Crystal Palace 0-3 Manchester City
■ Man City: Sterling (43’) Sané (71’) Touré (90’+2’)
It was not just the ability to play the pass that impressed, but also the intelligence to see it in the first place.
Gabriel Jesus, making his first Manchester City start after a promising substitute appearance against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, wriggled away from Martin Kelly and provided an inch-perfect through-ball for Raheem Sterling to open the scoring at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
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■ More FA Cup: Liverpool 'cannot go lower' | Round-up
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It was one of many examples of the Brazilian’s technical prowess and spatial awareness, with Jesus, 19, starring as part of a thrilling City frontline that possessed too much quality for a struggling Crystal Palace outfit in the fourth round of the FA Cup. City won 3-0.
Sam Allardyce’s side struggled to gain a foothold in the opening exchanges, as City dominated possession and camped themselves in their opponents’ half of the field.
David Silva was, unsurprisingly, heavily involved in his team’s best passing moves, but it was an attacking three of Sterling, Jesus and Leroy Sane that caught the eye most. The former tended to hug the touchline on the right, drawing Palace left-back Jeffrey Schlupp towards him and in turn opening up space in the channel, while the latter drifted infield to combine with Silva and Fabian Delph, who made a number of dangerous darts forward from midfield.
Jesus, meanwhile, generally stayed central but did not restrict his work to zones in and around the penalty area. The teenager often dropped deep to link the play and encourage runners beyond him, while Pep Guardiola would have been delighted to see him press from the front as City sought to deny Palace an easy way out.
After plenty of promising moments throughout the opening half, Jesus’ first decisive contribution came just a couple of minutes before the interval. He showed both strength and skill to shrug off Kelly, before his slide-rule pass made it easy for Sterling to break the deadlock.
City became a little sloppy after the restart, with Palace twice going close to an equaliser, but a fine counter-attacking goal in the 71st minute gave Guardiola’s side some valuable breathing space. Sane timed his run brilliantly to sneak in behind Joel Ward as the visitors broke quickly when a Palace move collapsed, with the excellent Silva measuring a pinpoint pass to the German.
It was Sane’s third strike in his last three outings, and while there has been justifiable criticism of City’s recent transfer record when it comes to defenders and midfielders, the club’s supporters will be incredibly excited by a talented front three made up of a 22-year-old, a 21-year-old and a 19-year-old.
Goals from the two older members of that trio, Sterling and Sane, had put City in a commanding position even before Yaya Toure bent home a free-kick in second-half stoppage time. Overall, though, it was Jesus who caused Palace — now without a win in their last nine matches against Premier League opposition — the most problems.
“He’s so aggressive [even though] he’s not a tall, tall guy,” Guardiola said of the striker in his post-match press conference.
“It’s his first game so it’s not easy for him — he doesn’t speak English so we need time. He makes a lot of movements, and his assist for the first goal was outstanding.”
The Brazil international had a fine chance to get his name on the scoresheet late on, but after holding off Kelly and rounding Wayne Hennessey, he slipped before he could pull the trigger.
While a goal would have capped off his day nicely, there were more than enough positives to take from his first 90 minutes in English football.
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Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
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· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
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Coming 2 America
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
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Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 4 (Mount 18',Werner 44', Hudson-Odoi 49', Havertz 85')
Morecambe 0
Grand slam winners since July 2003
Who has won major titles since Wimbledon 2003 when Roger Federer won his first grand slam
Roger Federer 19 (8 Wimbledon, 5 Australian Open, 5 US Open, 1 French Open)
Rafael Nadal 16 (10 French Open, 3 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open)
Novak Djokovic 12 (6 Australian Open, 3 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, 1 French Open)
Andy Murray 3 (2 Wimbledon, 1 US Open)
Stan Wawrinka 3 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 1 US Open)
Andy Roddick 1 (1 US Open)
Gaston Gaudio 1 (1 French Open)
Marat Safin 1 (1 Australian Open)
Juan Martin del Potro 1 (1 US Open)
Marin Cilic 1 (1 US Open)
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now