LONDON, Dec 31: Manchester City saw its record 18-game winning run in the Premier League ended with a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday, with the leaders dealt a further blow with injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne.

It needed a penalty save from Ederson Moraes off Luka Milivojevic in injury time to preserve City’s unbeaten run after 21 games and leave Pep Guardiola’s side 14 points clear heading into the new year.

Despite being in a commanding position with 17 games remaining, City will be concerned in particular with the injury to Jesus, who limped off in tears with a left leg injury midway through the first half after falling awkwardly.

“Maybe one month or two months,” Guardiola said of the likely length of absence of the Brazil striker.

De Bruyne was carried off on a stretcher in injury time, moments after Ederson’s penalty save, and was helped along the touchline by two members of City’s medical staff after the final whistle.

Guardiola said the midfielder was “lucky” it was not more serious but didn’t give any more details.

City failed to score in a league game for the first time this season as Palace showed no inferiority complex up against one of the best sides to ever play in the Premier League.

“I thought our discipline, defensively, throughout the game was very good,” Palace manager Roy Hodgson said.

“Before we would have been jumping through hoops to get a point,” Hodgson added. “But when you miss a penalty, there is always an element of sadness.”

This was the first time City dropped points since a 1-1 draw at home to Everton on Aug. 21. The four-month winning run started five days later with a last-gasp victory at Bournemouth.

A 19th straight victory would have matched the record winning streak in Europe’s top five leagues, set by Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the 2013-14 season. It also would have set a Premier League record of 12 straight away wins.

The closest City came to scoring was a deflected shot by substitute Sergio Aguero — the replacement for Jesus — that struck the post in the first half.

There was a lack of flow to City’s play for much of the match, with De Bruyne’s passing unusually sloppy and Palace sometimes hurting the visitors with their direct style.

It was a surreal ending to the match. Moments after the penalty, contentiously awarded for a foul by Raheem Sterling on Wilfried Zaha, came the foul on De Bruyne by Jason Puncheon as City launched a late counterattack.

As both players got treatment — they were both carried off the field on stretchers at the same time — Guardiola took a seat next to Hodgson in Palace’s dug-out as the managers chatted. AP

LONDON, Sept 17: Although it’s taken a year longer than many expected, Manchester City is finally beginning to resemble a Pep Guardiola-coached team.

City remained in rampant form as it ended Watford’s unbeaten start to the English Premier League with a resounding 6-0 victory at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

Guardiola’s side has scored 15 goals in three matches since the international break, following 5-0 and 4-0 wins over Liverpool and Feyernood respectively.

City stuttered to a third-place finish in Guardiola’s debut season while failing to produce the stylish play of its manager’s former sides, but a second straight offseason of significant personnel changes appears to be paying dividends.

“It was so good, especially after an away game in the Champions League,” Guardiola said.

“I was lucky to manage Barcelona with many outstanding performances but this week has been a lot of goals. We have found our game, we can make short passes, and we have a lot of energy from our full backs.”

Sergio Aguero scored a predatory hat trick and laid on an assist for Gabriel Jesus, while Nicolas Otamendi headed in, and Raheem Sterling added a late penalty.

The victory took City to the top of the table, but Manchester United can join it on Sunday with a win over Everton.

Elsewhere, Liverpool failed to shake off the effects of last week’s thrashing by City, letting Burnley leave Anfield with a 1-1 draw. Crystal Palace became the first club in league history to lose its opening five games without scoring.

Swansea brought Tottenham back to earth in a scoreless draw at Wembley, three days after Spurs tore apart Borussia Dortmund. Newcastle made it three league wins a row by beating Stoke 3-1, Leicester and Huddersfield drew 1-1, and West Brom and West Ham played out a goalless draw.

AGUERO CLOSING IN

Having struggled at times last season, Aguero appears to have been revitalized by his partnership with Jesus and was at his predatory best as he completed the sixth Premier League hat trick of his career.

The Argentine forward is just three goals away from breaking Eric Brook’s 177-goal record at Man City.

“I am very happy,” Aguero said. “I am focused on scoring the next goal but what matters is that we won.”

NO MANE, MORE PROBLEMS

Philippe Coutinho made his first start of the season for Liverpool after failing to force a summer move to Barcelona, but his return wasn’t enough to fill the void left by the suspended Sadio Mane.

Liverpool struggled at times last season without Mane and it appears little has changed.

Summer recruit Mohamed Salah’s tying goal secured a point for the Reds but even he can’t match the brilliance of Mane, who is serving a three-match suspension after being sent off against Manchester City last weekend.

Burnley has picked up away points at three of last season’s top-six teams, beating Chelsea on opening day and drawing against Tottenham at Wembley.

ROY’S RETURN

Roy Hodgson’s first match in charge of Crystal Palace looked like the team’s previous four matches. In a 1-0 loss to Southampton, Steven Davis’ early goal proved decisive.

Hodgson has been out of management since Euro 2016, where his England side was eliminated by minnows Iceland.

Having become the first Premier League manager to be appointed in his 70s, Hodgson went for a return to a traditional four-man defense, but it took Southampton just six minutes to breach it.

WEMBLEY CURSE REMAINS

Tottenham is still looking for a first domestic victory of the season at its temporary Wembley Stadium home. Harry Kane struck the crossbar in the second half but Swansea displayed great resilience to hold on for 0-0.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs have failed to win all three league games at Wembley, where it’s playing while White Hart Lane is redeveloped this season.

DEFENDER SCORES AGAIN

Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles was an unlikely star for a second straight game as the defender headed home the winner against Stoke after Xherdan Shaqiri cancelled out Christian Atsu’s opener. Newcastle beat Stoke 3-1 at St. James’ Park.

Also, West Brom midfielder Gareth Barry equaled Ryan Giggs’ Premier League appearance record in his 632nd game. AP

LONDON, May 7: Swansea City have climbed out of the Premier League’s relegation zone with a 1-0 win against Everton, giving their survival aspirations a significant boost.

After Hull City suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat against relegated Sunderland earlier in the day, Fernando Llorente’s first-half header sealed a precious win for the Welsh side.

The Swans defended resiliently for large periods of the second half but could have extended their lead, and eased the growing tension around the Liberty Stadium, had Llorente and Leroy Fer done better with promising chances amid the Everton pressure.

Swansea, who have 35 points, face bottom-of-the-table Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion in their final two games while Hull, on 34 points, play Crystal Palace and finish with a difficult game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Everton sit seventh with 58 points from 36 games.

Hull City’s hopes of avoiding Premier League relegation suffered a body blow after goals from Billy Jones and Jermain Defoe condemned them to a 2-0 home defeat by already axed Sunderland.

The result left Hull one place above the drop zone in 17th on 34 points from 36 games.

Right back Jones headed in a 69th-minute opener against the run of play and Defoe bundled in the second goal in stoppage time, although video replays showed he was offside when a free kick from the right was delivered into his path.

Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford enjoyed a superb afternoon as he pulled off a string of excellent saves, denying Sam Lucas, Lazar Markovic and Abel Hernandez as Hull pressed forward relentlessly but were let down by poor finishing.

Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross deflected the ball into his own net to earn Bournemouth a 2-2 draw and ensure the Cherries will play Premier League football again next season.

Stoke had not scored away from home since January and it was Bournemouth midfielder Lys Mousset who broke the drought, heading Marko Arnautovic’s corner into his own goal in the 33rd minute.

Junior Stanislas deftly guided home the equaliser for Bournemouth on the hour mark before Stoke striker Mame Biram Diouf scored his first Premier League goal of the season.

Shawcross deflected Josh King’s shot into his own net with eight minutes left to leave Bournemouth 10th in the table, three places ahead of Stoke.

Leicester City have climbed into the top half of the Premier League for the first time since September after a comfortable 3-0 victory over Watford.

With both teams safely in mid-table, the opening exchanges lacked energy until Wilfred Ndidi finished emphatically after Danny Drinkwater’s cross was not dealt with by Watford’s defence.

Having earlier hit the crossbar, Riyad Mahrez, playing his 100th Premier League match, doubled the advantage by capitalising on more sloppy defending to stab home in the 58th minute.

Marc Albrighton completed the victory with an excellent third, finishing off the woodwork after Jamie Vardy’s break in the 93rd minute.

Leicester, who fell as low as 18th in February, climbed to ninth with 43 points from 35 games – three more than Watford in 15th.

Manchester City have strengthened their Premier League top-four aspirations with a 5-0 thrashing of a woeful Crystal Palace side at the Etihad Stadium.

City never looked back after David Silva’s 50th goal for the club in the second minute on Saturday, although it was not until the second half that the floodgates opened with Vincent Kompany, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Otamendi all on target.

Victory moved City into third place with 69 points, above Liverpool on goal difference. Fifth-placed Manchester United, who play Arsenal on Sunday, have 65.

Palace’s third consecutive defeat means they are still anxiously looking over their shoulders at the teams below them.

Burnley have edged a point closer to Premier League survival after Sam Vokes scored a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion.

Vokes had given Burnley the lead in the 56th minute but West Brom hit back with goals by Salomon Rondon and Craig Dawson.

With five minutes remaining Vokes looped a header over Ben Foster who found himself out of position.

Burnley need one point from two games to be mathematically assured of a second successive top-flight season.