Sterling Double Leads Man City to 3-1 Win Over Palace in EPL
Raheem Sterling scored a goal in each half as Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-1.
Raheem Sterling shrugged off a glaring early miss by scoring a goal in each half as Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-1 to keep the pressure on Liverpool in the Premier League title race on Sunday.
City moved a point clear of Liverpool, which plays Chelsea later Sunday.
City manager Pep Guardiola banged the side of the dug-out with his fist after Sterling skewed wide a shot from close range in the 10th minute.
The winger made amends five minutes later, however, after latching onto Kevin De Bruyne's threaded through-ball and lifting an angled shot into the roof of the net.
Sterling then made it 21 goals for the season in all competitions by turning home a finish from Leroy Sane's driven ball across the area in the 63rd.
Luka Milivojevic curled in an 81st-minute free kick to give Palace — and Liverpool — hope but Gabriel Jesus, on as a substitute for Sergio Aguero, made the three points safe for City with a goal on the counterattack in the 90th.
It was a ninth straight league victory for City, which will retain the league title if the team wins its remaining five games.
Palace was always likely to be a challenging test for City, with Roy Hodgson's team one of four to have beaten the champions in the league this season. Palace also ended City's 18-game winning run in the league last season with a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, an atmospheric ground that Guardiola has said is one of the toughest to visit.
As it was, City dominated the game and barely gave Palace a chance until Milivojevic scored to set up a tense finale.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)