Manchester City

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has said he doesn't have a "concrete plan" on his future and that he would be open to a possible move to Major League Soccer.

Gundogan agreed a new contract with the Premier League champions in August, extending his stay at the club until 2023. His previous deal was set to expire at the end of the campaign, and throughout the summer there was speculation aplenty over a possible switch.

Speaking to Kicker meets DAZN podcast (h/t Chris Burton of Goal), Gundogan said he would be open to a move abroad in the future, although where he would move would depend on his condition and form:

"I don't have a concrete plan, but I would trust myself to play in another league abroad.

"It also depends on my form then. When I am 32, 33 and I realise that I can't keep my level or it is dropping, it will be a stop abroad, where you might not play at the highest level and not keep up with [the] Premier League.

"If I were to say I want to leave and continue playing at a high level, only Spain or Italy would be an option for me. Italy is on the up—it has become very tempting again, and I hope the stadiums fill up again too.

"But if I were to say the sporting challenge might not be that high anymore, then things like the U.S. are definitely an alternative—also because of the life there and the other opportunities you have."

In the same report, Gundogan added that he has no intention of leaving City yet. "We are playing football at an extremely high level, and success is always possible here in every season," he continued.

You suspect Pep Guardiola would be loathe to lose the 29-year-old, as he is still a first-team regular at the Etihad Stadium:

Ilkay Gundogan: Made 162 accurate passes in Manchester City's final day 4-1 win at Brighton, a record in a Premier League match last season https://t.co/ROgs3p4sDN

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) August 9, 2019

The former Borussia Dortmund man can operate as a deep-sitting playmaker in front of defence and manage the game, although is just as adept when used in a more orthodox midfield position. His close control, incisive passing and awareness makes him a major asset.

In addition, Gundogan can also chip in with goals, most notably from set-piece situations. He opened the scoring from the penalty spot on Sunday in City's 4-0 win over Fulham in the FA Cup:

The reigning #EmiratesFACup champions @ManCity are through to the fifth round! 🔵 pic.twitter.com/EsErFrnZ3k

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 26, 2020

With David Silva leaving the club at the end of the campaign, Guardiola will be reluctant to lose any more experience from the midfield positions ahead of next term.

Gundogan's positional adaptability and familiarity with the manager's demands make him useful. Although he may not necessarily be in City's best XI, given the number of matches they play throughout the campaign, the Germany star will get plenty of time on the field.

Holders Manchester City cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup on Sunday with a 4-0 win over 10-man Fulham at the Etihad Stadium.

The visitors suffered a nightmare start when Tim Ream was sent off for hauling down Gabriel Jesus after just six minutes, and Ilkay Gundogan guided home the resulting penalty.

Bernardo Silva doubled Manchester City's lead with a neat turn and finish past goalkeeper Marek Rodak from the edge of the penalty area. 

Jesus headed home Joao Cancelo's cross to make it 3-0 on 72 minutes and completed the scoring three minutes later with another header from close range.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola made seven changes to his starting XI for Sunday's match, handing youngsters Eric Garcia, Angelino and Phil Foden starts and leaving Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling on the bench.

Fulham were without top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic due to injury, meaning boss Scott Parker continued with Bobby Decordova-Reid in attack alongside Ivan Cavaleiro and Josh Onomah:

🚨 TEAM NEWS 🚨

Here's how Man City and Fulham line up 📝

🗣️🎙️ We have live commentary of #MCIFUL with @ConorMcNamaraIE and @Robert1Green #FACup pic.twitter.com/eMQ5UyQm6k

— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) January 26, 2020

The Championship side's hopes of pulling off a shock suffered a huge blow in the opening minutes when they lost Ream to a straight red card. David Silva's dummy sent Jesus sprinting through on goal, and Ream left referee Kevin Friend with little choice but to send him off after he pulled the Brazilian back.

Gundogan squeezed the ball past goalkeeper Rodak to give the hosts an early lead and continue his fine goalscoring form at home in the competition:

8 - Ilkay Gündogan has been directly involved in eight goals in just five FA Cup appearances at the Etihad for Manchester City (1 goal, 7 assists). Spot. pic.twitter.com/BzCjwNSQq5

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 26, 2020

Manchester City's second arrived a little over 10 minutes later through the lively Bernardo. The Portugal international picked up possession inside the penalty area, twisted and turned to find some space before tucking a low finish home.

The goal was City's 100th of the season in all competitions and saw them hit a landmark:

Man City become the first club to hit 100 goals across all competitions in Europe's top five leagues this season 💯 pic.twitter.com/4tKJkktjHS

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 26, 2020

City's early goals and man advantage put them in complete control and they wasted chances to extend their lead further. Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez both put chances off-target in the first half, while Sterling came off the bench after the break and hit the crossbar.

Jesus finally added a third after Fulham had been caught out again trying to play out from the back. The ball was played to Cancelo to cross for Jesus to head home.

Fulham failed to learn their lesson and a fourth City goal arrived shortly afterwards in similar fashion. This time Michael Hector was dispossessed by Jesus, and the striker ended up nodding into an empty net after Rodak had parried Foden's effort:

Man City have scored 4+ goals in every FA Cup tie at the Etihad under Pep Guardiola:

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs. Huddersfield
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs. Burnley
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs. Rotherham
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs. Burnley
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs. Port Vale
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ vs. Fulham

The holders march on. pic.twitter.com/jV6qjq540K

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 26, 2020

Guardiola's side could hardly have asked for a more comfortable afternoon as they bid to retain their trophy, while Fulham's FA Cup dreams are over and they can now turn their focus back to the Championship promotion race.

    

What's Next?

Manchester City host Manchester United in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday, leading 3-1 from the first leg. Fulham's next game is against Huddersfield Town in the Championship on Saturday at Craven Cottage.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that Aymeric Laporte's return from a long-term knee injury is a boost to the Citizens but will not solve all of their problems.

Guardiola told reporters on Friday that the centre-back makes City a better team following his return to action against Sheffield United on Tuesday after being out five months:

"He played more than 70 minutes in his first game. He played well but he is not going to solve all our problems. He is one more player we can use. He's a guy who helps with our build-up, he helps us keep the ball better and because of that we are not as vulnerable to counter-attacks.

"He's strong in the air, fast and has a special personality. His attributes can help us be a better team. When we play good we don't need him, and that's happened most of the time this season."

Laporte was forced to undergo knee surgery in September on an injury suffered in Manchester City's 4-0 Premier League win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Manchester City had taken seven points from nine before Laporte's injury but have struggled without the France international. They have slipped 16 points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League and have played a game more than the Reds, but they hold a three-point advantage over Leicester City for second place.

Opta highlighted how their defence has leaked goals in 2019-20 compared to last season:

23 - Manchester City have conceded 23 Premier League goals in 19 games this season - as many as they conceded in the entirety of the 2018/19 campaign. Worrying. pic.twitter.com/rUu5Udmnj8

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 27, 2019

Captain Vincent Kompany departed in the summer, and the absence of Laporte left Guardiola short of defensive options. 

John Stones has also missed chunks of the season with injury and has criticised for some poor displays, although Guardiola has defended the centre-back:

Pep Guardiola has backed John Stones amid fresh criticism of the Manchester City defender's form |#ITVFootball pic.twitter.com/z1bt94et4c

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 20, 2020

Guardiola has turned to midfielders Fernandinho and Rodri to fill in at the back, and Laporte's return to full fitness will be welcomed by all at the club. Tuesday marked City picking up their first clean sheet in six games.

The manager, in his fourth season at the Etihad Stadium, described the 25-year-old as the "best left-sided central defender in the world" after the match, per BBC Sport.

There is no doubt that City are a stronger team with Laporte in the starting XI, and his return will improve their chances of picking up silverware this season. Retaining the Premier League title may be out of reach, but they do remain in contention in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.

Manchester City closed the gap on runaway leaders Liverpool to 13 points at the top of the Premier League after beating Sheffield United 1-0 on Tuesday night.

Substitute Sergio Aguero scored a 73rd-minute winner to help the defending champions return to winning ways at Bramall Lane. City squandered the chance to go in front earlier when Blades goalkeeper Dean Henderson denied Gabriel Jesus from the penalty spot in the first half.

Aguero's goal eventually wrapped up an excellent night for the Citizens, who welcomed centre-back Aymeric Laporte back into the starting XI for the first time since August.

However, Liverpool, who have two games in hand, can restore their 16-point cushion with a win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday.

The hosts made it a typically intense affair physically, snapping into challenges, pressing high and scrapping for every loose ball. It was also typical that most of the true quality came from City, with the visitors fashioning two excellent chances early on.

First, Raheem Sterling was denied after a neat one-two with Riyad Mahrez. Then Nicolas Otamendi's acrobatic attempt amid the melee from a corner drew another fine stop from Henderson soon after.

The on-loan Manchester United stopper continued to look unbeatable when Jesus stepped forward from 12 yards after Mahrez had drawn a rash challenge from Chris Basham. It was a nifty save, but there was some question about the 22-year-old's positioning:

Dean Henderson is having some night for Sheffield United 💪

But did he start too far off his line when he saved Gabriel Jesus' penalty? 😬#SHUMCI pic.twitter.com/Y7Pr7WNWdp

— GOAL (@goal) January 21, 2020

There was also a question about the sense of having Jesus take the penalty, considering the Brazilian's mediocre record from the spot:

5 - Gabriel Jesus has failed to score three of his five Premier League penalties (60%) - of all players to have taken at least five in the competition, no-one has a worse success rate than the Brazilian (level with Stewart Downing and El Hadji Diouf). Nervy. #SHUMNC pic.twitter.com/r0R5Vr1HtT

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 21, 2020

City upped the pace of play after the break, with Kevin De Bruyne becoming more involved in possession. The Belgian's range of passing helped find holes in the home side's well-drilled defence, but City continued to lack the necessary finishing touch.

Recognising the need for more cutting edge, Pep Guardiola called Sergio Aguero off the bench to replace the disappointing Jesus in the 67th minute. Yet it was the Blades who went closest to breaking the deadlock when Oli McBurnie narrowly failed to make contact on the stretch with a low cross fizzed across the face of goal.

It proved a pivotal moment, with Aguero tapping in from De Bruyne's pinpoint pass at the other end. The Argentinian has made a prolific start to the calendar year and is on a run few teams in England's top flight are matching:

https://twitter.com/RichJolly/status/1219726858784329734

Blades' boss Chris Wilder responded to the goal by bringing on forward Callum Robinson and box-to-box midfielder John Lundstram. Meanwhile, Laporte made way for Eric Garcia after naturally feeling some wear and tear following such a lengthy layoff.

City stayed on the front foot, though, and Sterling should have put the away side out of sight after some fine work in the box, but the winger slipped his shot a whisker wide with Henderson beaten at the near post.

Ultimately, City didn't need the security of a second goal, instead holding off a committed opponent who proved difficult to beat, but didn't muster enough going forward to trouble Laporte and Co.

   

What's Next?

FA Cup duty beckons for both teams, with the Blades away to Millwall in the fourth round on Saturday. Meanwhile, holders City host Fulham on Sunday.

La Liga President Javier Tebas has issued a thinly veiled dig at Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain for financial "doping." 

Tebas spoke at the launch of La Liga TV and suggested football's governing bodies need to do more to redistribute wealth in the game.

Per Goal's Sean Wilson, he said:

"One of the major issues in European football is related to [financial] doping. Because when we have clubs being financed by states, then that has an impact on salaries.

"That means in other countries with more strict economic controls like Spain and Germany clubs cannot actually ask the state for extra financing to pay those salaries.

"Organisations and institutions have a responsibility to redistribute the wealth that we generate. All of us, the Spanish league, the Premier League, UEFA, FIFA. I don't think we are helping football in any way if we generate wealth and it just goes straight back to the big clubs."

Tebas has repeatedly hit out at City and PSG following the latter's purchase of Neymar from Barcelona in 2017.

The former are owned by Sheikh Mansour, a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family. PSG are owned by Qatar Sports Investments.

Last year, the clubs ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in Deloitte's Money League, per Tariq Panja of the New York Times:

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1088388494836334592

They were fifth and sixth again this year, albeit having swapped positions with one another:

#Deloitte Football Money League 2020 ⚽️📊💰

💰➡️ The ”TOP 20” clubs generated a record of €9.3bn (11% increase).

💰➡️ #FCBarcelona becomes the first club to break €800 m revenue barrier

⚽️➡️ 8 English clubs
⚽️➡️ 4 Italian club
⚽️➡️ 3 Spanish /3 German
⚽️➡️ 2 French clubs pic.twitter.com/APjsIx0mWK

— Ornella D. Bellia (@DesireeBellia) January 14, 2020

Their income has allowed them to invest unprecedented sums in building their squads:

First billion euro squad in football history: @ManCity invested an estimated €1.014 bn in transfer fees (add-ons included) to sign current players; @PSG_inside (€913M) & @realmadrid (€902M) not that far; more in last @CIES_Football Weekly Post ➡️ https://t.co/FArDQRyXFj pic.twitter.com/hVrBAKDkpp

— CIES Football Obs (@CIES_Football) September 9, 2019

Unsurprisingly, both have enjoyed a great deal of success as a result.

QSI became majority shareholders in PSG in 2011. Since then, they've won six of the eight Ligue 1 titles available and 16 other domestic honours. For four seasons running between 2014 and 2018, they won all three of the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophee des Champions.

City have more competition in England given the wealth and resources of their rivals, but they've also won plenty of silverware since Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group bought them in 2008.

They've won the Premier League title on four occasions, more than any other team in that time. Last season's title was part of a domestic treble, unprecedented in men's football in England. The FA Cup last season was the second they've won under Mansour, while the League Cup was their fourth.

In 2018, German outlet Der Spiegel published allegations based on Football Leaks documentation that both City and PSG have sought to circumvent UEFA's financial fair play regulations:

Leaked papers also show UEFA inspectors found Man City "had hidden 35 million euros in costs from UEFA"; and some Abu Dhabi commercial deals were 80% inflated. PSG and City both threatened UEFA legal action. Gianni Infantino (then at UEFA) did deal to go soft

— Nick Harris (@sportingintel) November 2, 2018

Both clubs have denied wrongdoing.

City are being investigated by UEFA as a result of the allegations and in November lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have the investigation halted. In March, PSG won their appeal to CAS to have an investigation into their finances following Neymar's transfer shut down.

Despite their resources, neither has managed to earn success in Europe. PSG are yet to make it to the semi-finals since their takeover, while City have reached that stage once.

La Liga, meanwhile, have been the dominant force in Europe over the last decade.

Last season's UEFA Champions League final was the first time since 2013 that Spain did not have at least one finalist, as Real Madrid and Barcelona had won the previous five. In the UEFA Europa League, six of the last 10 winners have been from La Liga.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called for the Carabao Cup to be removed from the English football calendar in order to ease the burden on players. 

The Citizens are on course to win their third consecutive League Cup—they lead rivals Manchester United 3-1 following their semi-final first leg—while City will also face Fulham in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday.

Guardiola, 49, said at a press conference that the competition should be removed, allowing for a less demanding winter schedule, via Andy Hampson of the Press Association:

Guardiola would "eliminate" League Cup to ease burden on players #MCFC pic.twitter.com/JWYotCTL7N

— Andy Hampson (@andyhampson) January 20, 2020

The Carabao Cup accounts for two of the five major titles Guardiola has won since he joined City in 2016, but the coach appeared eager to sacrifice the tournament for what he sees as the greater good:

"Eliminate competitions, take out this competition. So less games, less competitions, less teams, more quality, less quantity. People can live without football for a while. It's too much.

"Start the season later after the summer. We have one game a week for a long time and then, after, we start having two or three in one week. In February it is one week (playing), one week (playing), two weeks off. We have two games in two weeks then, after, we have 72 games in one week. It's a little bit strange."

Guardiola said he was "so sorry" for England with regard to Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) and Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), each of whom have seen their UEFA Euro 2020 preparations halted by injuries.

He added: "They want to do well. Clubs have a lot of pressure to win or qualify for the Champions League and we push and push. The body says stop, it's enough."

Premier League leaders Liverpool recently emerged from a hectic December schedule, during which they played nine matches and won eight to tie the club record for victories in one month, per Tom Beattie of the Liverpool Echo. 

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp shares the belief that English football has too many fixtures, having also recently sympathised with England captain Kane after he tore his hamstring, per the Liverpool Echo's Paul Gorst:

Klopp: "These tournaments are played by players, they don't have a break! I feel massively for Harry Kane, he might miss Euros because of too many games. It is not easy. No-one thinks of players; welfare. All authorities need to come together to sort these things. No-one talks."

— Paul Gorst (@ptgorst) January 17, 2020

Aston Villa thrashed the Merseysiders 5-0 after Liverpool named their youngest-ever team in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Liverpool fielded their academy prospects before the senior team opened their successful 2019 FIFA Club World Cup campaign less than 24 hours later in Doha, Qatar.

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour recently told TalkSport that Guardiola should see the League Cup—which also contains teams from the Championship, League One and League Two—as a chance to test his young stars:

👊 Ray: “Guardiola should be playing Phil Foden in League Cup games.”

❌ Alan: “Foden can’t go through another season as a bit-part player.”

Alan Brazil & Ray Parlour say Guardiola must stop moaning about the League Cup & play Foden in it!

Agree? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/vC1BpF1hni

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) January 21, 2020

City will play eight matches across three competitions in January, while the Citizens are also set to open the UEFA Champions League round of 16 against Real Madrid in February.

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Guardiola said "all the managers complained about" the congested calendar but suggested there won't be change in the near future, as the authorities "don't care."

City travel to Sheffield United on Tuesday when Guardiola hopes to temporarily cut down the 16-point gap between them and Premier League pace-setters, Liverpool.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has branded criticism of John Stones in the wake of Saturday's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace as "unfair." 

City looked to have saved all three points at the Etihad Stadium when Sergio Aguero's double turned the game on its head after Cenk Tosun's first-half goal. However, Fernandinho's late own goal meant things finished even:

Aguero nearly saved Pep’s birthday, and then… pic.twitter.com/tOAzERBXRB

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 18, 2020

Stones was partially culpable for both Eagles goals, but Guardiola defended the English centre-back ahead of Tuesday's visit to Sheffield United, per ESPN FC's Rob Dawson: "Unfair, yes. We are there [to support him]. I am there, ups and downs in your career, managers always, we know his quality."

Guardiola also said Stones is a doubt for the visit to Bramall Lane:

Pep: "John Stones had a problem in his leg in the last action of the game [on Saturday] and then Mendy has muscular fatigue. I have to speak with the doctors after this press conference."

🚑 @PremierInjuries https://t.co/4KiAUTZjCa#MCFC

— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) January 20, 2020

The Blades present the defending champions with another tricky challenge.

Chris Wilder's side are enjoying a superb return to the Premier League in 2019-20 and have lost just one of their last eight home games in all competitions.

Seventh in the table, Sheffield United are firmly in the battle for the European places:

What it all means...#PL pic.twitter.com/GXAHG4hTVn

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 19, 2020

City, meanwhile, have no such motivation in the Premier League this term.

They were already effectively out of the title race before last weekend, but two more dropped points against Palace means the gap between them and leaders Liverpool is now 16 points, and the Reds have a game in hand.

But the Sky Blues are also 14 points clear of Manchester United in fifth place, so there is no real danger of them dropping out of the UEFA Champions League qualification spots.

City's focus must now have surely shifted to winning Europe's top-tier cup competition for the first time.

They will be back in Champions League action on February 26, when they visit the Santiago Bernabeu for the first leg of their last-16 tie against Real Madrid. 

Benjamin Mendy has taken a magnanimous stance following Manchester City's shock 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday and said the result is an example of why football is beautiful.

Cenk Tosun scored his first Palace goal to put the Eagles ahead at the Etihad Stadium, and Fernandinho's own goal sealed an unlikely draw after Sergio Aguero's brace temporarily put City in front.

Mendy, 25, told reporters after the game: "Football is like this—that's why it's beautiful. At the end of the game, we are all angry and sad. I think we deserved more."

Wilfried Zaha forced the 90th-minute equaliser via Fernandinho, leaving Pep Guardiola's side 13 points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool having played two games more than the Reds:

Roy Hodgson's side are ninth and 18 points below City in the standings, emerging with a share of the spoils in Manchester after scoring with two of their three attempts on target. The Citizens had 25 shots at goal compared to Palace's five, finishing with more than 70 percent of possession.

It's not the first time in the past two campaigns that the Eagles have shown courage to earn points against the odds in Manchester:

18/19:

Manchester United 0-0 Palace
Manchester City 2-3 Palace

19/20:

Manchester United 1-2 Palace
Manchester City 2-2 Palace

Manchester is red AND blue.#CPFC pic.twitter.com/d88PNdax5M

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) January 18, 2020

The draw is an even more impressive result for Palace considering the south Londoners travelled with an extensive injury list. Hodgson was missing a raft of first-string players in Luka Milivojevic, Patrick van Aanholt, Mamadou Sakho, Andros Townsend, Christian Benteke, Jeffrey Schlupp and Max Meyer.

City led for three minutes following Aguero's second strike before being pegged back again, and Mendy added:

"We were winning the game. The emotion was crazy.

"The feeling, the atmosphere... we believed we could score.

"In football, you have to be focused until the end. For one or two seconds, we were not ready and anything can happen. We tried to play like Man City play. We drew and we need to forget the game and look forward."

The Athletic's Sam Lee praised Mendy in particular before the French left-back assisted Aguero for his second goal of the afternoon:

Mendy's been very good here even as City struggle a little to cut through Palace. He's looked as likely as anybody to find a pass or a cross

— Sam Lee (@SamLee) January 18, 2020

Palace have now drawn six of their past nine games and are unbeaten in five top-flight outings, posting a salary bill that would pale in comparison to Saturday's opponents.

Mendy can perhaps afford to look philosophically upon the defeat considering City's Premier League title looks to be on its way to Liverpool, but Guardiola may still demand a less forgiving outlook in the future.

Crystal Palace held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to further dent their slim Premier League title hopes.

Cenk Tosun fired the Eagles in front against the run of play in the 39th minute, but Sergio Aguero replied for the Sky Blues in the 82nd and 87th minutes, taking his tally for City to 251 goals.

However, Palace equalised in the final minute of normal time when Fernandinho turned home Wilfried Zaha's cross for an own goal.

City have kept just two clean sheets in their last 13 matches, and Liverpool can extend their lead at the top of the table to 16 points if they beat Manchester United on Sunday.

For Palace, the stalemate was their fourth consecutive draw in the league. 

Kevin De Bruyne and Aguero both came close to breaking the deadlock early on. The former, after missing the target with a first-time effort, rattled the crossbar with a superbly hit free-kick, before the latter forced a good save from Vicente Guaita.

City were perhaps fortunate to escape a penalty when Zaha went down under a challenge from John Stones, but the England international was cleared following a VAR check.

The Athletic's Sam Lee thought Palace should have been given a spot-kick:

Wow. No penalty. Looked it to me!

— Sam Lee (@SamLee) January 18, 2020

After Raheem Sterling headed over, the Sky Blues were made to pay for failing to take their chances when the Eagles converted their first shot on target of the game.

Gary Cahill headed James McArthur's corner into the path of Tosun—on loan from Everton for the remainder of the season—and the striker made no mistake in nodding in from close range.

City should have equalised shortly after the break when Sterling fired wide after being picked out by David Silva, before Guaita made a fine save to deny Bernardo Silva after Cahill had blocked an Aguero shot.

At the other end, the hosts had Ederson to thank when he kept out a Tosun half-volley following a rare counter-attack.

The Manchester side were awarded a penalty after a Jairo Riedewald handball, but the decision was correctly overturned by VAR—the ball had hit his arm after flicking up off his leg.

The hosts finally pulled level when Aguero volleyed home a cross from substitute Gabriel Jesus.

Sergio Agüero has just scored his 250th goal for Manchester City across all competitions.

A goalscoring phenomenon. ⚽ pic.twitter.com/B9B5zi9VJr

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 18, 2020

Minutes later, the Argentinian bagged a second when he met Benjamin Mendy's cross with his head.

18 headed PL goals for Aguero now despite being an inch shorter than Taylor Swift

— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) January 18, 2020

The Citizens were unable to see out the game, though. After beating Stones in a one-on-one, Zaha put a dangerous ball into the six-yard box that went in off City's Fernandinho.

                 

What's Next

City travel to Sheffield United on Tuesday, while Palace host Southampton the same day.

              

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reiterated his desire to remain with the club next season and said he's "100 percent" staying at the Etihad Stadium provided he isn't fired.

Guardiola, 48, is contracted at City until June 2021, but speculation has intensified regarding his future at the club after they've slipped 14 points behind Liverpool in their Premier League title defence.

The City coach told reporters ahead of Saturday's top-flight clash at home to Crystal Palace: "Unless they sack me, I am staying, 100 percent."

Rumours have suggested Guardiola could trigger a break clause in his contract that would allow him to leave this summer, but the tactician denied those reports in November:

Pep Guardiola reiterated his commitment to serving the full term of his contract with Manchester City and denied reports that the contract had a 'break clause' that could allow him to leave at the end of the season https://t.co/vRf5e3oLZQ pic.twitter.com/sImh7Sssj8

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 14, 2019

The ex-Barcelona manager also told reporters in November that he was "incredibly satisfied" with his job in Manchester and was not looking to exit at the end of this campaign.

City have failed to progress past the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in Guardiola's three seasons at the Etihad to date, with the club set to face Spanish titans Real Madrid in the round of 16 in February.

Guardiola also detailed what keeps him motivated to succeed in football as he prepares to go up against Palace coach Roy Hodgson, who is his elder by 24 years, via The Coaches' Voice:

🔵 Pep Guardiola lists the things which keep him motivated as a football manager.

(🎥 @HaytersTV) pic.twitter.com/ItGPKdsIQK

— Coaches' Voice (@CoachesVoice) January 17, 2020

It was during the winter period that Guardiola endured one of his worst patches of form as a manager, winning just twice across a span of seven matches in November and December.

The Citizens will likely have an opportunity to clinch one early piece of silverware as they defend the Carabao Cup, currently leading rivals Manchester United 3-1 following the away leg.

Statman Dave pointed to the spending figures at City since Guardiola took over and suggested their rewards perhaps haven't been worth the expense:

Since Pep Guardiola took charge at Man City, they’ve had a net transfer spend of £527.79m - higher than any other team in Europe.

• Currently 3rd, 14 points off top
• Worse UCL record than Pellegrini
• Sancho, Díaz & Foden (tbc) wasted

Next PL manager to get the sack? 😉 pic.twitter.com/2TOop6AlXP

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 9, 2019

It would take a historic collapse for Liverpool to not win their first top-tier title in 30 years, while Real—who won three straight Champions League crowns between 2016 and 2018—pose a very big threat to City in Europe.

Guardiola may be approaching the end of his City cycle if he doesn't sign a new contract at the club, but he remains adamant he won't be the one to force a split in 2020.