Manchester City 1 – 1 Everton
Everton’s final away fixture of 2024 saw a brilliant half-volley from Illiman Ndiaye lvel the scores before Jordan Pickford saved superbly to stop Erling Haaland scoring from a penalty kick.
Ashley Young misses this one through suspension after accumulating 5 yellow cards, with Seamus Coleman stepping in at right-back. Dwight McNeil is also ruled out due to the knee complaint that has sidelined him for the last two games.
Broja returns to join Chermiti and Beto on the bench while Sean Dyche persists with the seriously misfiring trio of Doucoure, Harrison, and Calvert-Lewin — Everton’s specialist ‘hold-up’ centre-forward last scored a goal over 3 months ago!
Gueye got things going in the usual way, the home side taking up possession until they won a corner off Coleman. They worked it short before Gvardiol headed crisply onto the face of the post!
Mykolenko was already struggling against the speed and trickery of Savinho, who twice came close to breaking through. A transition saw Harrison put in a decent cross but Calvert-Lewin let it bounce. Ndiaye and Mykolenko tried to advance down the left but Calvert-Lewin was not there where the ball went forward.
Savinho attacked again but Doucouré did well to thwart his progress. Doku jinked past Coleman on the other side and a desperate lunge by Silva deflected the ball down off Branthwaite and spun up over Pickford and inside the far post for the first goal after just 14 minutes.
A foul by Doucocore gave Foden a chance to put a ball in that went beyond everyone. Everton’s next foray forward was fed back to Mangala for a shot that was high and wide.
A neat City move saw Haaland get past Pickford but Branthwaite was there to put it behind, with Ake heading over from the corner. A ball over the top almost set Haaland through but Pickford was out to cover well.
Everton advanced to get a corner off Lewis, Ndiaye’s delivery headed out to Gueye who at least got his shot on target. Savinho tried another run in, his shot blocked up in the air to Pickford.
Mykolenko scooped a ball up to Calvert-Lewin but Akanji was all over it to deny him, drawing a very soft foul. A City long ball fell nicely to Bernardo Silva but he screwed his shot wide with the outside of his foot.
A great forward ball by Gueye gave Coleman the chance to cross from the byeline but it was blocked out for a corner.
They reworked it to Doucouré whose excellent cross found Ndiaye with just a fraction of time for a lovely drop-volley into the far top corner. Much more like it from him!
Everton looked almost dominant as they surged forward again, Ndiaye dancing ahead and cutting back a ball that should have been slammed into the net but it avoided two Everton attackers and was cleared.
Simon Hooper saw a foul by Mykolenko but Foden could not beat the Everton wall. But they worked it around and Coleman had to take it off Doku but City won a corner to keep up the pressure, Svaniho’s shot needed to be blocked. Foden was next to see his shot blocked by Coleman as City pressed, the corner delivered to Pickford.
A good one-two with Harrison and Mangala won a corner late in the half, the delivery flying behind off the top of Calvert-Lewin’s head to end the half, with Everton still in the game and finally showing they could (and should) get forward and threaten.
Mykolenko did very well to stall Savinho at the expense of a corner early in the second half. Gvardiol got a great glancing header on it but Harrsion was able to stop it dead and clear away from goal. Calvert-Lewin went on a lonely jaunt to the corner flag.
There followed a spell of heavy pressure from Man City. From a corner, a Duku cross was too difficult for Haaland to head down. But they kept up the attack, Savinho shooting low, cleared by Pickford. Kovacic then got a clean strike but drove it a foot past the far post.
Mykolenko was again tormented by Savinho who just touched the ball away from him before getting caught by the Ukrainian right on the edge of the area: penalty, not before Coleman was booked for sledging Haaland! Pickford saved down low to his right after giving Haaland the Haka tongue… Superb! And Haaland offside when he headed in the rebound! Incredible salvation!
Ndiaye and Calvert-Lewin almost worked it through, Akanji forcing it behind for a corner but too much argy-bargy for Simon Hooperm who gave City a free-kick. Svinho came back again at Mykoleno, winning a corner, Gvardiol putting it behind.
Kovacic had a shot blocked and Everton tried to break. Calvert-Lewin was slow coming back from one attack that he was flagged offside when Managla went to pick him out. Calvert-Lewin was fed with a nice ball down the right wing but Ake had the measure of him and got the ball back to Ortega.
Foden skipped inside and fed Haaland but it was perfectly blocked away. City kept pressing but Everton did get forward, Harrison getting a cross back to Doucoure whose cross was deflected bind for a corner. But the delivery was just bizarre, skied by Ndiaye far across the City area.
Silva put up a decent cross but Tarkowski was right underneath it as Gvardiol powered into him.
Managla had a fierce shot that careened off Akanji wide of the City goal. Harrison’s corner to the far post was met by Branthwaite but he could only head it into Ortega’s hands.
Lewis powered a shot well over with 6 minutes added. Everton broke well but Gueye took too long for the cross that bounced back off him and out for a goal-kick. It became quite ragged in the final minutes. Everton broke with Broja in a four on two but they gave the responsibility to Harrison and he messed it up.
Manchester City: Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Akanji, Ake (85′ Simpson-Pusey), Gvardiol, Kovacic (85′ Gundogan), Bernardo, Savinho, Foden [Y90+4′], Doku (75′ De Bruyne), Haaland.
Subs not Used: Carson, Brits, Mubama, Alleyne, O’Reilly, McAteze.
Everton: J Pick ford, Mykolenko [Y:42′], Branthwaite [Y:87′], Tarkowski, Coleman [Y:52′] (90′ N Patterson), Ndiaye (81′ Lindstrøm), Mangala [Y:79′], Doucouré, Gueye, Harrison, Calvert-Lewin (70′ Broja).
Subs not Used: Virginia, Keane, Beto, O’Brien, Chermiti, Armstrong.
Referee: Simon Hooper|
VAR: Alex Chilowicz