Manchester City vs Everton 1-1 Draw. Erling Haaland scored Manchester City’s 21st Premier League goal of the year, but Everton rallied to snag a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium, depriving City of all three points.
The crowd appeared to sigh with relief when Haaland was able to continue after the Norwegian striker frightened fans in the first minutes when he went down after a challenge from Ben Godfrey that required treatment.
After some superb work from Riyad Mahrez, Haaland scored the opening goal in just 24 minutes to continue his remarkable goal-scoring form. Before Demarai Gray came up with a goal that will live long in the memory of Everton supporters as they pulled away from the relegation zone, City was set for a straightforward victory.
The Performing Side:
Erling Haaland: Of course, Haaland scored against Everton to reach yet another milestone in his nascent Premier League career. He has already scored 21 league goals this season, which is more than any other player did before the new year. Haaland was undoubtedly motivated by this one.
The first-half free-kick winner from Norway then tried his best to energize the home crowd, which had grown a little sleepy as halftime approached. Following all of that, Haaland made a flying tackle on Vitalii Mykolenko, earning him a deserving yellow card and the ire of the Everton players, who gathered around the referee to vent their anger at the striker.
Demarai Gray: Gray has publicly acknowledged that the past few years have been difficult for him, but he lit up the Etihad Stadium with an outstanding individual goal that made sure Everton came away with a point. When Gray was sent scurrying into the City half and sprinting toward Ederson’s goal, there didn’t seem to be much of a threat.
The presence of two defenders didn’t bother the winger in the least. Instead, he calmly came to a stop, glanced back and up, and from just inside the penalty area looped the ball over goalkeeper Ederson. Even though Everton left the Premier League winners’ stadium with a point, it was the kind of goal that deserved to win a game.
Arsenal: The battle for the Premier League championship took yet another turn when City was unable to defeat Everton and Newcastle was held by Leeds. Before their match against Brighton, Arsenal would have expected a City victory and the lead at the top to be reduced to two points, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Even with City and Newcastle playing twice, can the Gunners blow it from here?
The Losing Side:
Rodri: When Rodri recklessly threw the ball away just after the hour mark, City had a 1-0 lead and was completely in control of the game. This allowed Everton to get back into what had seemed to be a lost cause for City. The ball was swiftly passed to Gray, who promptly scored a game-changing goal that may have been the best of the year.
Everton suddenly changed into a team full of confidence, and they immediately started looking for another goal. The Toffees were unable to score a second goal, while City eventually found a way to get back into the game in the dying minutes. The visitors held on to dent City’s title aspirations, but it was already too late.
Man City: Everton labored during the first half and continued to do so after the break. Gray’s goal was, in fact, the game’s first shot on goal for the visitors. The previous time around against Leeds, it was the same situation. As Man City sprinted to a 3-0 lead, the Whites seldom attempted Ederson’s goal, but when they did, they were successful in scoring. Only 26 goals were given up by Pep Guardiola’s team as they won the title the previous year. The champions have already allowed 16 this season, and it is starting to hurt them.
Phil Foden: In the match against Everton, Guardiola again chose to start Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez in attack instead of Foden. For the opening goal, the trio worked together flawlessly, but that was about as good as it got for the group. The introduction of Foden didn’t happen until minute 87 of the game. It’s a mystery as to why he wasn’t given more time, but the England international did appear bright after he arrived but simply didn’t have enough time to have an impact on the game.
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