Stones' brace helps Manchester City defeat Crystal Palace: Records broken
A brace by defender John Stones helped Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 4-0 in their last Premier League fixture. With a one-sided victory, City now occupy the second spot on the standings, two points behind table-toppers Manchester United. After the earlier fixture between United and Liverpool ended in a draw, City capitalized with a fifth successive win this season. Here are the records broken.
How did the match pan out?
Stones scored the opener for City in the 26th minute, making the most of a sublime cross by Kevin De Bruyne. In the second half, İlkay Gundogan added a second to strengthen City's lead. Meanwhile, Stones fired another after 12 minutes with his left foot. In the closing stages, Raheem Sterling charged in with an unstoppable free-kick into the top corner.
Premier League 2020/21: Five consecutive victories for City
Interestingly, Manchester City have become the first team to record five consecutive victories in the Premier League 2020/21. They are now unbeaten in nine games in the ongoing season, having won seven and drawn two.
Stones, Dias have turned the fortunes of City
So far, Manchester City have played 10 games with John Stones and Ruben Dias in the starting line-up across all competitions this season. Notably, they have won nine of these games where the duo has started, while one has been drawn. It is interesting to note that City have conceded only one goal (across competitions) in the presence of Stones and Dias (2020/21).
Kevin De Bruyne registers 100 assists for Manchester City
Mid-fielder Kevin De Bruyne now owns 100 assists in all competitions for Manchester City, 31 more than any other Premier League player since making his debut for the club. His cross helped Stones score the all-important opening goal.
Stones' first goal for Manchester City
The opener scored by Stones was only his second Premier League goal in 171 games. Prior to this, he scored for Everton against Manchester United in April 2015. This was also his first-ever goal for Manchester City. Stones added another in the second half to score the third brace of his senior career (Champions League 2017, World Cup 2018, Premier League 2020/21).
A look at the other records
İlkay Gundogan has scored four goals in his last six Premier League matches. Interestingly, he had netted as many in his previous 55 games in the competition. His tally of six goals across all competitions this season is his joint-most for the club in a single campaign. Besides, Sterling scored with a direct free-kick for the first time in his senior career.
