Man City’s poor form continued as the Premier League champions were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Everton, with Erling Haaland again malfunctioning in front of goal and having his second-half penalty saved by Jordan Pickford.
City’s dreadful run now stretches to one win in 13 games – with manager Pep Guardiola saying he will look to add to his squad in January – while Sean Dyche’s side have claimed a point against Arsenal, Chelsea and City in the last two weeks.
Looking to close the gap on the top four and the Champions League places, the hosts made the ideal start at the Etihad as Bernardo Silva’s shot was fortuitously deflected into the far corner off Jarrad Branthwaite’s outstretched leg.
But instead of settling home nerves, City’s failure to score a second added tension to the game and minutes after Silva spurned a gilt-edged chance to double their lead, Everton levelled through Iliman Ndiaye’s third goal of the season.
Bernardo Silva celebrates after giving Man City a first-half lead against Everton
The Senegalese still had a lot to do to first cushion Abdoulaye Doucoure’s pass, before flashing a shot past a helpless Stefan Ortega as the sides went in level at half-time, but with a sense of frustration around the stadium.
City had the chance to get back to winning ways, though, when Vitaliy Mykolenko hacked down the lively Savinho in the box six minutes into the second half, only for Jordan Pickford to read Haaland’s mind to keep out the Norwegian’s low penalty – and even though the striker then headed in from close range after Phil Foden headed the rebound his way, he was offside in a moment that summed up both his and the champions’ recent struggles.
Iliman Ndiaye celebrates after equalising for Everton at the Etihad
Jordan Pickford saves Erling Haaland’s penalty
However, two more dropped points mean Guardiola’s pre-match warning that City could even miss out on next season’s Champions League places are not that far fetched after all.
What the managers said…
Man City boss Pep Guardiola on Amazon Prime:
“We played really good, but we are in a period right now that this is what happens. But yeah, keep going.
“Confidence will be with the results, because always is in our minds. But the performance against that team was really good, defensively, offensively. We shoot a lot in the 18-yard box, but unfortunately we could not get the result we wanted.”
