Crystal Palace went from two goals down to a 2-2 draw with Manchester City thanks to a 95th-minute penalty from Michael Olise, meaning the Cityzens have now gone three games without victory at home for the first time since 2016.Crystal Palace were visiting the Etihad Stadium having picked up two wins, two losses, and a draw in their last five visits, and the Eagles got off to a positive start, managing to contain the Manchester City forward line which was missing talisman Erling Haaland. Pep Guardiola’s City soon began to stamp their authority on their home ground – where they are unbeaten all season (eight wins and two draws) – as Dean Henderson was called into action to palm Julián Álvarez’s header around the post. It didn’t take long for the home side to make the breakthrough via Jack Grealish’s clinical first-time finish into the bottom corner after being picked out by fellow England teammate Phil Foden – a goal that would have pleased Gareth Southgate as he watched on from the stands.After taking the lead, City began to up the ante as Joško Gvardiol found himself through on goal after being picked out by a sublime Rúben Dias pass but the Croat was denied by the Palace shot-stopper. Roy Hodgson’s side offered very little going forward until just before halftime when Jean-Philippe Mateta broke through the City backline but was brought down by Ederson, who was shown a yellow card for the offence.City continued their domination after the break and they had the ball in the back of the net within 10 minutes after Álvarez’s free-kick evaded everyone in the box and nestled in the goal, however, it was ruled out after Rodri was adjudged to have interfered whilst in an offside position. Their disappointment didn’t last for long though as the home side netted again minutes later when Rico Lewis capitalised on a loose ball in the box to power home, marking his first goal in the Premier League.With a two-goal lead, Pep’s City side continued to dominate for the remainder of the match and almost added a third but Bernardo Silva’s curling effort was pushed behind by Henderson, who was keeping the scoreline respectable. Having looked comfortable, City were brought back to reality as a long Palace ball over the back line released Jeffrey Schlupp, who fired a ball across the box for Mateta to tap into an empty net. It looked like the Eagles were going to fall short of producing a comeback until deep into stoppage time when Foden fouled Mateta in the box, allowing Michael Olise to step up to bury the resulting spot-kick and secure a famous point for Palace.MICHAEL OLISE. ICE COLD pic.twitter.com/XcpBJsYtfl— 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 🦅 (@CPFC_GEO) December 16, 2023 Elsewhere, Chelsea secured a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Sheffield United as a goal and an assist from Cole Palmer helped the Blues to just their third Premier League victory on home soil this season. Having fallen to a dismal defeat to Everton last weekend, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted he was “really disappointed” by his side’s recent performances – a run that’s seen them lose three of their last four Premier League matches. A home fixture against rock-bottom Sheffield United looked like an ideal opportunity for the Blues to find some much-needed form ahead of the festive period, and it was the hosts who dominated possession in a one-sided opening 20 minutes.Despite seeing plenty of the ball, clear-cut chances came at a premium for Chelsea, and the Blades came close to a shock opener against the run of play when Cameron Archer curled an effort narrowly wide of the target. Grateful for that reprieve in a disjointed first-half display, the Blues emerged on the front foot after the restart and were soon rewarded with an opener. Raheem Sterling showed excellent vision to pick out an unmarked Palmer eight yards from goal, and the midfielder swept a clinical finish beyond Wes Foderingham for his sixth Premier League strike of the season.That goal spurred the hosts to life, and a second goal swiftly followed just seven minutes later, with Palmer turning provider for Nicolas Jackson, who capitalised on confusion in the visitors’ defence to tap home from close range. Faced with a two-goal deficit, Sheffield United came close to pulling one back through James McAtee’s free-kick, but Chelsea eased through the closing stages to earn back-to-back home Premier League wins for the first time under Pochettino. The Blades, meanwhile, will be desperate to bounce back against Aston Villa next weekend after a fourth league defeat in five matches.At St.James’ Park, good and bad news for the Toons. Newcastle United overcame the stubborn ten men of Fulham to win 3-0, extending their unbeaten run in home Premier League head-to-head clashes against the Cottagers to eight matches. However, the overfilled Magpies injury room just got another name to it – Fabian Schär was forced off with a hamstring injury just 14 minutes into proceedings.Speaking of injuries – the situation got critical in the far south of England. The Bournemouth vs Luton meeting was abandoned after Tom Lockyer collapsed in extremely troubling scenesThe relegation zone clash was abandoned this afternoon after Lockyer collapsed on the pitch. The match was stopped in the 59th minute as medics tended to Lockyer, who collapsed off the ball.Both teams were then sent back to the changing rooms before Lockyer was carried off to a standing ovation at the Vitality stadium. An immediate update from the Luton X account read: “There’s a break in play as Tom Lockyer seeks medical attention. We are all with you, Locks.”Sky Sports’ Gary Taphouse has since reported that the defender is “alert and responsive”. Broadcaster Bianca Westwood revealed that he was “sitting up and talking”. Remember folks, when you see Pro Athletes like Tom Lockyer suddenly and unexpectedly collapse, it’s rude to ask if they were vaccinated or not.That question was only appropriate to ask a few years back when people wanted to go to a bar, restaurant, funeral or keep their jobs. pic.twitter.com/wRjGpkFkut— govt.exe is corrupt (@govt_corrupt) December 16, 2023 PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 17Friday Nott.Forest – Tottenham 0-2 (0-1)/Richarlison 45+2, Kulusevski 65/Saturday Bournemouth – Luton 1-1 (0-1) ABANDONED/Solanke 58 – Adebayo 3/*Abandoned due to serious injury of a player*Chelsea – Sheffield Utd 2-0 (0-0)/Palmer 54, Jackson 61/Newcastle – Fulham 3-0 (0-0)/Miley 57, Almiron 64, Burn 82/Man.City – Crystal Palace 2-2 (1-0)/Grealish 24, Lewis 54 – Mateta 76, Olise 90+5 pen/20.30: (3.60) Burnley (3.45) Everton (2.20)Sunday17.00: (1.50) Arsenal (4.50) Brighton (7.25)17.00: (3.25) Brentford (3.45) Aston Villa (2.20)17.00: (2.25) West Ham (3.50) Wolverhampton (3.40)19.30: (1.35) Liverpool (5.30) Man.Utd. (8.00)***odds are subject to change***
