Manchester City’s struggles continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday. Despite an early goal from Bernardo Silva, the reigning Premier League champions couldn’t secure all three points, extending their winless run in the league.
City took the lead in the 14th minute when Jeremy Doku’s clever pass found Silva, who slid in to score from a tight angle. The goal, which deflected off Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, ended the visitors’ streak of three consecutive clean sheets.
However, Everton responded strongly. In the 36th minute, Iliman Ndiaye capitalized on a defensive error by Manuel Akanji. The Senegalese midfielder controlled a loose ball and fired a shot into the top right corner, leveling the score.
The second half saw a golden opportunity for City to reclaim the lead when they were awarded a penalty after Vitaliy Mykolenko fouled Savinho. Erling Haaland stepped up but was denied by Everton’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who guessed correctly to save the spot-kick. Haaland netted the rebound with a header, but it was ruled out for offside.
Haaland, the league’s top scorer in the previous two seasons, has found the net just four times in City’s last 14 league matches, highlighting the team’s recent struggles. The draw leaves Manchester City provisionally sixth in the table, 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have two games in hand.
In other Premier League action, Liverpool came from behind to defeat Leicester City 3-1 at Anfield. Goals from Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, and Mohamed Salah secured the win, extending Liverpool’s unbeaten league run to 13 games. They now sit seven points clear at the top with 42 points from 17 matches.
Meanwhile, Chelsea suffered a surprise 2-1 home defeat to Fulham. Despite taking the lead, Chelsea conceded a late goal in the 95th minute to Rodrigo Muniz, giving Fulham their first victory at Stamford Bridge since 1979. Chelsea currently have 35 points from 18 games.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
