PEP’S PASSION IS FIRED UP BY JESUS DOUBLE

WHEN Gabriel Jesus drove in what transpired to be the winning goal just before the hour, Pep Guardiola turned to the Manchester City crowd and pumped both his fists.

Even on a relatively low-key day like this one, at a time when Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League just feels too big, Guardiola can still feel the adrenaline rush when his team’s football pleases him.

In the league at least, this might be all that is left for Guardiola now. Isolated moments of satisfaction might be all that remain as City, like the rest, push forwards in the backdraft of Liverpool’s exhaust fumes.

But if that is the case then do not expect Guardiola and City to stop striving. For Guardiola and his players, this has been a strange kind of season but the objective now is to finish as close to Liverpool as possible. It will be a surprise if there is any letting up.

Here, City contributed a New Year’s Day performance for 50 minutes or so. Tired and heavylegged, the reigning champions were under- strength and played like it. They were better than a largely unadventurous Everton team, but still some way from convincing.

Jesus’s two goals lit up the afternoon, though, and his second was straight from Guardiola’s coaching manual.

Sensing a numerical overload on the left, City moved the ball swiftly and accurately across the field through Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez. And when Mahrez slid Jesus through in the inside left position, the centre forward did not break stride before drilling it low with power to Jordan Pickford’s right and into the corner.

It was, in many ways, a typical City goal. It is this kind of football that Guardiola demands. Quick, incisive and clinical.

Only 10 minutes or so earlier, Jesus had scored his first and that was laced with quality too. Again he was given space to run into down the left but on this occasion he turned on to his right foot, unbalanced Everton defender Mason Holgate and curled the ball with his instep high to Pickford’s left. The Everton keeper touched the ball with his fingertips but could not divert its course.

In these two instances, City won the game. They must keep winning simply to ensure that if Liverpool do stumble at all, it is they and not second-placed Leicester who are best placed to profit.

Earlier in the game, City had been superior, but some way from their best. This was an unfamiliar team playing in an unfamiliar 3-4-3 formation with two central midfielders playing at centre half.

City did score early, but VAR intervened. Mahrez combined with right wing-back Joao Cancelo to provide a simple far-post goal for Foden in the 13th minute only for the VAR officials at Stockley Park to rule that the Algerian had been half a yard offside when playing his part.

Soon after that, things were considerably less clear as VAR checked a possible foul on City’s Mahrez in the penalty area even though referee Andre Marriner had already blown for offside. Luckily for the sake of everyone’s sanity, no foul was spotted and we could all get on with it.

Not that much happened for a while subsequently.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team did create a chance as Gylfi Sigurdsson played Seamus Coleman in and keeper Claudio Bravo, deputising for the unwell Ederson, touched the lofted shot over the bar.

After that, Pickford was busier as he saved twice from Mahrez and once from Ilkay Gundogan. Foden also worked Pickford at the near post in the 35th minute but it was Mahrez and Jesus who had most to regret. Both were given sights of goal but could not test Pickford when well placed.

For Jesus, things were to get better and his goals gave City breathing space to survive a late scare caused by a Bravo error.

Trying to thread the ball through a crowd of Everton players with 20 minutes left, Bravo’s pass was intercepted by Richarlison on the stretch. The ball then broke to Moise Kean and when he played it on to another substitute, Theo Walcott, his low cross deflected off Benjamin Mendy to Richarlison who scored at the far post.

Bravo often seems to find himself in the spotlight and not usually for the right reasons. Here he was scrutinised again and the error was certainly his. The Etihad briefly felt a little nervous, something that reflected City’s recent uncertainty. But here they saw the game out and Jesus struck a post when within view of a hat-trick. At the end of a subdued holiday period, Guardiola will take something from the Brazilian’s display. MANCHESTER CITY: (3-4-3) Claudio Bravo 5; Rodrigo 6, Fernandinho 6, Eric Garcia 6; Joao Cancelo 7, De Bruyne 7, Gundogan 7, Mendy 6; Mahrez 7.5, JESUS 8 (Sterling 90min), Foden 7 (D Silva 82).

Subs not used: Carson, Walker, Aguero, Angelino, B Silva. Scorer: Jesus 51, 58.

Manager: Pep Guardiola 6.5. EVERTON: (3-5-2) Pickford 7; Coleman 6 (Walcott 59, 6), Mina 6.5, Holgate 6; Sidibe 6, Sigurdsson 6 (Kean 66, 6.5), Delph 6, Davies 6, Digne 6; Calvert-Lewin 6.5, Richarlison 6.5.

Subs not used: Stekelenburg, Baines, Keane, Tosun, Gordon. Scorer: Richarlison 71. Booked: Mina, Delph, Davies, Calvert-Lewin.

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti 6. Referee: Andre Marriner 6.

Attendance: 54,407.