Man City 5-2 Crystal Palace: Match report & 3 talking points as Cityzens sparkle in five-star victory | OneFootball

Manchester City moved to fourth in the Premier League after they came from two goals behind to beat Crystal Palace 5-2 on Saturday.

The Premier League was utilising semi-automated offside technology for the first time and it was employed readily throughout a thrilling first half at the Etihad Stadium. Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards offered Palace a two-goal lead - the former seeing a third narrowly ruled out for offside - before Kevin De Bruyne and Omar Marmoush efforts brought City level.

But City were utterly ruthless during a one-sided second half as Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee and Nico O'Reilly all added their names to the scoresheet in a result that edged Pep Guardiola's side closer to Champions League qualification.

City made a positive start to a must-win fixture at the Etihad but the defensive deficiencies that have exposed them all season were on full show as Palace raced into an early two-goal lead. Ismaila Sarr beat the offside trap and teed up Eze for a simple finish within eight minutes and Richards soon doubled the advantage.

The American defender, who could have conceded a penalty at the other end less than ten minutes earlier, capitalised on some indecisive goalkeeping from Ederson at a corner to head Palace into dreamland.

Things almost got so much worse for the ruffled hosts as Eze's expert touch and finish was ruled out for offside after Sarr had blasted over from close range, but the Cityzens took full advantage of their good fortune with a remarkable first-half comeback.

De Bruyne, who had already cracked the post as City sought to reduce the deficit, fired an exquisite free kick beyond Dean Henderson, before proving instrumental in the build-up to Marmoush's close-range equaliser just three minutes later.

The momentum was clearly in City's favour after the restart and it took them just two minutes to complete the turnaround. De Bruyne was once again involved after he fed Nico O'Reilly's cutback into the path of Kovacic, who in turn rattled a venomous strike into the bottom corner.

The resurgent Cityzens appeared intent on putting Palace to the sword in the second half and within ten minutes of half-time they boasted a two-goal buffer. Ederson earned redemption for some iffy goalkeeping in the first half by picking out McAtee with a stunning 60-yard pass and the youngster rounded Henderson before rolling into an empty net, although the City stopper looked to have injured himself doing so and was soon forced off the field.

O'Reilly's attacking display caught the eye at the Etihad and the youngster scored his first Premier League goal ten minutes from time, with his deflected strike putting the icing on the cake for the Cityzens.

Check out the player ratings for Man City 5-2 Crystal Palace.

Champions League qualification nears

City took a huge step towards Champions League football / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

Arsenal's midweek demolition of Real Madrid ensured the Premier League's fifth-placed side would achieve Champions League qualification, news that will have been celebrated on the blue half of Manchester. But there remain an array of challengers vying for a top five finish and City's return to Europe's premier competition is by no means guaranteed.

That's why Saturday's result was so significant with only six games now left to play for the Cityzens, who have moved back into fourth spot and will be hoping for slip-ups for the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle United on Sunday.

City have some relatively comfortable fixtures to come - certainly in comparison to several of their competitors - including clashes with Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and already relegated Southampton before now and the end of the season. They are edging closer to a crucial Champions League berth.

City show fighting spirit

City showed tremendous spirit to come from behind / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

Comebacks have been all too common for City during the Guardiola era but they have been far less frequent this season. Their struggles since Rodri's campaign-ending injury have seen them operate some distance below their best for much of the term and implosions have been alarmingly common.

But despite falling two behind at the Etihad, City never gave up. The fact that both Palace goals were scored so early helped, but Guardiola's side showed impressive courage to continue playing with speed and ingenuity despite the growing nervousness of the home crowd.

De Bruyne was pivotal to their turnaround but the likes of Marmoush, O'Reilly and Kovacic also rose to the occasion as City remedied their early slump. It was one of their best performances of the season - certainly of the past few months - and showed the fighting spirit that still dwells within Guardiola's camp.

De Bruyne serves up masterclass

De Bruyne was exceptional at the Etihad / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages

De Bruyne's farewell tour began last weekend during a drab Manchester derby but continued in style against the Eagles. The maestro rolled back the years with a mammoth performance in City's time of need, gliding across the turf and manipulating the ball with the swagger we've witnessed weekly in the Premier League for the past decade.

The Belgian's performance will perhaps have several inside City's hierarchy questioning the decision to allow the increasingly injury-prone 33-year-old to depart for free this summer. This version of De Bruyne would be an undeniable asset for Pep Guardiola's side next season.

Having already leathered an impressive effort off the post, De Bruyne proceeded to carry a weakened City team on his back. A wicked free kick started a first-half comeback and his header back across goal eventually found its way to Marmoush for the equaliser - after a small touch from Ilkay Gunodgan, admittedly.

The veteran continued to sparkle after the break and quickly assisted City's third, before proceeding to adopt a more measured approach as the hosts sought to pass their visitors into oblivion. He deservedly received a standing ovation on his departure in the closing stages.