Pep Guardiola rues Walker error after Manchester City lose to Crystal Palace

Pep Guardiola was left lamenting defensive mistakes as Manchester City’s first home defeat of the season allowed Liverpool to retain their four-point advantage going into Christmas, with the penalty Kyle Walker gave away to allow Crystal Palace what turned out to be the winning goal of particular concern to the City manager.

“We cannot concede the penalty we conceded, we have to try and avoid it,” Guardiola said of his defender’s rash challenge on Max Meyer. “We had just made some changes and decided to play with two strikers to try to get back in the game, then straight away we give away a penalty and a third goal.”

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If it makes Walker feel any better Palace would have scored before the ball even came to him had Andros Townsend not hit a post with his header, though the City full-back did not have one of his better days and was also at fault for the visitors’ first goal. “He will learn,” Guardiola said. “Footballers do good things and bad things but everyone else is involved too, those at the front as well as at the back. We created enough chances to win the game, in the first half especially.”

Many will find that debatable, with Gabriel Jesus barely involved before the interval, though for once Roy Hodgson was not bemoaning his side’s inability to convert chances. “To score three goals away from home against a team of this quality says a lot,” the Palace manager said. “It sort of makes you wonder where that finishing quality has been hiding, but there’s no doubt that the two quick goals we scored on the counter in the first half gave us something to hang on to.

“I traveled here hoping for a good performance, not for one minute were we prepared to write the game off, even when we went a goal behind. I don’t think I’m in charge of a team that folds, we don’t always get what we want but there have not been many times I’ve felt lack of desire has been a problem.”

Townsend described the stunning volley that put Palace in front as the best goal of his career – “against the best team I’ve played against” – and his manager did not disagree. “You always think Andros has a shot like that in his locker, but I would have liked to see him score with his head,” Hodgson said. “He hit the post in the second half. We got a penalty out of it so I’m not complaining, but Andros scoring a header would have been the icing on the cake.”