Manchester City haven't always enjoyed their visits to this isolated part of the capital. There have been some grinds in south London for them over the years and Crystal Palace have posed a threat at the Etihad too.
On Saturday they never actually looked like scoring, but for then 75 minutes neither did City. It was proof in point of why this team is yet to produce a winning run longer than three games in the Premier League.
But for better or worse they found a way in this game. Kind of. In truth, it owed an awful lot to a lackadaisical bit of play from Michael Olise.
Palace switched off to a City short corner and the winger was unable to stop himself as he tried to close down the suddenly-free Ilkay Gundogan, bringing him down for a penalty that would have infuriated Patrick Vieira. READ MORE: City player ratings vs Crystal Palace But the dogged, often dour, 1-0 win might have just built a little more belief in the City ranks.