Crystal Palace suffered an embarrassing 5-0 loss against Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon. 

Palace went into the game in decent form, after beating both Chelsea and Liverpool in recent weeks and playing well against Tottenham.

However, City were totally dominant in Saturday's early kickoff, with goals from David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Otamendi ensuring the traveling side had no chance. 

Sam Allardyce's team are now six points clear of the relegation zone in 16th place with only two games to play. However, with Swansea yet to play this weekend, there's a chance that Palace could be just three points above the drop by Saturday evening.   

City's win took them to third in the league, leapfrogging Liverpool who are also yet to play this weekend. If they do beat Southampton on Sunday, then they will regain third spot, but Pep Guardiola's side could hit back with their game in hand.   

Ahead of the match, Allardyce changed his defensive system, which appeared to backfire massively.    

Palace started the game with a back five and conceded after just two minutes, before reverting back to four at the back, something they are far more used to.    

In a post-match interview, defender Martin Kelly suggested he felt uncomfortable in a back five, saying:

"I don't think we've worked on (the formation) enough to be honest".

You can see his full interview below. 

However, his manager disagreed, rubbishing claims that his side were unprepared, suggesting Kelly himself should have done better. 

"I don't think the five or the four had anything to do with the first goal because if Martin Kelly heads it out properly then we defend the corner."

Both men also blamed injuries for a disappointing display. Neither first choice centre-backs were available, but even if they were, it's unlikely to have made a difference, as City were on form.  

Should Allardyce have blamed his players for the 5-0 loss against City? Have your say in the comments below.