Jesus fires City to top with Everton romp
MANCHESTER: Manchester City laid down the gauntlet to Liverpool by leapfrogging their title rivals back to the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Everton at the Etihad on Saturday.
Gabriel Jesus enjoyed a welcome return to form by scoring his first league goals in four months either side of half-time to put City two goals up.
Dominic Calvert-lewin briefly gave Everton hope, but Raheem Sterling came off the bench to make the game safe with his first touch as City moved two points ahead of Liverpool, who host Manchester United on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola could even afford the luxury of leaving Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero on the bench on their return from injury as the Catalan coach again shuffled his pack for the busy festive period.
But fears in recent weeks that City lack a predator in front of goal when Aguero is absent were quashed by two fine finishes from Jesus.
CAUGHT COLD
With temperatures approaching freezing in Manchester, City were nearly caught cold by a rare Everton break early on when Richarlison fired the first big chance of the game over from Lucas Digne’s cross.
The first big threat to Everton’s
goal came from one of their own defenders when Michael Keane turned Leroy Sane’s cross towards his own goal and Jordan Pickford had to make a smart low save.
Everton also played a big part in their own downfall as Jesus opened the scoring midway through the first-half. Yerry Mina’s hopeful
punt gifted away possession and the Colombian then played Jesus onside as the Brazilian ran onto Sane’s pass to fire low past Pickford.
The England number one handed Liverpool’s title challenge a huge boost earlier this month as his error deep into stoppage time left Divock Origi an open goal to win the Mer-
seyside derby. But Pickford wasn’t so charitable to City as he made an excellent save to prevent Riyad Mahrez doubling the hosts’ lead just before half-time. The champions had to wait just five minutes after the break to make it 2-0, when a patient build-up again found Sane on the left and the German’s cross was met by a bullet header from Jesus.
ERIKSEN RESCUES SPURS
Christian Eriksen came off the bench to score the stoppage-time goal that earned Mauricio Pochettino his 100th Premier League victory as Tottenham manager in a hard fought 1-0 win over Burnley.
The struggling Clarets had been seconds away from leaving Wembley with a precious point against Spurs, who had clinched qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League by drawing 1-1 at Barcelona in midweek.
Instead, Spurs can look forward to Monday’s last 16 draw in the knowledge that third place in the Premier League table will still be theirs whatever top-four rivals Chelsea and Arsenal do on Sunday.
“We fully deserved to win the game but sometimes in football you don’t get what you deserve,” said Pochettino, whose side move to within five points of league leaders Manchester City.