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Everton welcome title-chasing Manchester City to Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night, with thoughts of European football for the Toffees hanging in the balance.
Everton have dropped into the bottom half of the Premier League table thanks to two back-to-back avoidable defeats. Can David Moyes do anything to prevent another damaging loss to Pep Guardiola's stars?
Team News
Beto returns to lead the line on his own after suffering concussion in the defeat to Liverpool. With Idrissa Gana Gueye mysteriously missing, Tim Iroegbunam partners James Garner in defensive midfield. Merlin Röhl is preferred to Dwight McNeil, presumably on the right – the young German making his first start since the 1-0 win at Aston Villa in January.
First Half
The up and under from Dewsbury-Hall went through to Donnarumma and Everton were soon chasing the ball as it zipped without interference for the next 2 minutes until Nunez slipped and Ndiaye was in, but failed to make anything of it.
Rohl was called for chasing down Doku a little too keenly. Signs of the way calls would be going tonight? The free-kick was worked around until Mykolenko. Dewsbury-Hall tried to break but Cherki went ot ground as if shot, and another free-kick for City.
Dewsbury-Hall broke up the City play but Garner soon had 4 players shepherding him away from goal. City forced a turnover, advanced, and won the first corner, played short and evenmtallly half-cleared by O'Brien. Cherki has the first shot, over Pickford's bar.
Another really soft call as O'Reilly went down under no real contact. Fortunately, City went for a round of pass the parcel until Doku won another corner off Rohl. City kept up the pressure with the workaround, Everton could only ball-watch as it zipped around until another City corner.
Beto headed it out at the near post, the next delivery again only half-cleared. But Everton were incredibly given a free kick when Haaland ran into Garner. But the Blue shirts only had possession for a few seconds.
O'Reilly almost got behind O'Brien but his cross didn't find Haaland. O'Reilly did better and got to the byline but Garner was in the right place to get it back to Pickford.
Everton were instantly pinned back again and O'Reilly again was the principal irritant. Then from the other side, Cherki's shot straight at Pickford before Semenyo drove through and fired across goal, no-one converting.
O'Brien dared to stand in front of Doku: another City free-kick. The pattern of the game was by now well established. Doku got past O'Brien but the cross to Semenyo was wellied over the bar.
After more than 20 minutes, it looked for a moment like Everton might get forward... but nothing came of it and the ball was played back by the Blues. Beto was called for nothing, supposedly a push in tussleing for a Pickford hoof.
But a mistake saw Ndiaye pay in Dewsbury-Hall who shot early, winning a rare corner off Khusanov. Keane got to but had poor contact on the header. Everton sustained their attack through a long throw-in but could not keep the ball high up in City's half.
City returned to siege mode until a terrible effort from Khusanov. But City resumed until Khusanov collapsed claiming Beto had trodden on his foot. Everon tried to build down the left through Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye but it went nowhere.
Rohl somehow got away from ___ down the left and ccrossed to Beto, Donnarumma getting a criucial fingertip to push it behind Beto, who spun back and saw his shot blocked. A brilliant chance jsut ddin't quite come off. Khusanov chesting up to Tarkowski after the Everton corner went dead.
Everton: Pickford, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Garner, Iroegbunam, Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Beto.
Subs: Travers, Patterson, McNeil, Barry, George, Dibling, Coleman, Alcaraz, Armstrong.
Manchester City: Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly, González, Silva, Semenyo, Cherki, Doku, Haaland
Subs: Trafford, Reijnders, Stones, Aké, Marmoush, Kovacic, Aït-Nouri, Savinho, Foden
Reader Comments (30)
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2 Posted 04/05/2026 at 18:54:12
3 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:00:30
Good luck blue boys
I can’t help thinking our flip flops are on though
I’d love to see a gutsy effort today
4 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:00:57
Feels a bit defeatist from the off - but, then again I ain't the expert. Let's hope it is a masterplan and I will be very happy to have egg on my face!
5 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:02:21
That's what's happened to Idrissa Gana Gueye, apparently. Probably a result of trying too hard.
No fear of Dibling doing that. He's not daft. Why should he pull his tripe out on the training field, get injured, and miss loadsa games spent sitting on the bench?
Hmmm... I think I see a pattern here. Moyes pushes them to the very limit in training. If they are still standing, they play. If they aren't, they are out injured. And if they didn't try hard enough, they are on the bench.
Got it.
6 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:06:55
I also think Beto will rough up the City defence.
We could be in for a good night.
7 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:09:06
Hope you are right!
8 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:15:03
9 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:15:51
Nothing to lose here, no one thinks we will give them a game, so let's give them game!
10 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:15:53
Beto can unsettle any defence. Just hope he doesn't over do the nuisance value and allow the ref to easily clip his wings.
This must be an ideal fixture for the manager to challenge his players to go toe to toe for 100 minutes or so. Just trying to contain Man City will play right into their hands. They have too much creativity and self-belief to get exasperated and lose focus until the last 10 minutes or so. We just can't be too passive and reliant on reacting to unforced mistakes.
Don't need gung-ho, but we must get truly competitive. I would especially love the 3 points to show Shearer and Richards to be the over-paid empty vessels they are.
Come on, you ballsy (Royal) Blues!
11 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:17:03
Pleased to see Rohl given a rare chance and Iroegbunam too. I think O'Brien is going to be in for a tough night though.
Why 2 right-backs on the bench but no left-back? Still, Moyes knows best, some believe...
12 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:17:24
13 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:17:56
As for the rest, largely same old, same old. Never one to spring a surprise is Moyesy.
14 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:18:53
15 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:18:58
We all know what's coming. We might fluke a goal, but I can't see anything beyond a City win.
It's worth noting my record in predicting results is historically as bad as our home record against City, so with that in mind we'll probably win 3-0.
16 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:21:45
Let's see if that actually happens or whether he drops deep for additional support.
17 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:22:10
Now, where is my couch? Ah, here it is, hiding behind the other couch.🥺
18 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:22:26
Yes love to see Graham get a little cameo for his good season, before the end of the season hopefully.
Rather see him having a go than Barry looking like he's a contestant on dancing on ice.
19 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:25:18
Only Forest have made fewer changes. That wily old fox Moyes proving you don't need to make full use of your squad to achieve mid-table security.
20 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:27:36
Dont think weve done too bad out of it tbh. Just grateful he's been a decent servant for the club.
21 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:27:53
22 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:29:29
23 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:30:21
That said, I wish he'd use more players and switch things up a bit just like the rest of you!
Interestingly, the 3 teams that have used the most players, are West Ham, Forest and Wolves. Make of that what you will.
24 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:32:55
It's important to sort out what we need for next season and weed out what we don't need.
Chances of winning very remote today as City old all the aces and need the points but you can get some odd score lines at the end of the season so who knows.
25 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:39:12
I remember last year, I think v Fulham or Brenford, a TW poster saw that Keane was picked as centre-back when there was no other option, moaning about the selection. I asked who they would play and the response was “Anybody but Keane!” That day, he played a blinder and scored the winner.
That day, there was a lesson to be learned. I am looking forward to see how Tim can take the place of Gana and having another look at Rohl. Looking at this we might even see Dibling getting a chance. What do we know?
26 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:51:10
27 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:53:07
Oh what football brains, to think the mighty city might beat us!
28 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:56:52
29 Posted 04/05/2026 at 19:59:03
Just hope it’s a double bluff and he’s actually told the team they can steam-roller the b*st*reds if they put the effort in and perform to their potential.
30 Posted 04/05/2026 at 20:00:23
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1 Posted 04/05/2026 at 18:51:59