Manchester City regained normality in the Premier this Wednesday and won, as usual in recent seasons, at Goodison Park against Everton (1-3) with a comeback that culminated at the hour mark with a penalty converted by the Argentine Julián Álvarez, which returns him to the status of contender for the English title.
The debut as club world champion for the first time in its history did not distract the Spanish Pep Guardiola’s team, which came out with the three points from Liverpool and damaged Everton, who buried a wonderful streak of consecutive victories last day after falling with Tottenham.
Manchester City’s victory could have come earlier and bigger. But he found the permanent inspiration of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, his team’s hero, only with the mole of the last goal conceded, with the crash doomed. The saving character of the English team’s goal lasted as long as it could. One hour. Because in eleven minutes of the second half the visiting team turned the situation around.
Manchester City’s seventh straight victory at Goodison Park, still without the Norwegian Erling Haaland or the Belgian Kevin de Bruyne, was forged after the intermission. Before he was able to score. Many times. But Pickford avoided it. Four minutes later he saved a double chance for the ‘citizens’. He first took a shot from Julián Álvarez with his left foot after receiving the ball from Jack Grealish. The home goalkeeper was then attentive and also thwarted Phil Foden’s subsequent shot.
Pickford multiplied and saved his team two other times. At a quarter of an hour. In a shot by Matheus Nunes and then by Ávarez. Later, he came to the rescue again with a miraculous handball from a Grealish shot.
And when no one thought about it, Sam Dyche’s team took advantage. In a loss of the ball by Rodri due to local pressure. It was Dwight McNeil who sent the pass and, first, Jack Harrison beat Ederson.
City entered into a crisis, which did not think about this situation. And Everton were able to score the second, at half an hour, with a shot by Harrison when collecting a rebound that led to a great save by Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson.
He had loosened Guardiola’s team, who assumed the difficulty of the duel. And he found the equalizer on a seemingly irrelevant occasion, in full circulation of the ball until it reached Foden. He stopped the ball, looked and took a shot from distance, from outside the area, which beat Pickford.
The goal encouraged Manchester City who were able to take advantage at the hour mark with a direct free kick taken by Julián Álvarez and which showed, once again, Pickford’s virtues.
But it only took two minutes for the second goal to arrive. Due to a handball inside the area by Andre Onana who repelled a point-blank shot from Nathan Ake. Julián Álvarez did not fail to put Guardiola’s team ahead.
He did not give up or resign himself to Everton’s inferiority, which accentuated its offensive in search of a tie. But City protected the ball well and controlled the match until closing a laborious victory with the third goal. The only spot for Pickford, who on a long serve caused the ball to reach Bernardo Silva who shot from afar but into an empty goal, and closed the game. Foden even could have turned the victory into a rout but his shot, in the added time, hit the left post.
City, with one game less, is five points behind the leader, Liverpool. Everton, however, is once again approaching relegation. It marks salvation, with only one point ahead of Luton, second from bottom.
