Raheem Sterling scored twice against Crystal Palace to inspire Manchester City to a ninth straight Premier League win after a dominant performance at Selhurst Park.

The impressive victory briefly lifted Pep Guardiola’s side, who had started the day second in the table, one point clear to the top.

However, Liverpool returned to the summit after beating Chelsea 2-nil in the late kick-off at Anfield, leaving City, who have one game in hand, two points behind the Reds with five games remaining in this fascinating title race.

Sterling opened the scoring after Kevin de Bruyne’s beautifully weighted pass saw his team-mate outsprint Patrick van Aanholt before an exquisite finish beyond Vicente Guaita.

England winger Sterling’s instinctive finish after Leroy Sane’s pass doubled the lead.

Palace, who are 11 points above the relegation zone, reduced the deficit through Luka Milivojevic’s late free-kick before substitute Gabriel Jesus made it 3-1 with a smart finish.