LONDON • Even when Liverpool are not in action, they continue to bolster their seemingly impregnable Premier League lead - and it happened again on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola's 49th-birthday celebrations went flat, as Fernandinho's own goal in added time forced Manchester City to settle for a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
It left the City manager bemoaning his second-placed side's poor defending as they struggled for the second successive season at home to the Eagles, who left the Etihad Stadium with a 3-2 win last term.
Guardiola said: "Last season, when they beat us here, it was the same. They had three shots on target, they scored three.
"This season, the same. The (own) goal, we have to avoid it, we just can't allow (Wilfried) Zaha to run. It was a decision, the concentration was there, but it was a wrong decision.
"We're going to solve it and improve it because in that situation, we cannot let them run on the counter-attack.
"I told them to put more balls into the box and try to control Zaha on the counter-attack... the second goal is a mistake we have done and we have to avoid it.
"It was a tight game. It's difficult to analyse when they shoot from one corner and have no more chances. We had many chances, unfortunately, we could not win."
Asked about their faint title hopes, Guardiola added: "We have to still try to continue.
"The season still has a lot of games to play, and you have to try to secure the place for the Champions League next season."
City travel to Sheffield United tomorrow and host Fulham in the FA Cup on Sunday. They will then try to finish off Manchester United, who they lead 3-1, in the Jan 29 return leg of the League Cup semi-finals at home.
The dropped points took the gloss of Sergio Aguero's second-half brace, and his 178th and 179th goals, which meant the Argentina striker overtook Chelsea great Frank Lampard to become the fourth-highest goalscorer in Premier League history.
Cenk Tosun, who is on loan from Everton, opened his account for the Eagles, giving them a first-half lead against the run of play. It underlined the defensive shortcomings that have seen City keep just two clean sheets in their last 13 games.
It was particularly galling, as City had 72 per cent of the possession and 25 shots compared to five from Palace.
Eagles boss Roy Hodgson was delighted with his team's defensive resilience, insisting that "it would've been cruel to have lost it".
He told the club website: "I thought we held out well... it was wonderful to see the lads not give up and accept, if you like, what many people thought should've been their fate, and to get back and get an equaliser."
He also claimed that the last-gasp draw topped last term's upset because of "the (injury) situation we found ourselves in coming here".
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
