Sterling gets City out of sticky situation
Rooney notches landmark goal but Guardiola’s men salvage point
MANCHESTER CITY opened their Tunnel Club but just as it appeared this would instead be about Wayne Rooney joining the 200 Club, they saw the light and salvaged a draw with a stirring late comeback with just 10-men.
Rooney became only the second player to score 200 goals in the 25 years of the Premier League but Everton were eventually denied a win through a superb volley by substitute Raheem Sterling.
The Tunnel Club is hailed as a chance to see Pep Guardiola and his expensively-assembled players up close at the Etihad but the first return also involved a controversial red card for Kyle Walker – for the first time as he also hit the 200 mark, his 200th league appearance – as they dropped points.
For Rooney it has been an impressive return to his former club as he was watched by managers past and present – including Alex Ferguson.
Manchester United, who had deemed him surplus to requirements, even got in on the act by tweeting: “A true legend!” in recognition of Rooney’s achievement.
For Guardiola this was beyond frustrating until Sterling scored. Still, the manager will have nursed a deep sense of grievance. As did Everton with Morgan Schneiderlin also dismissed, for a second yellow card, in the 88th minute when clearly he got the ball.
It took 20 minutes for the smoke from the pre-match pyrotechnics to clear and 15 more minutes for Rooney to set off a firework of his own. He scored.
He scored what was his 200th Premier League goal – second now only to Alan Shearer on 260 – and his second league goal in two league games for his new club. And he claimed it against City.
And, in a nightmare development for City manager Guardiola, it raised question marks over his new £34 million (€37m) goalkeeper Ederson Moraes, who probably should have done better.
The goal came when Leroy Sane, in as a left wing-back in a vibrantly attacking City line-up, blundered as he tried to play the ball back to captain Vincent Kompany.
He left it short and Mason Holgate collected to run on and push the ball wide to the impressive 20-year-old striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin who checked, with Fernandinho lunging across the turf, and crossed low. There was Rooney to open up his body and side-foot goal-wards.
Still, it appeared Ederson would block but the ball cannoned off his legs and into the net.
City were stunned. And were then stunned even more as, a minute before half-time, another one of their new signings, £50m-plus full-back Walker, was sent off by referee Bobby Madley.
Already cautioned for a foul on Leighton Baines, Walker barged into Calvert-Lewin, looking at the striker before he did so, and was cautioned once more.
Everton claimed there was an elbow – there was not – but Walker was foolish and City were up against it and down to 10 men. It had all gone wrong for the home side.
Seconds before going behind, they went agonisingly close when Sergio Aguero swivelled and flighted the ball in-field where it was cushioned by David Silva who struck a first-time shot that beat goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and rebounded back off the near post.
CHESTED
Before that Aguero should maybe have scored when Pickford parried Nicolas Otamendi’s drive and it was chested down by the striker who should have shot or picked out the well-placed Silva.
He did neither and tried to lift the ball over to Gabriel Jesus instead, with Phil Jagielka heading the ball away from close to the goal-line.
City should have broken through with Kevin de Bruyne running forward and slipping a pass to Aguero. Jagielka went to ground and, surely, Aguero would shoot but he delayed, allowing the Everton captain to hook the ball away.
Guardiola reacted. He also withdrew a central defender, with John Stones off, and Sane pushed on. It became chaotic and City became desperate and finally a chance came with another substitute, Danilo, bursting into the penalty area from the left, collecting Sterling’s pass, to shoot low and across Pickford who did well to turn the ball away.
But the goalkeeper could do nothing to stop Sterling’s superb volley soon after as the winger latched onto Holgate’s header as he attempted to clear Danilo’s cross and thumped the ball into the corner of the net. (© Daily Telegraph, London)
showing younger players what he expects. If the absent Ross Barkley had just an ounce of Rooney’s football intelligence he would be a world beater.
LEADERSHIP
Rooney may not be wearing the captain’s armband, but there is no doubt the on-field leadership is a joint operation alongside skipper Phil Jagielka.
The boos shadowed Rooney as much as City’s defenders from then on. This was always going to be one of the tougher examinations for Rooney and the new look Everton side. He began on the left of a forward three alongside youngsters Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tom Davies, but drifted inwards in search of possession. When Calvert-Lewin found space beyond City’s defence, Rooney had the capacity to deliver the correct weight of pass.
When the youngster needed support, it was Rooney in position to provide the finish.
ENGLAND PEDIGREE
Gareth Southgate and Jose Mourinho were in attendance. While Mourinho will feel United and Rooney had to move on as they explored alternative options, Southgate has no such luxury.
He must calculate if there are really 22 English players who can contribute more in a World Cup year. Would the recall of Rooney truly be considered a retrograde step, or can he be redefined at international level to be a guiding influence on and off the field? When re-signing for Everton, Rooney made his intentions clear.
“He (Southgate)told me that if I get back playing every week then the door is still open to get back into the squad. It would be great if I could do that. If I do well here, I’m sure he will have a decision to make.”
On the evidence of the first few appearances that decision has come quicker than Southgate or even Rooney might have expected. (© Daily Telegraph, London)