- Crystal Palace earned an impressive 0-0 draw against runaway leaders Man City
- Match was marred by a series of injuries, one of which to City’s Kevin De Bruyne
- De Bruyne was taken off on a stretcher, but was later seen hobbling pitchside
- Injury occurred when Jason Puncheon put in a horror tackle on the City star man
Manchester City are sweating over the fitness of star man Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian was taken from the field on a stretcher on New Year’s Eve.
The injury occurred late on in City’s surprise 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, when Palace’s Jason Puncheon put in a horror tackle on the midfielder.
Both players were left crumpled in a heap on the south London turf, before two stretchers took them off the field almost side-by-side.
Jason Puncheon brought Kevin De Bruyne’s game to an end with a horror tackle late on
Puncheon was booked for the tackle, but it could well have been a red – and injured both men
De Bruyne screams in pain on the Selhurst pitch, and was then taken off on a stretcher
After the game, De Bruyne was seen hobbling down the touchline, helped by members of the medical staff, in a minor boost for the league leaders.
What was initially feared as a really serious injury may not be quite as bad, but that does not appear to be the case for Gabriel Jesus, whose afternoon also ended early.
An excellent Premier League tie was marred by a series of injuries, with four players taken off – one of which Palace captain Scott Dann straight to an ambulance.
Pep Guardiola said afterwards that City had been ‘lucky’, and he may not be out for months
De Bruyne did not look too pleased as medical staff helped him onto a stretcher on Sunday
After the match, De Bruyne was seen hobbling along the touchline with the help of staff
Jesus’ injury occurred during a 50-50 challenge with Andros Townsend and, speaking after the game, Pep Guardiola said he was hoping the injury would only keep Jesus out for one to two months.
De Bruyne, meanwhile, should be sidelined for less time, despite a challenge that BT Sport pundit Michael Owen labelled as ‘horrific’ after the game.
Guardiola also had his say on the injury, and noted that City had been ‘lucky’ with the outcome of De Bruyne’s leg injury.
Puncheon also needed a stretcher afterwards, and the Palace captain could be out for a while
The pair were taken off simultaneously after the tackle – the third and fourth injuries of the tie