In a bone-crunching encounter, three players left the pitch on stretchers - including the best in the Premier League this season in Kevin De Bruyne - and Gabriel Jesus departed, injured, in tears.
There was also damage inflicted to Manchester City’s long run of league victories, halted here at 18, one short of the European record set by Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in 2013-14. But it could have been worse for the champions-elect even if their lead at the top was extended to 14 points.
As goalless draws go, this was far from drab, and long on commitment. It was also the kind of festive fixture that has the rest of the world shaking their heads at the crazy English schedule, playing full-tilt through Christmas and New Year, as they put their feet up.
Astonishingly it was Palace, still too close to the dead men of the relegation zone but reviving superbly under Roy Hodgson, who came closest to winning it. The best chance in open play was missed by Andros Townsend, skying the ball high over the crossbar when he had to score, with Hodgson rubbing his face in disbelief.
And then Palace missed a penalty. In the 92nd minute. It came as Wilfried Zaha – later hailed as a player who “amazes me” by Hodgson – tricked his way past Danilo and then hit the turf as he was challenged by substitute Raheem Sterling. It looked soft, it looked like the contact was minimal – with television pundits emphatically calling it a dive – but referee Jonathan Moss pointed to the spot.
Surely, then, City’s unbeaten record was about to go? There would be no ‘Invincibles XI’ and Arsenal and Arsene Wenger could breathe easily. Up stepped Palace’s regular penalty-taker, Luka Milivojevic – no shenanigans this time involving Christian Benteke – but the midfielder looked nervous and drove the ball too straight. Goalkeeper Ederson dived to his right with the ball cannoning off his legs, and his legend at City grew. What a difference Ederson has made.
City broke, with De Bruyne sprinting away and Jason Puncheon attempting to stop him. Unfortunately the Palace substitute threw himself at De Bruyne, catching him high, late and ugly on the knee. It did not look good and the damage will be properly assessed on Monday. De Bruyne later said he was “OK” but Guardiola understandably weighed in about the need for officials to protect players.
As De Bruyne and Puncheon – who was only cautioned – were lifted on to stretchers, Guardiola walked over to Hodgson for a chat, a moment of respectful calm between coaches during a pell-mell encounter at the end of which Palace became not only the first team to stop City scoring in the league this season, and the first home team to do so for almost a year, but also came closest to beating them.
It was a huge compliment to Hodgson, just three days after the 3-2 home loss to Arsenal and with his tired team depleted. It means he has been defeated in just two league matches out of 13, having inherited a team that was on an eight-game losing streak.
Hodgson made changes – the youngsters, especially Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Jairo Riedewald, performed brilliantly – and, unlike Newcastle last Wednesday, his team had a go. It helped that Hodgson has the outstanding Zaha whose battle with Kyle Walker was an incredible, high-velocity, powerful side-show that just about ended even.
It was a broken encounter throughout, with injury also to Palace captain Scott Dann, who badly hurt his knee in bringing down De Bruyne on the edge of his own penalty area, while Jesus’s replacement Sergio Aguero had to go off at one stage to stem a nose-bleed.
In the first half alone there were six minutes of added time, with Aguero going closest to scoring as he cut across the area’s edge, his shot flicking up off Riedewald’s heel to wrong-foot the recalled goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and thump back off the post.
Hennessey then excelled in the second half as he spread himself to deny the out-of-sorts Leroy Sane who, should have scored from close range but saw his angled shot from Sterling’s deflected cross cannon back off the goalkeeper’s chest.
City did not have their usual rhythm and there will be encouragement to others, hopefully, with the way that Palace dealt with them. But, crucially, City did not lose. There is steel as well as silk to this side.
It was a hard-earned point for both teams. But one that may well have come at a heavy price.