Pep Guardiola handed Palmer his first Premier League start, and the 19-year-old didn’t let the boss down with his skill and vision again catching the eye.
Raheem Sterling opened the scoring just before half time. A Rodrigo thunderbolt and a Bernardo Silva tap-in secured City’s win in the second half, in what was a dominant display to seal another vital three points.
It was another impressive performance by Palmer before he made way for fellow teenager James McAtee who came on as a substitute to make his own Premier League debut.
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Reflecting on the victory, Stones singled out Palmer’s performance and praised his attitude and composure.
“Incredible. I am a big fan of Cole,” the England International declared. “His work rate and how he has trained with us since he first came in, his attitude, he deserves it. I thought he did so well.
“It is not easy playing in these games where there is not much space.
“For players like him, he gets on the ball and creates things. He gave a great account of himself.”
It was a fine return to action for City after the November international break, and the victory was all the more important with leaders Chelsea and third-placed Liverpool also securing wins at the weekend.
Sunday was the first of an intensive 11 match-run that we face between now and the end of the calendar year.
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But though City remain ideally placed, sitting just two points off the top, Stones insists the sole focus for him and his teammates is trained on performance and consistency.
“We have got to concentrate on ourselves,” he added. “We did last season and I think we came back from 10 or possibly 12 points (behind) to win the league.
“We know it is not over yet, there is a lot of games to be played and there is a busy period coming up.
“We approach it how we always have and take it one game at a time.
“We focus all of our energy on each game, like we have today and see where it takes us.”
