Manchester City’s plight is their individual kind of deja vu nightmare. Featuring early dominance, taking the lead, creating numerous chances, the spurning of these, and then their pesky foes taking one of their very few to thwart those in light blue.
Add to the above a dismal 53rd-minute Erling Haaland penalty miss – greeted with a mischievous wink by Jordan Pickford after his save – and times are ever more trying for Pep Guardiola’s men.
The bottom line is one win in 13 now for the champions, a collapse so spectacular you can expect that “doing a City” will soon become common usage. Before Haaland’s despair they were flying. After it, they were winded. A blur of ball-hogging which lacked certainty whenever advancing close to Everton’s goal.
As the contest aged Savinho’s ballooned chip caused Guardiola further dudgeon: yet another spurned opening. His team are a liability each time they have to defend, too. A (reasonable) Guardiola trope is how, as here, the opposition score from very few chances. But this is a function of City’s systematic failure from back to front. Missed opportunities become glaring if the rearguard enters a mini-panic whenever called to action.
Guardiola has been as dignified as his side have disappointed during the dire run, calm before the media, while exhorting his men to maintain City’s principles, and on this occasion they did so – at first. A Josko Gvardiol forage forced a corner on the left. Phil Foden fashioned a one-two with Jérémy Doku and a cross was headed on to Pickford’s right post by the leaping Gvardiol. His manager scrunched his face, then saw Savinho’s mazy run end in a shot that dribbled into Pickford’s clutches. This was City in the old, imperious mood, swatting teams aside with pugnacious pass-and-move play.
Savinho’s slashing runs shredded Everton along the right. Again he jagged into the area but pulled the trigger too late. So Bernardo Silva showed the winger how. On City’s other flank, Doku’s precise ball found the Portuguese’s curving run: the angle was difficult but his shot ricocheted off Jarrad Branthwaite, beat Pickford and bobbled into the far corner.
Silva ran to the jubilant crowd to celebrate. Teammates followed. As did a quick second goal so nearly followed. Foden swung over a free-kick that begged Haaland or Nathan Aké to ram it home but neither did and the playmaker swung his arms in upset.
City taunted the visitors. Foden slipped in Haaland; he rounded Pickford but could not finish. At this juncture the champions’ slide felt surreal, a fantastical occurrence. They were rampant.
What did Everton have? Perhaps the hope of a breakout goal. On one venture forward Orel Mangala’s curler troubled Stefan Ortega only a little. What City possessed was a relentless yet blunt threat. Haaland and Savinho were profligate, again; their manager was troubled, knowing that scoring another would soothe.
Next came a goal-of-the-month contender – if only Silva had finished it. A floating ball was collected by Haaland and he fed Foden. Spying Silva’s inside-left burst, he tapped to him, yet the Portuguese’s effort with the outside of his left boot flew wide.
Now Everton punched through City’s sieve-like backline for the equaliser. Along the right, Abdoulaye Doucouré crossed, a flailing Manuel Akanji shinned the ball on, and Iliman Ndiaye did what Silva couldn’t: finish with the outer rim of a boot – his right.
Haaland might have grabbed a 14th league goal of the season, and Foden a second. But a lack of ruthlessness cost them once more. Everton closed the period with a corner and a quarter-chance for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which was a warning.
Guardiola’s latest medical bulletin had been hardly rosy, saying Kyle Walker was unwell, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gündogan, both on the bench, had had flu, and that Jack Grealish was injured. Yet here was an XI containing Haaland, Foden, Silva and other A-listers. One of these – Haaland – missed the first opening after the swap of ends: a header as directionless as the team. Another frontline act – Mateo Kovacic – flashed wide from distance.
When Vitalii Mykolenko chopped Savinho down the referee, Simon Hooper, awarded the penalty. But up trotted Haaland and his insipid attempt was saved low to his right by Pickford, the striker’s follow-up header after the ball was played back in ruled out correctly for offside. Everton’s goalkeeper had gurned at Haaland; while it may have put him off a bit the Norwegian simply has to do better.
Towards the end, De Bruyne jogged on but his magic is absent too. City padded about in the final third but toothlessness has replaced the former gluttony for goals. In added time an Everton breakaway came close to engineering a classic smash-and-grab victory. An Akanji block saved City.
But, as the defender said: “It can’t happen that we nearly lose in the last minute. We’re trying to attack but then we lose the ball and it was like a six-v-two situation. Luckily I blocked the shot. Things like this can’t happen.”
