During the nineteenth round of the Premier League, Pep Guardiola and his squad defeated Everton by a score of 3-1. They did this by scoring three goals in a row during the second half.

Returning to the Premier League after winning the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time, Man City was pushed out of the top four and saw its opponents rise. Therefore, despite playing on a field where Everton is in high form, victory is almost a must for Guardiola and his team.

Guardiola hugs midfielder Bernardo Silva after the match. Photo: Reuters

Erling Haaland continues to be absent due to injury and is not on the registration list. Similar is the case of Kevin De Bruyne, who is expected by Man City fans to return soon when participating in recent training sessions. However, with the trio of Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish supporting striker Julian Alvarez, the away team still possesses a formidable attack.

This was shown through the consecutive shots at the beginning of the first half. Alvarez turned and finished at a tight angle, but was blocked by Jordan Pickford. The Everton goalkeeper continued to play well, blocking two consecutive shots from Matheus Nunes and Alvarez afterward.

Surprise happened in the 29th minute. In a rare move, Everton benefited when Rodri lost the ball in the penalty area . Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jack Harrison crossed for Dwight McNeil to cushion the ball against the helplessness of the away team’s defense. Man City believes that Rodri was fouled in this situation. But in reality, the Spanish midfielder handled the error and created opportunities for the opponent.

Man City goalkeeper Ederson blocked Jack Harrison’s shot. Photo: Reuters

The opening goal gave Everton a boost of morale and they almost doubled the gap when Harrison had space to step out in the penalty area, but Ederson pushed the ball over the bar.

By the beginning of the second half, thanks to the brilliance of individuals, Man City’s efforts to press the field yielded results. Receive the ball in front of the penalty area in the right corner. Foden made a left-footed shot into the near corner. Pickford flew as far as he could, but couldn’t touch the ball.

Everton goalkeeper continued to play excellently with a jump to block Alvarez’s free kick. But in the following corner, Amadou Onana let the ball touch his hand in an attempt to prevent Nathan Ake from finishing. The referee pointed to the penalty spot. Despite protests from the home team, this decision was upheld after consulting VAR.

Silva took advantage of Pickford’s mistake to score the match-winning goal. Photo: Reuters

Considering that Haaland was not present, Alvarez was the one who was responsible for the penalty kick. In spite of the fact that his foot made contact with the ball, Pickford was unable to prevent the kick from going into the middle of the goal. Everton, on the other hand, had to take responsibility for their own actions since, when they had a golden opportunity to equalize later on, replacement striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin shot wide after Harrison had clearly passed the ball to him.

In the 86th minute, Pickford made a mistake because he was eager to send the ball forward so that the home team could attack. Despite his efforts to avoid the goal, the ball struck Alvarez, which made it possible for Bernardo Silva to score a goal that was not occupied. It would have been possible for Man City to score another goal in extra time if they had taken advantage of the situation more effectively. Foden’s effort hit the post after Alvarez had struck the wall.

The fact that the result was 3-1, however, was sufficient to make Guardiola happy when he came out onto the field to offer his congratulations to the players after the game. At the end of the encounter, Manchester City had 72% of the ball control and launched 23 shots, whereas Everton only managed seven shots, with nine of those efforts finding the target.

With the victory, Guardiola and his side were able to regain their position in the top four of the Premier League. They have a one-point advantage over Tottenham, but they are two points behind Aston Villa, who are in third place. Round 20 will take place on the evening of December 30 and will feature Man City playing host to Sheffield United.