Riyad Mahrez magnificent first touch offers Man City a sound tactic

Trust Manchester City to even make long balls good to watch.

Pep Guardiola's side have played some fantastic football over the last five seasons but are usually associated with keeping the ball on the floor and playing through opponents. When you have a player such as Riyad Mahrez though, it is understandable that the Blues should look for the winger and his magnificent first touch whenever they get a chance.

The plan was clear at Selhurst Park: whenever the team got the chance, the ball would be swept aerially over to the right, where it would be plucked out of the sky effortlessly and exquisitely by Mahrez, giving City intent in the attacking third. It happened in the third minute from a Joao Cancelo ball, it happened in the fourth minute from Rodri and it kept happening.

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Mahrez is an antidote to some of the layman complaints about professional footballers. It may be a frustration when players keep hitting the first man at corners, but to watch Mahrez bring the ball down again and again and again is a treat.

It served a purpose too, keeping Palace stretched on the wings and allowing Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne pockets of space on the right to chip away at the resistance of the home team. Midway through the first half the Algerian perfectly scooped up a ball from John Stones and tested Vincent Guaita, and he went close soon after to force another save.

Ultimately, the tactic didn't work but there were extraordinary circumstances behind it. No team this season has had as many shots on goal as City did at Selhurst Park (31) and not scored.

Bernardo Silva was horribly wasteful, Phil Foden quiet, De Bruyne went close on a