The Premier League match played at 15:00 EEST on 16 December 2023 between Manchester City and Crystal Palace evidenced an unexpected turn of events by the final whistle. Crystal Palace managed to secure a 3-2 victory, despite apparent dominance by the home team in terms of shooting accuracy and corner kicks.

Manchester City launched an impressive number of shots on target, with a total of 9 attempts compared to Palace’s 2 successful attempts in the entire match. However, the match turned out to be a high display of resilience from Crystal Palace who fought their way back into the game with fewer opportunities to score, ultimately pulling off an unforeseen victory.

The home team started the match on a high note with two goals from Jack Grealish in the first half and Rico Lewis early in the second half, both goals assisted by Phil Foden. Midway through the match, it seemed as though Manchester City had a clear and straightforward path to victory.

However, Crystal Palace defied the odds to rally in the second half. A crucial tactical movement by the away team was their utilization of substitutes which saw Jean Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise coming into the match. Mateta scored at 75 minutes into the game off an assist by Jeffrey Schlupp, while Olise took full advantage of a penalty kick to level the game at 2-2 at the 95th minute. Subsequently, an unassisted goal scored just a minute before the end of the match settled the 2-3 final score in favour of Crystal Palace.

Despite the endeavour displayed by Manchester City, as indicated by their 20 shots off target compared to Crystal Palace’s 17, the home team missed critical opportunities to expand their lead. Manchester City also dominated corner kicks 6 to Palace’s sole kick, indicating their aggressive attacking plays but the goals simply did not materialize.

There was fair disciplinary action for both teams with Manchester City earning two yellow cards whilst Crystal Palace received only one. This did not significantly affect the overall game's outcome showing a reasonable level of discipline from both teams.

In conclusion, the most significant statistical factor leading to the match outcome must be the number of shots on target. Though Manchester City dominated in terms of shooting at the goal, they failed in goal conversion. Crystal Palace, on the other hand, demonstrated efficiency and a sharp clinical edge scoring from just two shots on target. This match serves as a great reminder that statistical domination does not always translate into victories; team efficiency, conversion on goals, and taking advantage of critical moments as Crystal Palace did, are equally or even more crucial.

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