Everton 1-3 Manchester City: 5 hits and flops as Sky Blues come from behind to sink the Toffees | Premier League 2023-24
Manchester City come from behind to beat Everton 3-1 in the Premier League at the Goodison Park on Wednesday, December 27.
Although the champions started the match brightly, the Toffees managed to hold off the pressure and surprised City by breaking the deadlock in the 29th minute.
Rodri was dispossessed before Dwight McNeil drove forward into the box and then squared it for Jack Harrison to provide a simple finish at the near-post.
With City unable to claw their way back before the break, a big performance was needed in the second half, and that is exactly what they delivered.
Phil Foden leveled the proceedings in the 53rd minute with a sublime strike from range with Julian Alvarez converting a penalty, 11 minutes later. With only four minutes of normal time left on the clock, Bernardo Silva made it 3-1 with a delicate strike over Jordan Pickford to put the tie to bed.
City remained in fourth place with 37 points from 18 games, five behind leaders Liverpool (who have played one game more) and three behind second-placed Arsenal, who take on West Ham United on Thursday, December 28. Everton are down in 17th with 16 points from 19 games.
Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Manchester City's playmaking wizard was at his creative best for the champions once again as Phil Foden ran the show with his intelligent runs, smart link-up plays and one sublime goal.
His precious dribbling skills saw Foden get the ball forward and was a great outlet for passes in attacking areas. He scored a brilliant goal as well, receving a pass on the edge of the box before firing an unstoppable effort into the far post.
Flop: Andre Gomes (Everton)
Former Barcelona man Andre Gomes made his first Premier League start with Everton for the season and struggled to make any noteable impact on the field.
The Sky Blues limited him to only 22 touches as Gomes completed just six passes in 65 minutes of action. His set-pieces were promising, but not good enough to salvage the game for him.
Hit: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Much like Foden, Bernardo Silva was also involved in the thick of the things for Manchester City. The Portuguese winger was a menace on the right flank, buzzing in and around Everton's defense with energy, poise and purpose.
He was sloppy in possession more times than City would've liked, having lost the ball a staggering 27 times, but Silva more than made up for it with his hit moments in the game. The 29-year-old bagged the assist for Foden's goal with a regular pass inside the box and then scored with a delicate chip from the edge of the box to seal it for City.
Flop: Beto (Everton)
Everton had only two shots on target in the game, and none of them came from Beto. The striker's attempts were wayward, as all three of them were off target, and his attacking threat seemed to cool off after the break too.
He started the game brightly, giving Manuel Akanji a hard time with his directness and forward runs but struggled to make that killer pass or shot that really beat City's defense.
In 65 minutes of action, Beto attempted only seven passes, completing five, and failed to make a single cross. Not the best impression to make when you're handed a rare start.
Hit: Jack Grealish (Manchester City)
Jack Grealish was another promising figure in attack for Manchester City. He kept Everton on their toes with his attacking plays inside the box and possessed a keen eye for pass.
The Englishman was among the creative inspiration for the side, laying four key passes, but contributed immensely from a defensive standpoint too with three tackles and nine ground duels won.