Bernardo Silva gave Manchester City an early lead, but Erling Haaland missed a penalty as the reigning champions were held to a 1-1 draw against Everton in their Premier League clash on Boxing Day.
The result extended City’s struggles, with just one win in their last 13 games across all competitions, including only one victory in their last nine league matches.
They currently sit sixth in the table with 28 points, trailing leaders Liverpool by 11 points, with Liverpool having two games in hand. City could potentially drop to eighth by the end of the day.
“We played really well, but this is the phase we’re in. We create chances, but then we concede,” said manager Pep Guardiola. “We had plenty of shots in the box but couldn’t get the result we wanted.”
Everton, sitting 15th and five points above the relegation zone, celebrated the result. Manager Sean Dyche praised his team’s resilience, saying, “The mentality is key. Two losses in 13 is impressive, even if there have been many draws.”
City’s opener came in the 14th minute when Jeremy Doku delivered a pass behind Everton’s defense, allowing Silva to slide the ball into the far corner, with a deflection off Jarrad Branthwaite helping it in.
However, Everton responded in the 36th minute when Iliman Ndiaye capitalized on Manuel Akanji’s failed clearance, controlling the ball and firing a shot into the top right corner.
City’s hopes for a second-half winner were dashed when Haaland’s penalty, awarded after Vitaliy Mykolenko fouled Savinho, was saved by Jordan Pickford.
Though Haaland headed the rebound into the net, it was ruled offside. The Norwegian striker, last season’s top scorer, has struggled recently, with just four goals in City’s last 14 league games.
Despite dominating with 24 shots to Everton’s eight, City failed to capitalize on several chances. Josko Gvardiol hit the post early on, Silva missed a great opportunity in the first half, and Rico Lewis fired over the crossbar in injury time.
City defender Akanji acknowledged their struggles, saying, “The season isn’t over, but winning the league isn’t our current focus. We need to take it game by game, starting with Leicester City on Sunday.”
While City fans left disappointed, Everton supporters celebrated passionately, chanting for goalkeeper Pickford, who gave his shirt to a young fan in the away end.
