drogba who didn't have any United players around him as he ran towards the opposition goal. He chipped the ball over the keeper who couldn't get his hand up to push the ball away, but the shot was heading wide of the target. Hazard was with him though and tried to turn the ball in with the outside of his right boot, but the ball was hit against the post and De Gea could collect it. 

United were dominant throughout the match, which was reflected in the possession stats of the game. Chelsea were still sitting back, which allowed McNair to make another run from defence and take another shot which is well struck and did cause Courtois a problem this time, but he pushed it away from goal. They tried to play the ball out from the back, but Shaw, who had a great game, won back the ball and put in a dangerous cross which Mata was first to, but his shot was hit well over the bar. After another good cross from Shaw again, Marouane Fellaini was able to control the ball and play a short ball into Rooney whose shot was deflected just wide of the post. 

Radamel Falcao tried hard to get his name on the score sheet as well as he is another player allowed time on the ball outside the box. He tried to direct his shot across goal to the far post, but slips just as he takes the shot and it swerved away from goal. Another great chance is presented to him minutes later after Fellaini brought the ball down from a throw in. Falcao was the only United player in the box and is the player to win the ball when Fellaini put it into the box. He takes the shot quickly and Gary Cahill, stood close to the forward, stuck out a leg which the ball rebounds off. His hat trick of chances ended after he turned Kurt Zouma and ran at the goal. The angle was tight, meaning he couldn't get the ball across the box, so he took the shot on but could only find the post. The chances were rounded off after Hazard created another chance for Chelsea, but the final shot didn't test De Gea.

United did have a very late penalty shout turned away by the referee, also resulting in a yellow card for Herrera who had been judged to have dived. Replays of this event prove that the midfielder did play for the foul and stuck his leg out so that be tripped by the defender in the box. This was the final call of the game, and also summed up United's afternoon. For all of their forward play they just didn't create enough clear cut chances that could possibly earn them any points from the game. 

This leaves Chelsea only two wins away from their title now, even though this one was a narrow win. They do have to play Arsenal in their next game though, which could prove another challenge. Although, up to now, they have proved that they can handle these challenges well. United can leave Stamford Bridge knowing with positives that even though they didn't get anything out of the game, they played well enough to deserve it. They still sit in third, but with their recent form, they should be fine going into their last few games of the season. 

MATCH REPORT: Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid [Champions League]

In the sixth meeting between these two teams just in this season, it looked like it was set up to be a good contest. Atletico Madrid have been the dominant team in this fixture throughout the season, carrying an unbeaten run against their rivals with them into this game. Real Madrid had scraped through against Shalke in the last round, winning on the aggregate score after they lost at the Bernabeu. Atletico did gain their place in the quarter finals due to penalties in the last round, but still looked like they could cause Real some problems, and they had the home crowd behind them. 

Real started strongly despite this poor record and had a couple of really good chances in the opening exchanges between the teams. James Rodriguez won the ball back for his team on the edge of the 18 yard box, and played in Daniel Carvajal who took his shot well and powered it towards goal but it was well saved by Jan Oblak. Gareth Bale, who isn't having the greatest season, had a great chance as well as he sprinted after the ball into a lot of space and away from his defender but he couldn't help the ball find its way past the Oblak who got out well the deny him. Cristiano Ronaldo soon had a chance from a free kick that was a way out from the box, but he still managed to drag his shot across the ground to the left of the wall forcing Oblak to get down low to hold onto to the ball.

It took until the 15 minute mark for Atletico to register their first attack of the game. However, the team didn't look good going forward and Real managed to cut out the cross without any real problems. The home team looked nervous whenever they had the chance to travel up the pitch and their forward players just weren't able to hold the ball up when they did receive the ball. Sergio Ramos did well to cut out any passes that came up towards Mario Mandzukic as well, much to the frustration of the forward. They did get their first proper chance when Mandzukic glanced the ball down for Antoine Griezmann who tried to set up Guillherme Siqueira, but the final ball was over hit and the chance went to waste. 

Real Madrid did dominate again just after the half hour mark in the game though. Luka Modric managed to keep the ball under control as he was under pressure and made a short pass to Bale who was allowed once again to run at the defence. He decided to take on the long range shot which bobbled along the ground towards the target, but Oblak was there to make the save once again. Another long range shot came, this time from Rodriguez, which followed a corner. The ball eventually landed at his feet outside of the box and he curled the ball with the outside of his left boot towards the left side of the goal, causing Oblak to pull off a great save after he saw the shot late. 

These chances seemed to wake up the Atletico team slightly. Ramos tried his luck on the edge of this box after trying to make a calm pass up to his midfield. Gabi intercepted and headed the ball down to Griezmann who was stood waiting and on the turn took on the shot which he could only direct straight at Iker Casillas. On the stroke of half time, they got the last sight on goal  of the half as Griezmann could have come close again with a header, but the ball played into him was a little too high and he couldn't direct it towards goal. 

Atletico started the second half the brighter of the two teams and had a lot more appetite since coming out after the break. Their possession was more controlled and they became more compact in defence. Juanfran had the chance to run at Rodriguez down the right side and put in a good cross which was met by Arda Turin, whose header was close but painfully wide of the post. The closest chance that followed this was after Toni Kroos was allowed time and space on the ball which he used he used to his advantage as he fired his shot across goal which Oblak once again is equal to. 

The chances seemed to fizzle out after this after the true nature of a derby game seemed to set in. Strong challenges went flying in, some with malice, some without, but equally as tough. Mandzukic felt like Ramos had thrown an elbow at him, causing a huge cut in between his eyes, followed by his return to the pitch and a challenge led with the elbow himself. Carvajal was at the middle of some controversy after he appeared to bite Mandzukic before throwing a punch at his stomach, which wasn't spotted by the referee.

Eventually, the game of football resumed with Atletico being the stronger team out of the two in terms of chances created. Godín had a chance which came through a throw in. Originally, he missed the header, but was lucky enough to find the ball drop at his feet but he couldn't keep the ball down and it sailed over the crossbar. Just before full time, a wave of Atletico corners caused Casillas and his defenders a lot of problems, but eventually he managed to claw away the chance and keep the game at 0-0. 

This result definitely will look better to the home team as they go into the second leg of the tie next week after they managed to stop Real from getting that extremely valuable away goal. Atletico will feel confident as well as they continue their long unbeaten run against their city rivals and they have performed well at the Bernabeu in recent games. All they need now is an away goal to really take the tie into their own hands. 

MATCH REPORT: Manchester Derby

The Manchester derby is a game whose meaning has become even more important in recent seasons as the blue side of Manchester has begun challenging their city rivals for titles and managed to beat United to it a couple of times. City have won the last four derbies with an aggregate score of 10-2, which isn't a good record to go into an important game with. However, this game presents a different picture. United went in as favourites instead of City for the first time in a long time after a run of good results and performances, and City have a poor record of only 4 wins in 14 games. Form does go out of the window in the big games though; would this match prove to be another great challenge between the two fierce rivals?

It was certainly City that started the brightest. They were pressing United high up the pitch and wouldn't let their opposition get a foothold in the game as they looked to pass the ball with ease. They almost topped this great bit of play with a goal as Jesus Navas sprinted into the box, coming in from the right wing, and running at David De Gea who spread himself wide to stop the shot from becoming the goal to break the deadlock. It only took 8 minutes for the visitors to get something that mirrored their good start and that came after David Silva was left in a lot of space down the left hand side. He ran at goal on an angle, causing De Gea to run across to try and smother his shot, but the Spaniard instead chose to square the ball across the six yard box to Sergio Aguero who effectively ended his goal drought by slotting the ball into the empty net. 

This seemed to be the thing that United needed to get their game going though. After a poor free kick from United, they ball was played back to De Gea who wasted no time in putting the ball back up the pitch and into Ander Herrera who was able to put a dangerous cross into the ball that Ashley Young was first to. His first shot wasn't hit well, but he got a second chance to put the ball into the back of the net as the City defenders struggled to get anywhere near the ball. He made no mistake on his second try, and from point blank range powered the ball into the back of the net, giving Joe Hart no chance of getting to the ball. 

This didn't stop City playing their pressing game though and they had a couple of moments where they caught out the United defence. Unluckily for them, no real chances were made when this happened, and United took this chance to take the lead in the game. Young played a big part in this goal as well as he was allowed time and space on the ball just outside of the box. He put in an inch perfect cross to Marouane Fellaini at the far post who headed the ball downwards into the back of the net, again giving the keeper little chance of preventing it. Gael Clichy possibly had a chance to prevent the goal, but didn't get close enough to his man to put in a real challenge. 

United did have a penalty shout not long after their goal had been scored. Fellaini had once again won a header to set up Wayne Rooney in a good position in the box, but couldn't get it under control. The ball then bounced up and appeared to bounce off the arm of Martin Demichelis. However, in the build-up to this, Fellaini had been caught offside, much to the relief of the City defenders. They almost used this to their advantage as well, as James Milner had a chance at the other end. He was outside of the box when the ball came to him, and chose not to push further forward and take the shot while he had space around him, but it was a wild swing and the ball flew well over the crossbar. 

Minutes before the half time whistle blew; City had another heart in mouth moment as their captain slid in strongly with a tackle on Daley Blind. The tackle appeared to be high on Blind's leg and Vincent Kompany went in with his studs first. After a talk with his linesman, the referee decided that it was only a yellow card for the skipper. Again, it was really for the City camp, but everyone knew it could quite easily have been a dismissal, quite possibly the reason he was removed at the beginning of the second half?

The City defence had struggled during the first half with the likes of Fellaini and Young. They had allowed Fellaini in particular way too much room and Yaya Toure and Kompany just could not get tight on him. He looked unplayable in the United midfield, and this carried on through the second half as the defence still didn't pick him up in dangerous situations. 

United remained strong during the second half as well, pressing City high and not allowing them to see much of the ball. In the 53rd minute, United had a number of chances to extend their lead, which started with a free kick taken by Rooney which Hart got across to save well, but he could only parry the ball back into the box and a few United players managed to get their boot to the ball and aim a shot on target without being able to actually find the net. It was scrappy, but the defenders did well to smother all of the chances that they did. 

It took until the 67th minute for another goal to bring the stadium to life once again. Fellaini won the ball in midfield after making a run back in from a forward position, effectively bringing Demichelis out of his defensive position at the same time. Rooney held the ball up well and slipped it across to Juan Mata who was able to run into the space that Demichelis had left for him. He ran at Hart and slotted the ball through the keeper's legs and into the bottom corner. Mata had ran offside just as Rooney played the ball to him, but the linesman didn't spot this, allowing the goal to stand. 

City looked ready for the game to end at this point, and the players looked like a team that hadn't won in a long time, which contrasted against the confident performance that the home side continued to perform. 

United continued to pile misery on the defence as the game continued as well; in the last quarter of an hour in the game, United won another free kick in a dangerous position. Young stepped up to take it, and again provided a wonderful cross that found Chris Smalling free at the far post as he powerfully headed the ball into the back of the net. Once again though, the City defence could have been the cause of their own downfall. Most of the defenders were holding a high line as the free kick was taken, but Eliaquim Mangala stepped up too late, playing Smalling onside. 

The game still wasn't over though. With five minutes left of the game Aguero managed to provide some light for his team once again as he pulled back another goal. Pablo Zabaleta burst into the box to win the ball and pull his cross back towards the penalty box where Aguero was waiting to hit his shot on target. De Gea did get a hand to it, but couldn't get enough on it to stop the ball from hitting the back of the net and gifting the striker with his 100th goal for City. 

The favourites going into the game came out on top, and gave a winner's performance as they collected the three points that kept them in sight of the leaders, Chelsea, who they face on Saturday. City though are now in fourth, four points behind United in third, and look to be down and out of the title challenge all together now. Instead, the talk has turned to how long their manager will last following this poor run of results including losses to some of their biggest rivals. Only time will tell, but for the team in blue, time is something they don't have much left of.

MATCH REPORT: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City

This game could literally signify the loss of the title for Manchester City as they faced a strong Crystal Palace side that has seen a complete turnaround since Alan Pardew took over. The champions had slipped down into fourth place after both Arsenal and Manchester United won this weekend. They could reclaim second spot with a win, also knowing the confidence boost would be well received ahead of the Manchester derby this Sunday.

It was Palace that started the brighter of the two teams as they pushed forward from the first minute and created a clear cut chance within the first two minutes. Martin Kelly was allowed to run with the ball down the left wing and was also given the time and space to put an excellent cross into the box. Jason Puncheon was the first player that could have turned the ball into the net, but missed, which left the ball to Wilfried Zaha who was running into the box. He did get a touch to the ball but his shot was blazed over the crossbar. They had a few half chances after this, but City eventually grew into the game after the first 10 minutes and looked to be finding their feet.

After a Palace chance that was saved easily by Joe Hart, he noticed the run of Sergio Aguero and released the ball early to find the forward player. Julian Speroni came out of his box to try and stop the chance but missed, allowing Aguero a lot more time on the ball. He slipped in David Silva who was coming into the box with no defenders around him and took his shot quickly. Speroni did well to save the shot with his shoulder as he was just getting back to cover his goal. Aguero had another great chance a little later in the game as he pulled the ball across onto his right foot to curl his shot away from the Palace defenders and their keeper only to see it bounce off the far post, much to the relief of Speroni who wasn't able to get across in time. 

City became very dominant around the half hour mark as they began throwing everything they had at the home team in the hope of finding the opening goal. Silva had the chance this time, and was allowed space on the edge of the box to get the shot away. The ball rolled along the ground and took a deflection which took some of the pace off the ball. It still caused Speroni some problems though as he had to get down low quickly to stop the ball from hitting the back of the net. The resulting corner from this save was headed on by Edin Dzeko towards the far post where Yaya Toure was in a great position to head the ball, but the ball was cleared off the line before he could get to it. 

Then the turning point in the game happened. Against the run of play, Palace won a corner, which was quite poor and the ball was cleared. The ball came to Joel Ward who was hovering outside of the box and he headed the ball back into the box where Scott Dann was waiting for it. His shot was closed down well by Hart but the ball went through his legs as he saved the shot and Glenn Murray reached it before the defender to slot the ball into the open net from close range. City had the right to feel frustrated by the goal as there was the possibility of an offside somewhere in the build-up to the goal that the lineman could have missed.

This left City with even more work to do in the second half, as they hadn't played badly, but they just couldn't take their chances or get past the resilient Palace defence. They would be expected to come out and start pushing for the goal, but Palace were the side to start brightly, just as they had at the beginning of the game. 

Silva lost the ball in his own half, close to his own penalty box, causing Fernandinho to have to put in the tackle to try and win the ball back, which he couldn't do and gave away a free kick in a dangerous position on the edge of the box. Puncheon was the player stood over the ball and he curled the ball over the tall City wall and straight into the bottom right corner of the net that Hart had left wide open for him to hit. It was a great strike, but Hart will feel that his wall could have done a better job at defending it, as it looked like Toure ducked as the ball was coming towards him, as he would have been the player able to defend it. 

City seemed to push forward with even more intent after this as they now needed three goals to give them the three points that they needed. Palace were still defending really well though and weren't allowing the danger men of City to have much time on the ball in and around the box. The first big chance that City had in the second half was after Puncheon gave away a free kick on the edge of the box which was in the range of Toure as he stepped up to take it. Speroni could only watch as the ball curled back down and landed on the roof of his net. Silva had another chance from outside the box which he tried to curl around towards the far post but couldn't quite get the angles right as the ball sailed wide of the post. 

Palace weren't finished yet though as they had another chance from a corner. This time it was Damien Delaney who had the chance on goal at the near post, but Hart was alert and across in time to smother the shot and send it out to safety. They did have a moment of panic though as City had a strong penalty shout in the 70th minute. Yannick Bolasie has made a great tackle to deflect a shot from Fernandinho and as it bounced up again, Murray had his arm raised at his side which the ball hit, Unluckily for City, the referee didn't spot this and the chance was taken away from them. 

In the last 15 minutes, City were pushing forward and throwing everything they had at Palace, who were starting to tire after pushing forward and blocking the attacks for the whole game. This paid off for City as Toure pulled one back for the visitors. Samir Nasri puts in a dangerous cross towards the near post with his first touch of the game which Dann clears with ease, but he could only find Toure with the clearance. He took the shot sweetly on the half volley from outside the box and powers the shot into the far side of Speroni's net, giving his team the lifeline that they needed. 

Palace's defensive shape did become a lot tighter again the goal and they weren't allowing City too much space in and around the box. They also weren't just sitting back and trying to defend their lead, but were pushing forward to try and possibly snatch a third. It was City who had the last chances of the game, including another chance from Toure who took the shot from a tight angle from the left side of the box. His shot took a deflection which caused Speroni some problems but he managed to get across the goal to palm it away. 

This result has caused City to possibly be removed from the title challenge as they are now 9 points behind Chelsea, who also have a game in hand over the champions. They are still in fourth place as well, which leaves them with a lot of work to do in the Manchester derby this weekend, along with the knowledge that they have lost their last three matches on the road. Take nothing away from Palace though; they took their chances and played well to withstand the pressure that was piled on them throughout the game. They can only look up from here as they are nearing the top half of the table with this win.