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Everton out-matched by Champions City

Saturday, 28 September, 2019 0comments  |  Jump to most recent
Everton 1 - 3 Manchester City

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was credited with Everton's equaliser but he was denied a chance to bring Everton level again when Ederson made a crucial save

Everton fell to their fourth defeat in their last five Premier League games as Manchester City proved too strong at Goodison Park.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was officially credited with the goal that brought the hosts level in the 33rd minute after Gabriel Jesus had seemingly put the Champions on the road to victory when he had opened the scoring nine minutes earlier.

However, Everton's spirited attempts to go on and win the game were snuffed out by excellent goalkeeping by Ederson at one end while Riyad Mahrez restored City's lead at the other from a free-kick with 20 minutes to go and Raheem Sterling killed the contest 13 minutes later as the home defence was torn apart again.

Marco Silva came into the game needing a response from his team following the harrowing defeat to Sheffield United last weekend and he retained Calvert-Lewin in the starting line-up after the striker's brace on Tuesday against the Blades' local rivals, Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup.

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With Bernard ruled out through illness, the big surprise was Theo Walcott's inclusion wide on the right but the former Gunner lasted less than minute before he was stretchered off after taking a cross to the head.

City, coming off an 8-0 home win over Watford and a 3-0 triumph over Preston in the cup, signalled their intent early when Yerry Mina's clearance went straight to Mahrez and lkjay Gundogan smacked his cross off crossbar when he seemed certain to score.

The visitors did take the lead, however, with 23 minutes on the clock. Mahrez surged past Lucas Digne down Manchester City's right and then cut a pass back to Kevin de Bruyne whose cross picked out Jesus in the centre to head in from close range.

Iwobi set up Gylfi Sigurdsson shortly afterwards but his powerful shot was saved by Ederson before Pickford twice denied Mahrez at the other end with routine stops as City threatened to extend their lead on the counter-attack.

Instead, however, it was Everton who got back into it. Stand-in centre-back Fernandino could only clear the ball to Iwobi just outside the box and when the ball ricocheted to Seamus Coleman, the Irishman dinked the ball over the keeper and Calvert-Lewin dived to ensure that it went over the line with his head.

Iwobi and Sigurdsson combined again late in the half with the former floating a brilliant ball over the top for the former but Sigurdsson tried to bring the ball down with his foot rather than prod it over Ederson and the chance evaporated.

Needing to win to close the gap at the top of the table, City emerged for the second half with their tails up and they came close to regaining the lead just two minutes after half-time but De Bruyne, having evaded Digne's lunge fired into the side-netting.

Still, Everton would have chances of their own to go ahead themselves and Mina almost scored in the 54th minute when he met a free-kick from the right but his downward header was palmed over by Ederson.

Six minutes later, it should have been 2-1 to Manchester City when the Blues couldn't get the ball out, Gundogan threaded Sterling in but Jordan Pickford did enough to force him to shoot wide.

That merely delayed the seemingly inevitable, though. With 70 minutes gone, Mina fouled De Bruyne just outside the box and Mahrez swept the resulting free-kick into the far corner to make it 2-1.

Then, after Ederson had prevented Calvert-Lewin from levelling the game again with a smart block after the striker had been played in by Sigurdsson and the denied Mina from another set-piece header, City wrapped things up.

Mahrez twisted and turned in the penalty area, Sergio Agüero's cross shot was saved by Pickford's foot but the ball fell invitingly to Sterling who hammered it in off the underside of the crossbar and just over the goal line.

The result, while harsh in terms of the scoreline, underscored City's superiority and it leaves Everton in 15th place with just seven points from as many games and in need of a positive result at Burnley next weekend to get their season moving in the right direction again.

 

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