The accused beat the convicted at Goodison Park on Wednesday night when a team facing 115 Premier League charges beat a side that was deducted 10 points last month with a crucial goal that brought forth another deluge of fury and consternation about the handball rule. In the circumstances, it felt like it was a fitting way for the game to be decided.
In the midst of the furore about the events that led to Julian Alvarez blasting home the second half penalty that was the critical moment in this match, Manchester City re-ignited a title challenge that had unexpectedly hit the skids by drawing a line under a mystifyingly poor run of form that had seen them slip away from the summit of the table.
After beating Urawa Reds and Fluminense in Jeddah to lift the Club World Cup last week and add a fifth trophy to a quite remarkable year, this was a gritty, gutsy, come-from-behind victory by Pep Guardiola‘s side that sent out a message they are ready to resume their attempt to become the first team to win four league titles in succession in England.
For all the puzzlement about their recent form, this hard-fought 3-1 win against an Everton side still smarting from its punishment moved City, who are in the Premier League’s crosshairs themselves, up into fourth place, just five points adrift of leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.
Everton fought hard but they were undone by a superb strike from Phil Foden, that disputed penalty and then by some dithering from England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford that gifted a late goal to Bernardo Silva but if they play like this, even with a depleted team, they will have no problem climbing away from relegation.
Phil Foden starred for Man City as they recovered from a goal deficit to claim the victory
Julian Alvarez converted the penalty which got City’s noses in front in 64th minute of the tie
Amadou Onana was penalised after the ball struck his arm following Nathan Ake’s strike on goal
City had started the game in fifth place, eight points behind leaders Liverpool. Some might have rubbed their eyes at that but it was true. City had only won one of their previous six games in the league, a slump that many had thought them incapable of.
Some had begun to believe their cloak of invincibility was starting to slip from their shoulders. Their manager, Pep Guardiola, could sense hope flourishing among their rivals and in the hearts of the teams’ critics. ‘As much as you win,’ Guardiola said, ‘they want you to fail more than ever.’
Everton started the game as the form team. They might have been only one point above the relegation zone but they had won four of their last five league fixtures in a run of brilliant form that seemed to have been inspired by seething resentment at the 10-point deduction visited upon them by the Premier League last month for violating profit and sustainability rules.
To no one’s great surprise, City did not take much notice of the form guide when the match began. They dominated the early stages and should have taken the lead after a quarter of an hour with the first chance of the match. Actually, it was the first two chances.
The initial opportunity fell to Matheus Nunes, who latched on to a clever through ball and readied himself to shoot as Jordan Pickford raced out to meet him. Nunes hit his shot both without conviction and too close to the England goalkeeper, who blocked it with his feet.
But the rebound fell at the feet of Julian Alvarez and the Argentina World Cup winner took it first time. His shot was heading for goal before Pickford managed to deflect it wide with a superb reaction save.
That double save prompted Alan Shearer to observe that Pickford was going to have to have a superb game if Everton were going to get anything out of it. Pickford proved him right almost immediately, diving low to his left to stop a toe-poke from Jack Grealish arrowing into the bottom left-hand corner. Only later, would his standards slip.
Then, 17 minutes before the interval and entirely against the run of play, Everton took the lead. Bernardo Silva, that most meticulous of players, slipped and lost the ball on the far touchline as he tried to keep it in play and the ball was drilled into the City box.
Former Man City player Jack Harrison got Everton off to a great start with the opener after only 29 minutes
Pep Guardiola beamed after the game as his side made a winning return to Premier League action following their exploits on the global stage
Rodri controlled it but dawdled in possession and was bundled off the ball by Dwight McNeil. Rodri is a heavily-built man who should be able to withstand that kind of pressure but he lost his balance, McNeil took the ball on and crossed it to the near post where it was turned in by Harrison.
A few minutes later, the home team thought they had doubled their lead. When an Everton corner was only half cleared, it fell to Harrison 12 yards out. His snap shot, hit with the outside of his left foot, was curling away from Ederson towards the top corner until the City goalkeeper produced an outstanding save to touch it over the bar.
City suffered a blow five minutes before half time when John Stones, such an important player for the champions and just returning from injury, limped off after appearing to damage an ankle in the course of making a last-ditch tackle to deny Beto. He was replaced by Josko Gvardiol.
City were struggling to make an impression on the game by the time the first half finished. Too many of their players looked below-par. Rodri was careless in possession, Grealish lacked penetration, Bernardo Silva was ineffectual and Nunes, once again, was failing to make any sort of impact.
That changed eight minutes after half time when City worked the ball across the face of the Everton box and then back again until it reached the feet of Phil Foden 25 yards out. Foden took a touch, drew back his left foot and let fly.
It was as pure a strike of a football as you could wish to see. Pickford is a brilliant shot-stopper and he has been in fine form but even though it was a sublime strike, he might have done better.
The England keeper had begun to drift slightly to his right when Foden hit the ball and it was hit with such power that he could not recover fast enough. The ball hurtled past him like a bullet, low and true, just off the ground, and smashed into the back of the net.
City were playing with far more purpose and intent now and ten minutes later, they took the lead. Referee John Brooks awarded a penalty after Amadou Onana had hurled himself at a shot from Nathan Ake in the Everton box. Brooks had hesitated before making his decision and he was surrounded by City players, pleading their case.
The ball hit Onana on the arm at close range, igniting yet another impassioned debate about the handball rule and complaints from Liverpool fans about the penalty they were denied last week when Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard appeared to handle the ball at Anfield. Even though the decision was reviewed, it was not overturned.
Pickford was booked for gamesmanship in the build-up to the kick but Alvarez had the last laugh. He hit his penalty down the middle and when Pickford dived to his right, the ball squeezed under his trailing legs and bounced into the net.
City completed their victory four minutes from the end when Pickford delayed a clearance for too long. It was deflected to Bernardo Silva, who curled it expertly over the head of the helpless England keeper and into the net.
