Erling Haaland seemed disappointed even after scoring a brace with his 23rd goals of the season for club and country. Is he on the run for the Ballon d’Or? Seems like it. Pep Guardiola’s team climbed the Everton hill with the help of the Norwegian machine’s double-barrel strike. The win takes Manchester City to the second of the Premier League table with 16 points.
A nonchalant first half followed by some bright moments in the second that’s the nutshell of today’s Premier League round at the Etihad. Jeremy Doku’s failed attempts and Everton’s counterattacking efforts were the recurring themes throughout the four minutes of added time in the first half.
Then came the second half , and with it, the 58th and 63rd minutes , when Erling Haaland struck twice. After that, everything turned into Haaland’s trial-and-error chase for a hat-trick, but “error” seemed his frequent companion. That’s where the disappointment mentioned at the start of this article truly began to show.
Everton started without their obvious talisman this season ,- Jack Grealish , who was ineligible to play against his parent club due to the Premier League rule preventing loan players from featuring against their owners. In his absence, another loanee, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, started for David Moyes’ side but struggled to find rhythm on the Etihad grass.
Manchester City lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Gianluigi Donnarumma guarding the goal. Matheus Nunes and Nathan Aké took charge of the wide defensive roles, while Rúben Dias partnered Nico O’Reilly at the heart of defence.
In midfield, Nico González operated as the deep-lying anchor, with Savinho and Phil Foden providing width and Tijjani Reijnders occupying the central role. Leading the line, Erling Haaland spearheaded City’s attack.
Everton, on the other hand, were set up in a 4-2-3-1 structure. Jordan Pickford started between the posts, supported by a defensive unit comprising Jake O’Brien, Michael Keane, James Tarkowski, and Vitalii Mykolenko. Idrissa Gueye and James Garner anchored the midfield, while Carlos Alcaraz, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Iliman Ndiaye formed the attacking trio behind the lone striker, Beto.
Apart from Haaland, Nico O’Reilly was City’s standout performer, providing the assist for Haaland’s bullet header. The youngster is steadily cementing his importance in Guardiola’s system. Rúben Dias and Nico González also played crucial roles in maintaining City’s composure and structure throughout the game.
For David Moyes’ side, Iliman Ndiaye and Jordan Pickford were the better performers.
After this defeat, Everton drop to 10th place in the table. Their next match will be a crucial one as they look to bounce back.
Meanwhile, Manchester City will turn their focus to the Champions League, facing Villarreal next midweek in the third round of the group stage.
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