- Man City drew with Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium
- Had to work hard to secure point
- Key moment of controversy in first half
Manchester City managed to rescue a late point against Everton, but there was one moment in the first half which will not have pleased Pep Guardiola.
Here are five things we observed from the match which saw Manchester City move within five points of Arsenal in the Premier League table.
Michael Keane was lucky not to be sent off
Jeremey Doku was approaching Everton’s penalty area in the first half when he was taken out by Michael Keane.
The defender did not come close to winning the ball, committing a challenge which was both reckless and dangerous.
However, he was let off with a yellow card, saved by the fact that his foul was not too high up Doku’s leg.
Regardless of this, it was a dreadful tackle and the Englishman was incredibly lucky to remain on the pitch.
Man City were careless in possession
It was clear from very early on in the game that City were giving the ball away far too often, whether it was due to being dispossessed or simply passing the ball away.
This became a major problem in the second half, especially when Marc Guehi gave the ball straight to Thierno Barry.
Shortly afterwards, Abdukodir Khusanov lingered far too long on the ball and was tackled. This led to a corner kick which Everton used to take a 2-1 lead.
Overall, City looked careless and sloppy and it was these traits which cost them a victory in what was a must-win game.
City failed to make use of their time on the ball
Man City had plenty of the ball at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, 75 per cent of it to be exact. In fact, the opening 25 minutes were nothing short of total domination.
Despite this, the Citizens created very few chances and their 1.58 xG score was much lower than Everton’s 2.77.
It was the hosts who looked more threatening up front, with fast paced counter-attacking moves and slick passing.
Jeremy Doku was Man City’s star player
City gifted Everton so many opportunities and ultimately conceded three goals in little more than 20 minutes.
However, Jeremy Doku rescued his team a point with a superb curled effort which was not dissimilar from his first half strike.
The Belgian completed more dribbles than any of his teammates, created more chances and had 11 touches in Everton’s box.
On a disappointing night, Doku was a shining light in the midst of a bleak darkness.
Bernardo Silva could have given away a penalty
Everton had taken a 3-2 lead, meaning City could not afford to make any further errors or it was game over.
Nevertheless, Bernardo Silva made a decision to start cuddling an Everton player inside his own penalty area as a corner kick was coming in.
In truth, the club captain was lucky not to give away a spot kick, which if scored, would have denied Man City the chance to launch their comeback.
Next up for Manchester City
Saturday sees the Sky Blues return to action against Brentford and now more than ever, getting a win is essential.
Still, the title is now in Arsenal’s hands, so there will be a lot of eyes on the London Stadium this coming Sunday.
