City Crush Palace as Forest Humble Spurs in a Dramatic Premier League Round 16 Sunday

Manchester City tightened their chase for the title with a composed and clinical 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Though the scoreline suggested dominance, the match told a more nuanced story as Palace created enough chances to trouble the champions yet lacked the precision to punish them.

The hosts began brightly, with Wharton carving City open and Pino rattling the woodwork from close range. Palace’s pressing unsettled the visitors early on, and Donnarumma was called into action as Mateta and Wharton both threatened. But missed chances often carry consequences, and City struck ruthlessly on the forty first minute. Matheus Nunes drifted wide, delivered a perfectly weighted cross, and Erling Haaland peeled away from Richards to power a header into the far corner.

Palace emerged from the break with renewed intention, hitting the post again through Wharton as they pushed for an equaliser. Yet each missed opportunity strengthened City’s foothold, and when Rayan Cherki sliced through midfield on a seventy minute surge, the visitors pounced. Cherki fed Phil Foden, who curled a superb twenty yard finish into the bottom corner to double the lead.

The contest flickered briefly when Savinho broke through in the final minutes, drawing a foul from Henderson inside the area. Haaland converted from the spot with icy composure for his second of the night and seventeenth league goal of the season. City, producing six shots on target from seven attempts, were simply far more decisive. The win keeps Pep Guardiola’s side two points behind leaders Arsenal.

While City handled business in London, Nottingham Forest delivered a statement of their own at the City Ground. In one of their most convincing performances of the season, Forest dismantled Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 to climb out of immediate danger and deepen the crisis surrounding Frank’s side.

Forest started with aggression, moving the ball with confidence and forcing Spurs into early defensive errors. Sangare hit the post with a towering header before seizing the moment that opened the scoring. He dispossessed Archie Gray on the edge of the box and squared for Callum Hudson Odoi to roll the ball into an empty net. Victor denied Spurs a response with a sharp save from Gray’s spinning volley as Forest controlled the tempo and carried a deserved lead into the break.

Hudson Odoi doubled the advantage five minutes into the second half, drifting inside and attempting a cross that looped over Vicario into the far corner. If fortune played its part, Forest’s energy and execution in the build-up fully earned it. Spurs’ midfield continued to misfire, their wide players struggled to deliver telling passes, and Richarlison remained isolated.

Sangare then crowned an immense individual performance with a stunning long range strike, guiding the ball off the post and beyond Vicario for Forest’s third. With one goal and two assists, he dictated the contest from start to finish and never looked capable of mounting a comeback.

The two results reshape the complexion of the table. City remain firm in the hunt, Forest move up to sixteenth, and Spurs slip further into mid-table uncertainty. Palace stay fifth despite their spirited showing, but the gap above them widens as the frontrunners continue to pull away.

City now prepare for a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Brentford before returning home to face West Ham, while Palace turn to European duties against KuPS. Forest shift focus to a visit to Fulham, and Spurs brace for a daunting encounter with Liverpool as pressure grows on their manager and squad.