Raheem Sterling scored twice as Manchester City survived a late scare to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 and maintain their Premier League title challenge
Sterling struck in the 15th minute, shortly after a glaring miss, and then netted again in the 63rd minute - his 17th of the season in the Premier League - to put City in firm control at Selhurst Park on 
It looked like a stroll for City until Luka Milivojevic converted with a low free-kick from the edge of the box in the 81st minute
However, City avoided any further scares and Gabriel Jesus added a late third to ensure victory and put the pressure on Liverpool, who to stay two points ahead at the top of the table, having also played a game more
The win was City's ninth in a row in the Premier League and rarely looked in doubt as Palace, who are 11 points clear of the relegation zone, were unable to repeat their shock 3-2 victory at the Etihad in December
City controlled the game from the first whistle and should have taken the lead in the 10th minute when Sterling dragged a shot wide from eight yards out
Pep Guardiola had his head in his hands after Sterling's miss, but the England international soon made amends as he raced clear in the 15th minute and finished from Kevin De Bruyne's fine pass
Palace struggled to get out of their own half and Sergio Aguero shot wide before Vicente Guaita saved at the near post from Leroy Sane
City's best chance to extend their lead in the first half came in the 45th minute when Ilkay Gundogan's chipped pass into the box fell to De Bruyne and he fired at Guaita from close range
There was no respite from City after the break and it looked like they had put the result beyond doubt when they scored a second in the 63rd minute, with Sane driving across goal and Sterling finishing from 10 yards out
However, Milivojevic set up a tense finish when he fired in a low free-kick from the edge of the box
Ederson might feel he should have done better with the free-kick, but City survived without any further scares, and Jesus added a third on the break in the 90th minute to wrap up the win
 "We gave it our best shot
 I can't complain with the way the team tried hard to give Man City a good game and dent their progress but we weren't good enough to do that
""We played December, January, February, every three days, why should we not trust these guys to do it again? Of course, we can lose, we are not invincible
 We have weaknesses
"We have done two seasons, 183 points, with five games left, two seasons, why should I doubt what these players have done? I never doubt my players
"Graeme Souness called Sterling "fabulous and sensational" after his double inspired City's win -  Sterling missed one excellent chance in the 10th minute but produced composed finishes to net his first away Premier League brace since 2014
Palace travel to Arsenal in the Premier League next Sunday
City have three tough fixtures coming up as they host Tottenham in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday and then play Spurs again in the Premier League on Saturday, live on Sky Sports
 They then travel to Manchester United on Wednesday, April 24, live on Sky Sports
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