Everton 1:3 Manchester City: 3 reasons why the defending champions won the match | Premier League 2019/20
Manchester City edged past Everton 3-1 to trim down Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points.
The 3-1 scoreline, in the end, flattered the Toffees a touch as the hosts gave a good account of themselves and could’ve salvaged a draw on another day. However, the Cityzens showcased their offensive prowess at crucial junctures to tilt the encounter their way.
Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in the 24th minute with an acrobatic header before Dominic Calvert-Lewin brought Everton level with a header of his own. In the second half, goals from Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling helped the visitors distance themselves from the hosts, thereby ensuring an important victory.
Let’s take a look at the three major factors that contributed to the Cityzens’ triumph on Merseyside.
#3 Everton fail to create enough clear-cut chances
After establishing a foothold in the match, courtesy Calvert-Lewin’s equaliser, Everton looked far from a team that had lost two league games on the bounce. Buoyed by a boisterous crowd, they suddenly clicked into gear and started playing through City’s high press.
However, despite the improvement in their build-up play, the Toffees weren’t able to carve out enough clear-cut chances, meaning that they had to feed off scraps.
In the second half, the hosts enjoyed much more of the ball but their inability to get in behind a vulnerable City defence allowed the visitors to deploy a high line and squeeze the pitch. Additionally, Gylfi Sigurdsson’s threat was completely nullified by Rodri as the Spaniard was on hand to deal with every trick the Icelander tried to pull out of his bag.
When Everton did manage to find themselves in the vicinity of the goal, they were confronted by Ederson, who thwarted the Toffees remarkably.
Last summer, the Merseyside outfit gambled on Marco Silva, hoping for the Portuguese to instil an attacking and effervescent brand of football. However, Everton haven’t really managed to live up to those expectations.
Though it would be a little too premature to label Silva’s job as being under threat, one reckons it won’t be long before the clamours for his head start getting louder, especially if the Toffees keep lacking a cutting edge in the final third.
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