Daily Trust

Clinical Everton dump Man city

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Everton produced a brilliant performanc­e to stun Manchester City and deliver a serious blow to Pep Guardiola’s Premier League title hopes.

The Toffees willingly soaked up 71% of City possession but restricted Guardiola’s side to few chances and scored with four of just six attempts at goal.

Romelu Lukaku coolly side-footed in a Kevin Mirallas cut-back and the Belgium internatio­nals combined again after the break, Mirallas drilling Lukaku’s through-ball across the keeper.

Tom Davies sent Goodison Park into raptures on just his second league start by dinking a third over Claudio Bravo and £11m debutant Ademola Lookman fired between the legs of the keeper in injury time.

Goals from the two teenagers left Everton boss Ronald Koeman visibly elated, while Guardiola cut a frustrated figure, remonstrat­ing with the fourth official late on in what is his heaviest ever league defeat as a manager.

City lacked cutting edge throughout, though had Davies not headed a looping Bacary Sagna header off the line before half-time, they may not have gone on to suffer a fifth league defeat of the season.

They stay fifth, 10 points off leaders Chelsea, while Everton remain seventh.

What a difference a week makes. After FA Cup defeat to Leicester last weekend an angry Koeman demanded the club’s hierarchy “opened its eyes”.

The £24m signing of Morgan Schneiderl­in lifted some gloom but the roars for his 65th-minute appearance from the bench were dwarfed by the noise in injury time when Lookman, newly arrived from Charlton, made his mark.

Koeman was bold in starting with Davies and 20-year-old defender Mason Holgate, but pragmatic in his game plan. City have had over 50% of the ball in every league outing this season but Everton sat and soaked up possession comfortabl­y.

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