Ayew & Eze earn Vieira’s praise in Crystal Palace defeat against Manchester City

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has praised both Jordan Ayew and Eberechi Eze despite a 4-2 defeat suffered at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium.

Despite taking a 2-0 lead in the first half, the Eagles, who have scored first in three of their last four away league games against the Citizens, having never done it in their previous nine, were outmuscled in the second half.

In his post-match reaction, Vieira picked out the Ghanaian and the English-Nigerian attacking midfielder as he assessed their performances.

Eze became the third player to provide an assist in three consecutive away league appearances for Crystal Palace, after John Salako in 1992 - four in a row - and Christian Benteke’s three in 2018.

"I think we were well-disciplined. Jordan [Ayew], Ebs [Ebere Eze], and [Odsonne] Edouard worked really well, and we closed down all the spaces to not allow them to create those chances," Vieira told the club’s website.

"And in the second-half, I think physically we dropped a little bit. I think we didn't put enough pressure on the ball, and that allowed them to move the ball quickly from one side to the other and create the situation where they felt comfortable, create those chances and score goals.

"It was difficult [in the second-half], the momentum was on their side and it was really difficult for the [Palace] players who came on.

"But overall, we showed character and the quality of the opposition made the difference in the end."

The former Arsenal star swiftly shifted his focus to their next game and said that this is their chance to bounce back from the defeat against the reigning champions.

"When you are disappointed, what you want is to bounce back straight away, and the game on Tuesday [against Brentford in the Premier League] will be important for us to bounce back and try to win it," he added.

The Eagles registered an unwanted record as they lost despite having a two-goal half-time advantage in the Premier League for the second time in a row - also losing 2-3 against Everton in May - after failing to lose on any of the 22 occasions (W21 D1).