CITY KICK CLEAR

Title’s at their mercy after ending Goodison jinx but Everton make them sweat

SO there is no curse and the bogey ground does not exist. Only once had Manchester City won at Goodison Park in their previous 16 attempts and this was supposedly the arena in which their championship challenge might falter.

But talents such as Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri are no respecters of mystical old English traditions. A new reality took shape last night at Everton and the season that has ebbed and flowed like never before surely took its final twist.

Manchester City are champions-elect. It wasn’t easy. In the end they stumbled across the line, hanging on for a 3-2 win. Everton never relinquished the struggle. There would be no easing off to prevent city rivals Liverpool from winning the title. To the end they pressed and harried City, pinning them back in the final minutes, inducing a nervous finale.

But three points were accumulated nonetheless and, assuming City can beat West Ham and Aston Villa at home – teams not known for their resilience once safe from relegation, as they now effectively are – City will be champions.

That’s barring a goal flurry of epic proportions from Liverpool. As for Everton, their dream of Champions League football finally died.

City have demonstrated all season that they have vulnerabilities – and Roberto Martinez exploited space against them in the FA Cup final last season when Wigan, using a back three, managed to contain and eventually find a way past them. Yesterday, the Spaniard who now manages Everton reverted to the same tactic, bringing Phil Jagielka back from injury and asking the England centre half to play in the middle of a three, with John Stones and Antolin Alcaraz.

It was bold and fraught with risk but it also created opportunities. Space opened up where City had not anticipated and it was never more evident than for the first goal on 11 minutes, when Everton were allowed to work the ball upfield, with City struggling to cope with the extra numbers in midfield.

That said, the goal still required a moment of brilliance, the ball sweeping across field to Leighton Baines, who drilled it into Steven Naismith. His first touch returned the ball to Ross Barkley and in front of England manager Roy Hodgson, the youngster struck a terrific, curling, dipping first-time shot with pace from 25 yards into the top corner.

It was a statement of intent. Everton were passing the ball freely and Manuel Pellegrini was presented with a conundrum. He solved it part by luck and part through the excellence of individuals.

When Nasri found Toure on 22 minutes, little seemed on but a delightful ball invited Sergio Aguero to run at goal. Despite Alcaraz’s efforts to close, the Argentine set his sights and struck low and hard inside Tim Howard’s near post.

It came at a cost, however. Aguero limped back to the centre circle, seemingly having aggravated his hamstring injury, and was soon replaced by Fernandinho. But with Toure freed to attack while the Brazilian midfielder held back with Javi Garcia, City had more solidity and grew into the ascendancy.

Now it was Nasri finding space and Everton struggling to keep up, City wresting control of the game.

So it proved on 43 minutes when James Milner sent in a looping cross towards Edin Dzeko. He rose far above any competing defender and, with neck muscles straining, produced a header of power and grace into the bottom corner.

Everton were not wholly done. Barkley launched a trademark probing run from deep inside his own half immediately after the restart, leaving City’s midfield in his wake. When 20 yards from goal he found Naismith and the Scot shrugged off the attentions of Pablo Zabaleta and shot low and hard towards the bottom corner. A season-changing equaliser beckoned but Joe Hart dived and produced the slightest of touches to push the ball wide.

It was a critical save, for within minutes City were putting some distance between themselves and their opponents and the procession towards the title was gathering real momentum. Nasri was again a protagonist, toying with Stones in the box before delivering a neat cross for Dzeko, who had again found space, to turn the ball in.

But Martinez responded, reverting to a back four. His experiment had been brave but, ultimately, his side were conceding too much space. They needed to return to basics. And when they hit back, they looked like the old-fashioned English Everton. Baines sent a cross from from the left and Romelu Lukaku thrust his head at the ball, which deflected off the post and in.

Vincent Kompany took issue with referee Lee Probert that Naismith, just in front of Lukaku, looked as if he had drifted offside and he too had attempted to head the ball.

It was to no avail; the goal stood and City retreated into dangerous territory. Off came Toure, another blow and City were vulnerable again but they held out. Now it’s in their hands. EvErton (3-5-2): Howard; Stones, Jagielka (Deulofeu 66min), Alcaraz; Coleman, McCarthy, Barkley, Osman (McGeady 83), Baines; Lukaku, Naismith. Subs (not used): Robles, Hibbert, Distin, Garbutt, Ledson. Man City (4-4-2): Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy; Milner, Garcia, Toure (Kolarov 66), Nasri (Silva 74); Dzeko, Aguero (Fernandinho 28). Subs (not used): Pantilimon, Lescott, Kolarov, Negredo, Jovetic. Booked: Garcia, Demichelis, Dzeko. rEfErEE: L Probert.