Newly crowned Club World Cup champions Manchester City resumed Premier League matters with a 3-1 victory over Everton on Wednesday night.
Premier League
Result: Everton 1-3 Manchester City
Date: 27 December 2023
Venue: Goodison Park
Man City were still without Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku due to injuries and they kept the same attack of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez, that won them the FIFA Club World Cup in the final against Fluminense, with the only alterations coming in the form of Manuel Akanji and Matheus Nunes.
The Citizens pinned back Everton in their own half in the opening exchanges and as they increased the tempo of their attacks, after 15 minutes, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made a double save to deny Nunes and Alvarez.
City remained on the front foot and Grealish had a chance to open the scoring nine minutes later after going through on goal but his low shot was also kept out by Pickford.
However, Jack Harrison broke the deadlock for the Toffees on the half-hour mark from a counter-attack with a strike in the box from a through ball by Dwight McNeil.
Sean Dyche's charges sat deep in their own half after that, weathering the storm, frustrated City in the latter phase of the first stanza and went to the interval with a narrow lead.
Pep Guardiola's charges were patient on the ball coming from the break but it took them eight minutes to level matters after Foden drilled a low shot from the edge of the box past Pickford from an offload by Bernardo Silva.
City gained momentum and Alvarez gave them the lead just after the hour-mark from the penalty spot after a handball by Amadou Onana in the box was spotted by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Dyche immediately threw in Dominic Calvert-Lewin in place of Beto for fresh legs up top and with 16 minutes to go, Calvert-Lewin came very to snatching the equaliser with a first-time shot at the near post that missed narrowly wide of the gaping goals from a cross byJack Harrison.
The game was on the edge in the closing stages and a mistake at the back by Everton was punished in the dying minutes, after Silva curled a shot into the far post of the gaping net, with Pickford out of his area and sealed the three points for the Citizens.
City almost went 4-1 up in stoppages after Foden rattled the post, as they went up to fourth on the table, five points behind leaders Liverpool, who have played an extra game and three points behind second-placed Arsenal.
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