The Blues were winless in 16 against today’s opposition. However, with Everton’s upturn in form and City stuttering, a home win felt achievable. The almost automatic air of trepidation that once came with Manchester City has long vanished, yet this was never going to be an easy task—far from it.
David Moyes had some thinking to do during the week. Should he reward the eleven who impressed against high-flying Forest? Or should he continue with his experiment? For many of them, this was another audition—a chance to show the manager, the board, and the fans why they should be playing in Royal Blue on the docks next season. Those questions were answered at 1:45 as he named an unchanged team, with Coleman included on the bench.
It was an even start at Goodison Park, with both sides having their moments early on. The visitors looked keen to take control, but struggled to play through Everton’s well-drilled defence. The Toffees, who themselves were confident in possession, regularly opted to play out from the back and enjoyed some encouraging passages of play.
Savinho quickly became the pantomime villain after going down theatrically in the box, with a swift VAR check confirming there was no penalty. Jordan Pickford was first properly tested on the 15-minute mark, palming Matheus Nunes’ left-footed strike wide of the post. It was the only real effort of note until James Tarkowski’s header from James Garner’s corner smacked against the post. Under pressure, Tarkowski rose highest but was unfortunate not to give Everton the lead.
Garner and Idrissa Gana Gueye were relentless in midfield, never far from Kevin De Bruyne — who played his final match against the Blues. With a move to the USA widely speculated, one of our very own Americans, Landon Donovan, watched on as a special guest, returning to the ground where played 13 years ago. City’s number 17 received warm applause from both sides of the Gwladys Street as he stepped over to take a couple of corners.
As half-time approached and fans trickled toward the concourse, two quick moments brought them racing back to their seats. Everton appealed for a penalty, claiming a handball by Savinho, only for City to break up the other end. A goal looked inevitable until a brave block from O’Brien denied De Bruyne, whose disbelief was clear as the chance went begging.
During the break, the Goodison faithful welcomed six members of the legendary 1984/85 team on the 40th anniversary of their historic achievements.
The second half began with a golden opportunity for Jarrad Branthwaite, who found himself alone in front of goal after a flick-on from his centre-back partner — but his header lacked conviction and was comfortably gathered by Ortega. Just minutes later, a worrying moment followed. Tarkowski, stretching to intercept a ball over the top, pulled up and waved to the bench. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, as his impressive run of 111 consecutive starts looks to be in jeopardy. Nathan Patterson and Michael Keane were immediately sent to warm up, with Moyes opting for the latter. It was a rare outing for the out-of-contract defender, and he quickly made his mark — albeit negatively — with a late challenge on the energetic Marmoush, earning himself a yellow.
On the hour, Everton produced one of their best moves of the game. After neat interplay, Doucouré tested the keeper. Ndiaye was central to the move, weaving through defenders before threading a clever pass to the Frenchman, who showed excellent footwork before pulling the trigger. Ndiaye was involved again soon after, curling an effort just wide following more slick build-up.
That would prove to be Everton’s final real threat, as Pep Guardiola’s substitutions began to shift the balance. Jeremy Doku was particularly influential, repeatedly running at the tiring O’Brien. Keane continued to look shaky, misjudging an aerial ball and letting Marmoush in — but the City forward couldn’t capitalise.
Eventually, the breakthrough came in the 83rd minute. Youngster Nico O’Reilly, filling in at left-back, found himself in Haaland territory to tap in Nunes’ low cross. It was a cruel blow for Everton after a resilient display. City sealed it in stoppage time, with Kovacic guiding the ball into the bottom corner after clever work from Gundogan.
The 2-0 scoreline was perhaps harsh on the hosts, who had matched City for large spells. But the visitors’ quality told in the end. As the final whistle blew, the Goodison crowd rose to applaud the effort — knowing they’ll only return to this ground twice more.
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