Crisis continues at Manchester City
Manchester City 1 - 1 Everton
Erling Haaland saw his second-half penalty saved by Jordan Pickford as Manchester City’s struggles continued with a lacklustre Premier League draw against Everton at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s side, once an unstoppable force, now find themselves in uncharted waters, having won just once in their last 13 matches across all competitions.
The result leaves the reigning champions in sixth place, five points behind Arsenal in fourth and a daunting 14 points adrift of league leaders Liverpool.
City came close to a dream start in the third minute when Josko Gvardiol’s towering header struck the post. Their early dominance eventually paid off in the 14th minute, as Bernardo Silva capitalised on Jeremy Doku’s pass, squeezing a deflected shot past Jarrad Branthwaite into the far corner.
Phil Foden nearly doubled the lead, setting up Silva in the box, but the Portuguese midfielder’s first-time effort went wide.
Everton, however, made their first real opportunity count in the 36th minute. Iliman Ndiaye produced a moment of brilliance, controlling Abdoulaye Doucoure’s cross before curling a sublime finish with the outside of his boot into the far corner.
City had a golden chance to restore their advantage early in the second half when Vitalii Mykolenko brought down Savinho in the box. But Pickford guessed correctly, diving to his right to deny Haaland from the spot.
Despite pushing for a late winner, City failed to break down a resolute Everton defence. Their last victory against Nottingham Forest on the 4th of December remains a distant memory.
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Two points dropped for Everton?
The funny thing is Everton will be disappointed with only taking one point from the Etihad. Dyche's side have now managed credible consecutive draws against Arsenal, Chelsea and here against City.
They had a chance to win the match late on when Orel Mangala's deflected strike caught Stefan Ortega off guard, but the ball went just wide of the post. As a result, Everton was left feeling more satisfied with the outcome, even though they haven't won against City in their last 16 encounters. They will have that 'what if' thought in their minds and think they could have picked up what will have been as a memorable three points.
Two points dropped for Everton yesterday? More reaction to come here - eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com/search/label...
— European Super Football (@superfootball.bsky.social) 27 December 2024 at 12:26
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Sarah W told us: "We had our chances. I just wish Sean Dyche would use some imagination. Jordan Pickford to the rescue again. That's 17 points from 17 games - and if that ends up being 38 points from 38 games we should be playing Premier League football in our new stadium. Overall, a satisfactory performance."
City fan reaction
We spoke with three different Manchester City fans after the match. Here's what they had to say. They all seemed to be concerned this poor run of form and results seems to be continuing.
Tony from Cheadle said: "Was that an improvement? Probably, but defensively we were to blame for Everton's goal. Iliman Ndiaye had so much time—he stood in the same spot for two or three minutes, and no one picked him up. Hopefully, we’ll do better at Leicester, but honestly, even a draw would feel like a good result right now. A win would be exceptional!"
Bert from Stockport said: "Slow, methodical build-up play just doesn’t work anymore. Possession is meaningless if you can’t turn it into chances. Passing sideways or backwards only gives the opposition time to regroup. We need to be more direct and take risks. Even pushing wide isn’t helping when there’s no one in the box to finish. Erling Haaland has carried City in recent seasons, but this year he’s been a shadow of himself—drifting aimlessly, barely touching the ball, and showing little fight or work rate. The 192 bus broke down to Stockport on the way home. An awful day!"
Ryan said:" Yet another lacklustre performance—too slow in the build-up and defensively shaky. Rico Lewis was once again at fault for their goal, but Pep keeps playing him. He’d be better off going out on loan to develop. The future feels uncertain. Why isn't Kevin De Bruyne starting matches?"
