Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to two points with two games left to play after a professional win over Crystal Palace.

Phil Foden, on his 150th league start for the club, made two first-half goals as Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush struck for a much-changed City XI.

Savinho added a third late on to rubber stamp the three points.

With cup finals on the horizon both sides rotated their teams, with Palace playing their 57th game of a long and testing season.

Pep Guardiola left out key men Erling Haaland, Nico O’Reilly, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki with one eye on Saturday’s FA Cup final.

Perhaps unsurprisingly it led to a very flat opening half hour but Semenyo broke the deadlock in style after Foden’s superb backheel opened Palace up.

A clinical strike was the forward’s ninth for City since his big-money January move from Bournemouth.

Minutes later Marmoush made it 2-0 with another good finish after rolling his man in the penalty area from another Foden pass.

Foden has had a poor season but delivered when it mattered, as he created five chances in the first 45 minutes alone.

Dean Henderson then pulled off a wonderful save to deny Josko Gvardiol as City dominated.

Guardiola could turn to his £380m bench in the second half, with Doku, Cherki, Nathan Ake, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic all getting minutes.

And Cherki made the third with a fine run and pass to free Savinho to clip in just a second Premier League goal.

Two more Arsenal wins, from their home fixture against Burnley and the final-day trip to Palace, will still be enough to end a 22-year wait for the Premier League title for the Gunners.

But City, who have games against Bournemouth and Aston Villa to come, lie in wait for any slip-up.

Palace were largely lifeless throughout as they prepare for a Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano at the end of the month.