Haaland Penalty Miss Costs City in Everton Draw

Manchester City’s struggles continued as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day. Erling Haaland’s missed penalty proved costly for the champions, who have now won just once in their last 13 matches across all competitions.

Bernardo Silva gave City an early lead, capitalizing on a defensive lapse to fire home in the 14th minute. However, Everton responded through Iliman Ndiaye, who levelled the score with a clinical finish before half-time.

City were awarded a penalty in the second half after Seamus Coleman’s foul on Savinho, but Haaland’s spot-kick was saved by Jordan Pickford. The rebound fell back to Haaland, who headed into the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

This miss proved crucial as City were unable to find a winner despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances. Haaland, the Premier League’s top scorer in the previous two seasons, has now scored just four goals in City’s last 14 league games.

The draw leaves City provisionally sixth in the table, 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have two games in hand. Everton, meanwhile, remain 15th, five points above the relegation zone.

While City fans were left disappointed by the result, Everton supporters celebrated a hard-fought point, with Pickford receiving particular praise for his penalty save. The England goalkeeper capped off a memorable performance by gifting his shirt to a young fan in the away end.