EPL 2016/17: Manchester City 1-1 Everton- 5 Talking Points
Manchester City and Everton played out an entertaining draw on the 8th match day of the Premier League. While Manchester City dominated the proceedings in the first half, it was Everton who took the lead in the 64th minute when Romelu Lukaku found the back of the net after finding space to run into.
Despite City’s best efforts, they failed to equalise until the 72nd minute, when Nolito met with David Silva’s cross to breathe life into the fixture.
City, guilty of missing 2 penalties in the same game, ended their second consecutive league game without a win.
Here are the five talking points from the meeting between the two sides.
#1 Ronald Koeman comes out on top in the battle of former Catalan superstars
While he largely has Maarten Stekelenburg for saving him the blushes, Ronald Koeman came out on top in the first meeting between the former Catalan superstars in the Premier League.
His team knew what they wanted to achieve from their trip to the Etihad, which has been a difficult ground for many clubs in the recent past. His Everton team executed the plan to perfection, eking out a positive result at the end of the day to continue with their good beginning to the season.
Though they were not as effective in attack, the Toffees’ defence truly stood out, despite the two mistakes made by captain Phil Jagielka. In the first half, City had all the possession and were relentless in attack, Everton lived up to the challenge, absorbing the pressure that came their way. While the game did open up post half time, Everton were disciplined in their defensive approach and did not let the situation get ahead of them.
The appointment of Ronald Koeman has spurred life into Everton and they look like serious contenders for a European spot.