City deliver the late show but not the great show
Last year's champions hand Everton their first home league defeat since January to stay on course for the Champions League
Manchester City still don't look like themselves. The team that imperiously strode to the last four Premier League titles, outlasting Arsenal and Liverpool is no more, and will surely be dismantled this summer.
The one remaining vestige of that all-conquering machine is the ability to save their best form for the business end of the season, which they proved by stretching their unbeaten run to six matches - their longest since October.
Pep Guardiola’s beleaguered bunch left it late, but they were able to drag a result out of a stodgy display that looked destined to end goalless. Nico O'Reilly and Mateo Kovacic delivered the daggers to Evertonian optimism, as David Moyes suffered a second home defeat and a first since the opening match of his second spell.
Everton were winless in their past 15 Premier League games against Manchester City, but will have taken heart from their battling point at the Etihad on Boxing Day, when the City malaise was at its deepest. At times this season, there's been a rush to declare the deposed champions as “back”, only for the next game to prove that assessment premature. After the stirring comeback against Crystal Palace there was more cautious optimism, perhaps in light of the fact that they could have gone 3-0 behind had Eberechi Eze held his run by a fraction.
City were missing their first choice options at both ends of the pitch in Ederson and Erling Haaland. Stefan Ortega hasn't been quite as able a deputy as Omar Marmoush, but facing the team with the lowest goal tally outside of the bottom three, Guardiola surely hoped that the German stopper would be less influential than his new teammate.
Both sides struggled to get a grip on proceedings in the early stages. As expected, City had most of the ball. However, outside of a low drive from Mathews Nunes that Jordan Pickford turned around his post, there was little in the way of chances to show for it. Everton looked menacing when Iliman Ndiaye ran with the ball, but he couldn't do it close enough to goal to cause any damage.
The gallows humour of City fans singing “Is this the Etihad?” in response to a subdued home crowd was the only form of entertainment in the opening half hour. The Evertonians were desperate for their team to give them something to cheer, judging by the roar that greeted their first corner. It almost worked, as James Tarkowski fought off Josko Gvardiol and Bernardo Silva but could only flick his header against the post.
The best chance for the visitors came as the flow from the stands to the concourse for half time refreshments was at its heaviest. Nunes drove to the byline beyond Vitali Mykolenko, and his centre was deflected into the path of Kevin De Bruyne. The City skipper’s fiercely struck shot was parried wide by the head of Jarrad Branthwaite at full stretch inches from the ground.
The players trudged off to the sounds of “The King of wishful thinking”, and it felt like a rebuke of anyone who expected anything other than a war of attrition.
Moyes would have undoubtedly been the happier of the two managers, and his side started the brighter after the break. Tarkowski flicked a wide free-kick into the path of his centre back partner, whose own header was caught by the quick reflexes of Ortega. City’s keeper almost undid his good work moments later, coming for a corner and getting nowhere near the ball. His luck was in as Abdoulaye Doucoure's effort was blocked on the line.
Tarkowski succumbed to a hamstring injury, and with him went any impetus Everton had built. Moyes admitted as much post-match, disappointed with how his chargers reacted to the loss of their leader, and a key component at both ends of the pitch. Michael Keane was his replacement, but didn't make a strong case to maintain the position ahead of Jake O’Brien.
There was a notable lack of threat from Everton's central striker. Armando Broja looked at least a yard off the pace, unable to keep possession or pose any kind of problem to a still shaky City defence. It was left to Doucoure - not the most graceful of dribblers - to trick his way into a shooting position, forcing Ortega to deflect away his near post effort.
The Everton faithful sang for Beto, and Moyes heeded the call, giving the Portuguese half an hour to snatch a winner. There appeared to be no similar sense of urgency from their opponents. Savinho occasionally made inroads through his tricky and direct running, but clear-cut opportunities remained conspicuous by their absence.
Marmoush found it as tough as Broja to get into the game, his only contribution was to assist a pair of lacklustre shots from Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan. Guardiola waited until there were less than 15 minutes remaining before making changes, calling for Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic to replace Savinho and Nico Gonzalez.
Moyes, threw Dwight McNeil, Carlos Alcatraz and Tim Iroegbunam into the fray, but like his Spanish counterpart, they were like-for-like changes. Neither man acted as though willing to risk defeat in the pursuit of victory. The stakes are higher for City, as was the quality of player to call upon, so it was no surprise that the introduction of new blood favoured them. At last they were able to build a concerted period of pressure that brought the breakthrough.
Bernardo Silva told Nunes to make a run, and then gave him the perfect invitation to cross. O’Reilly, the other midfielder turned full-back, ghosted in between the Everton defence to tap home from the six-yard box. The youngster has been one of the team's most consistent performers over the last month, and was rewarded for another display of intelligent positioning and calm yet productive use of the ball.
The home side offered little in the way of a fightback, unable to string two passes together in the City half. Deep into injury time they were put out of their misery. Doku fired a ball into Gundogan on the penalty spot, who shielded it well before setting it back for Kovacic to slide in from the edge of the box and find the bottom corner.
Another tough hurdle cleared on the journey back to Europe’s top table, with the potential of an FA Cup trophy to salvage what has been a wretched season. Even a football artist like Guardiola will prioritise results over performance at this stage of the season, and looking at the remaining fixtures the smart money is now on City staying ahead of semi-final opponents Nottingham Forest in the league standings.
As the games tick away at their precious old home, every Everton defeat comes with an extra sting. They can at least be thankful that they get to sign off against a poor Southampton side, albeit one with a Goodison win already under their belt thanks to a Carabao Cup tie in September.
The fountain of goals that sprung from Moyes’ return has dried up, with 5 goals scored in the last 7 games. A trip to Stamford Bridge next weekend may be a catalyst - especially if Robert Sanchez is feeling generous - but the feeling persists that a consistent goalscorer is the next stage in Everton’s development from a team seeking to avoid relegation to a side pushing for Europe.
They aren't alone in seeking a number nine, and will be towards the back of a rather large queue this summer. For now, all that they can hope for is that this was the last forgettable contest at their unforgettable location.