Manchester City vs Crystal Palace: Roy Hodgson's side hand champions major title blow
Re-live the action from the Etihad Stadium
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Champions Manchester City will trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by four points on Christmas Day after a shock 3-2 loss to Crystal Palace.
Andros Townsend scored one of the goals of the season as Roy Hodgson's inspired Palace came from behind to condemn City to their first league defeat at the Etihad Stadium since April.
Townsend struck with a 30-yard volley after Jeffrey Schlupp had cancelled out Ilkay Gundogan's opener on a rain-soaked afternoon.
A penalty from Luka Milivojevic sealed victory although Kevin De Bruyne's cross-cum-shot gave City, who also hit the post through Leroy Sane, late hope.
The defeat was City's second in three league games and handed the title initiative to Liverpool, whom they face on 3 January. Re-live the action in the blog below:
TEAM NEWS
Meanwhile the hosts make just a single change from last week's 3-2 defeat at the hands of Watford. Joe Bennett misses out with a hip quibble and thus Greg Cunningham comes in at left back.
As Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes charge of a club where he was so successful and loved as a player, The Independent's Northern Football Correspondent Mark Critchley looks at five things the new Manchester United manager must do:
On to the pitch come the players at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Will Ole Gunnar Solskjaer start well, or can Cardiff beat Manchester United for the first time in 58 years? Kick off is imminent.
1 minute
First test of the day for the Manchester United defence as Aron Gunnarsson hurls in the long throw.
Phil Jones wins it.
Looks like a 4-3-3 for the visitors and more of a 4-5-1 from Cardiff.
2 minutes
Paul Pogba on the ball early, a give-and-go drawing the foul from Aron Gunnarsson.
Between 25 and 30 yard out. Pogba may fancy a go...
GOAL! Cardiff 0-1 Manchester United (Marcus Rashford, 3 minutes)
What a start for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United!
Paul Pogba runs over the free kick, leaving it to Marcus Rashford to line up a strike.
Rashford charges up to the ball and side-foots it firmly to the left of the Cardiff wall. Neil Etheridge takes a false step to his right and is left stationary as Rashford's cleverly hit free kick swerves away towards his left-hand post, bouncing in to the bottom corner and giving Manchester United the most perfect of starts.
6 minutes
Josh Murphy is roared on by a vocal home crowd but Ander Herrera has tracked back well to dispossess him.
Nevertheless Cardiff win the ball back and Jesse Lingard concedes a free kick in not dissimilar position to that from which Marcus Rashford just scored.
7 minutes
Josh Murphy strides confidently up to the ball, but that is relatively poor in the end. His shot is curling back from beyond the right-hand upright but is a good five yards too high.
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