Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush fire City past Palace to keep title chase alive

Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush delivered decisive first-half goals as Manchester City cruised to a 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace, keeping their Premier League ambitions intact with two matches remaining.

With one eye on the FA Cup final, Pep Guardiola rotated his squad, yet City maintained their dominance at the Etihad Stadium, extending their unbeaten home run to 17 matches and closing the gap on Arsenal to just two points.

Palace threatened early when Jean-Philippe Mateta thought he had broken the deadlock, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside after Gianluigi Donnarumma reacted sharply. City soon asserted control, though clear chances were initially limited.

The breakthrough arrived in the 33rd minute through a moment of ingenuity from Phil Foden, whose deft backheel released Semenyo to finish confidently past Dean Henderson. The opener shifted momentum entirely, and Marmoush doubled the advantage before the interval, again assisted by the influential Foden.

After the restart, City managed proceedings with composure, rarely appearing troubled despite Palace introducing attacking reinforcements. Savinho eventually sealed the result late on, applying the finishing touch to a flowing move orchestrated by substitute Rayan Cherki.

The defeat leaves Palace struggling for consistency ahead of their UEFA Conference League final, while City remain firmly in contention, poised to capitalise on any slip from Arsenal as the title race heads into its decisive phase.