On the last day of 2017, there were two matches of the 21st round of the English Premier League.
In London, Crystal Palace hosted Manchester City, who had only been winning games so far. Roy Hodgson's team had a great opportunity not only to end City's winning streak, but also to become the first team this season to beat them in England. However, the winner was not revealed as the match ended in a goalless draw.
Manchester City had only been winning in the Premier League until this match - they had achieved a record-breaking 18 consecutive victories, but today they had to settle for a draw, which both teams were essentially worthy of.
Throughout the match, there was a quite evenly matched battle on the field. As usual, Manchester City spent more time with the ball, but the visitors from Manchester did not have many dangerous opportunities.
In the first half, both teams were forced to substitute one player - Crystal Palace's captain suffered an injury, while Gabriel Jesus also had to leave the field in the 23rd minute after falling awkwardly on his legs.
His replacement, Sergio Aguero, had perhaps the most realistic chance to score in these matches, but the Argentine's shot, obstructed by his opponent's leg, hit the goalpost and the score remained 0-0 at halftime.
In the second half, the game was fairly similar, but both teams had more chances. The match was very physical, with a lot of contact, which prevented the teams from playing fast-paced football.
However, Crystal Palace received a "gift" from the referee at the end of the match, who decided to award a penalty kick when Raheem Sterling pushed Wilfried Zaha in the penalty area.
All the home team had to do was convert the penalty kick. However, even after this golden opportunity, Crystal Palace failed to beat City for the first time this season - Ederson saved Luka Milivojevic's not very confident shot with his feet.
After the Brazilian goalkeeper's save, City went on a quick attack, but it not only ended without a goal, but also with injuries to two players - Jason Puncheon "challenged" Kevin De Bruyne and both players did not get up from the ground. The referee added a lot of time, but no team scored.
Manchester City, who ended their record-breaking winning streak, practically lost nothing in terms of the league standings - rising to second place, Chelsea are 14 points behind the leaders.
In the other match, West Brom hosted Arsenal at home. Arsene Wenger's Arsenal failed to achieve victory in his record-breaking match - a questionable penalty kick by Mike Dean decided the match 1-1.
Throughout the match, there was a fierce battle on the field. Arsenal dominated possession, but the visitors from London did not have many good opportunities to score.
However, in the 83rd minute, the opponents' goal was breached when Alexis Sanchez scored thanks to a penalty kick following a poorly constructed wall by the opponents.
However, Arsenal's team did not have enough to secure victory - in the 89th minute, a penalty kick was awarded to them, which was successfully converted by Jay Rodriguez. This decision angered the entire Arsenal team, as although the ball hit Calum Chambers' hand, it was close to the body and the Englishman had no intention of using his hand.
Arsenal let the victory slip from their hands and will welcome the new year not in a very good mood - they are now 3 points behind Liverpool, who are in fourth place.
Results:
Crystal Palace 0 - 0 Manchester City
90+2' L. Milivojević (Crystal Palace) missed a penalty kick
West Brom 1 - 1 Arsenal
83' [0 - 1] J. McClean (own goal)
89' [1 - 1] J. Rodriguez (penalty kick)
League table:
