Manager Pep Guardiola refused to blame fatigue after Manchester City were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
After Daniel Munoz gave the home side the lead, Erling Haaland levelled the scoreline. This was also the Norwegian striker's 13th goal in the Premier League this season, equaling Mohamed Salah's record.
In the second half, Maxence Lacroix restored Palace's lead. However, Rico Lewis once again rescued a point for the visitors with a goal in the 68th minute. At the end of the match, the Man City youngster was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
With the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton cancelled due to Storm Darragh, Man City have closed the gap on the leaders to eight points. However, they have played one game more than the "Reds".
Guardiola said: "We will get the points. I am proud of the players, extremely proud of the players, how they fought, coming back twice and in difficult conditions. Selhurst Park is always a difficult ground, the weather conditions were also difficult but we fought as usual."
When asked if The Citizens players were tired due to the injury situation, Guardiola answered frankly.
"No," Guardiola replied emphatically, then added: "We had to play the last 15 minutes with only 10 men against 11. At the moment, the team has many important players injured and many players have had to play too much. However, the whole team still tried their best, fought constantly to win. I am really satisfied and proud of the players."
The Spanish tactician stressed that injuries and a busy schedule have contributed to Man City's current predicament. However, it is undeniable that Guardiola's tactics are having problems amid the decline in form of key players.
Guardiola's side seem to be making more and more mistakes, with goals conceded in a number of inexplicable ways. Crystal Palace's second goal was a prime example of the Premier League champions' defensive errors. After 15 games, City have made more errors leading to shots (11) than in three quarters of the last season.
"Football is a game of mistakes. In set pieces, Palace are stronger than us. This is a season to survive. We cannot talk about the championship race when we have lost 4 matches in the last 6 rounds" - Guardiola admitted.
