Erling Haaland and Phil Foden delivered decisive moments as Manchester City eased past Crystal Palace 3-0 in south London, despite a performance that was far from fluent.
Palace were anything but passive, rattling the woodwork in both halves and looking dangerous on the break.
City dominated possession before the interval but rarely threatened, managing just four touches in the Palace box compared to the hosts’ 18.
The Eagles carved out the clearer openings, with Yeremy Pino crashing a shot off the crossbar after Adam Wharton’s pass, while Ismaila Sarr also flashed an effort across goal.
Guardiola’s side eventually found a breakthrough five minutes before half-time. A patient move involving over 20 passes ended with Matheus Nunes delivering a cross that Haaland met emphatically, powering a header into the far corner.
Palace struck the post again early after the restart through Wharton, but City gradually took control as frustration crept into the home side’s play.
The contest was effectively settled in the 69th minute when Foden rifled home a left-footed finish, following a clever, weaving run by Rayan Cherki.
Haaland completed the scoring late on, calmly converting from the penalty spot in the 89th minute to seal a comfortable scoreline that belied a more competitive encounter.
