Fernandinho salutes ‘superb’ Ederson for saving Man City from nervous night at Crystal Palace

Fernandinho has hailed the value of “superb” Ederson after seeing a fellow Brazilian help Manchester City to a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace.

The final scoreline, with another clean sheet secured, looked fairly comfortable for Pep Guardiola’s side at Selhurst Park.

But a nervy finish would have been set up for the reigning Premier League champions were it not for the performance of their goalkeeper.

Some smart stops, including a fingertip one which pushed a Christian Benteke header onto the crossbar, ensured that City left south London with three points and a shutout.

Fernandinho is pleased to have seen the Blues’ efforts rewarded as they bossed proceedings for long periods against the Eagles.

He told Sky Sports afterwards: "We just tried to play our style of football and our philosophy.

“In the first half we scored two goals and controlled the game but at the end of the game they brought on Benteke and he caused some problems for us but Ederson was superb to make the saves.

“They started to play long balls and high balls for their tall players. But if we scored the goals from the chances we created it would have been a different game.”

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Fernandinho was once again asked to operate as a centre-half against Palace, with Nicolas Otamendi having joined Aymeric Laporte on the injury list at the Etihad Stadium.

The 34-year-old midfielder claims to be happy filling an unfamiliar role, adding: “It was fine.

“In the first half we controlled out actions and didn't concede any chances. But in the second half we dropped our concentration but overall we were better and deserved the win.”

Victory has lifted City back to within five points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, although the Reds will be in action on Sunday against Manchester United and could pull eight clear once more.

Defending their title, and completing a hat-trick of crowns, is a top target for the Blues and Fernandinho is expecting another race with more twists and turns.

He said: “The Premier League is so tough, so hard, so we just try to win our games and do our job.

“We focus on winning every game. That is all we can do.”

City will be back in Champions League action on Tuesday against Atalanta, while their next league outing will see them play host to Aston Villa.