Manchester City 4-0 Crystal Palace

70% possession, 22 shots, 3.2 xG — pick any number, it tells the same story.

Haaland is back

Two games into his return and two goals already. His 8th-minute strike reaffirmed a season xG of 25.7. The second, a De Bruyne-assisted classic, had all four Palace defenders facing the wrong way.

Palace's problem

Eze was isolated, 30+ metres from Mateta, and the forward-pass success was a meagre 38%. A partial return to the Hodgson-era 5-at-the-back-and-run might be worth considering.