Manchester City are starting games too slowly and have Walker issue

There was a distinct thump when the volley of Andros Townsend rocketed into Ederson's netting. The eventual result gave Manchester City a distinct bump in this absorbing title race.

Liverpool are top at Christmas for the first time in five years and Pep Guardiola, now four points adrift, is searching for answers. The Etihad meeting of the two teams a week on Thursday has become even more crucial — a victory for either will side will be that bit more seismic.

For now Jurgen Klopp's relentless pressers refuse to take a breath, but Guardiola's side have hit something of a brick wall against teams who perfect the art of a low block and are fiendish in midfield.

Lyon set the bar for how to tackle them, taking four points from two Champions League fixtures, and now Crystal Palace have become the first team outside the top six to beat City for almost two years.

The Premier League is not the procession many predicted and some of Guardiola's players are finding that difficult to process.

The next few months promise to be fascinating and Klopp even suggested 105 points might prove the golden tally to lift the title.

Roy Hodgson laughed when it was put to him that this defeat should be considered a definitive blow for Guardiola.

'No, no, no. Not at all,' he said. 'Pep is a very intelligent guy, it means that they haven't caught up those four points but he knows there are 20 matches left and one of those is going to be against Liverpool.

'I don't think he will be concerned about that and he'll know that no matter how Liverpool play they will have a game like this, too. Someone will beat them against the odds.'

There are doubtless issues for Guardiola to address. Fabian Delph admitted they are starting games too slowly.

There is a clear problem with Kyle Walker at right back after he gifted a penalty and lazily hung out a leg as Jeffrey Schlupp equalised. That Walker was the only player who walked past Guardiola without the offer of a hug or handshake spoke volumes.

So, too, the howls of derision from the terraces when the right back sauntered in possession in the second half. There was no width to City's play. They panicked in the final 15 minutes when chasing the game, hurling balls at Mamadou Sakho.

This was very unlike a Guardiola team and they struggled to such an extent that his demeanour was resigned rather than agitated and angry.

Fernandinho is such a big miss, John Stones incapable of filling the huge void in holding midfield, but Guardiola can also point to injuries.

None of Fernandinho, Kevin de Bruyne or David Silva were available from the start. Take the three most important players out of any side and they are met with complications.

Even so, Townsend labelled City 'the team of our generation' and the video sessions at Palace's Beckenham base in the week were put to good use. In those, Hodgson did not even mention the possibility of leaving with any points.

Palace are the outsiders Guardiola truly fears. His trusted analyst Carles Planchart delivered a rare brief to the squad last season about the difficulties Hodgson poses and Domenec Torrent, the former assistant now in New York, circled this fixture as one to fret over.

Palace brought an end to City's winning streak last New Year's Day with a draw at Selhurst Park and became the first team to take anything from the champions at the Etihad Stadium since Huddersfield last May.

'It's a massive setback but it's a very long season,' said Delph. 'Most games we are competing against ourselves to do better and the next game will be no different.'

Three times in the Premier League Liverpool have been top at Christmas — 1996, 2008 and 2013 — and blown it each time. Guardiola even found an unlikely ally in Wayne Rooney.

'I still think City will win it,' he said. 'Over the last 10 years only two teams who've been top at Christmas have not won the league and both of them was Liverpool so hopefully that's the story again.'