adminCrystal Palace manager Pierre Sage did not hide his frustration after his side suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Manchester City at Selhurst Park, criticising the dramatic drop in intensity during the second half.
Braces from Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki secured a convincing victory for City and left Palace at the bottom of the Premier League table after two defeats from their opening two matches. The result also extended an unwanted record for the Eagles, who have now lost their first home league fixture in 13 different Premier League seasons.
Palace suffer another heavy setback
Palace struggled to contain Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City for long periods, with Haaland and Cherki both finding the net twice to complete a comfortable victory for the visitors.
Despite creating several opportunities, the Eagles were unable to make their chances count and were eventually punished as City took control of the contest.
Sage frustrated by substitutions
Sage attempted to change the momentum after the break by introducing Dwight McNeil, Zavier Gozo and Evann Guessand, but the changes failed to produce the desired reaction.
Instead, Palace’s intensity dropped significantly, something that clearly angered the French manager.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the final whistle, Sage said: “I think we were able to play 60 minutes and stayed in the game. When I made the substitutions, the energy of the team went down. I’m a bit angry with that.
“Both [at my team and myself], we are together. I’m with my team every moment. We had a lot of chances, it’s difficult to have hope against this kind of team without scoring. When you change players, you need more energy, I didn’t find that.”
French boss demands a response
The defeat was only the second occasion that one of Sage’s teams has conceded four goals in a league match, with the previous instance coming when Lyon lost 4-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in April 2024.
Sage acknowledged that Palace’s preparations have been disrupted by a late pre-season while insisting that the squad must improve quickly.
“We know we are in a process, we know we have to work. We have to not accept this kind of situation, we deserved a better result,” he added.
“Two negative situations at the end. We were late in our preseasons. I think at the moment we need substitutions. You can’t replace fatigue with low energy.”
The Palace boss will now be demanding a strong response from his players as the Eagles look to recover from their disappointing start to the campaign.
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