City thumped, United, Liverpool share spoils
The Premier League season is barely past the halfway point and already Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has virtually given up on winning the title.
The world’s most coveted coach can’t have envisaged his first year in English football being this tough.
It takes something special to overshadow a match between bitter rivals Manchester United and Liverpool, but City’s 4-0 loss at Everton yesterday did just that.
As he slumped to the heaviest loss of his career in a domestic league match, Guardiola — with his arms folded — was seen staring into space while he sat in the Goodison Park dugout. At other times, he had his face in his hands.
City have dropped out of the Champions Leagues positions, into fifth place, and 10 points adrift of leader Chelsea.
Asked if the gap to first place was now too great, Guardiola said: ‘‘(To) the first one? Yes. Ten points is a lot of points. The second one is three points. We have to see.’’
Manchester United kicked off less than an hour after City’s drubbing but couldn’t get a win that would have put the neighbors tied on points, drawing 1-1 with Liverpool at Old Trafford. Everton 4, Man City 0 While there was misery for City at Goodison Park, there was jubilation for Everton after a win that was sealed by goals from two of the club’s promising teenagers.
Goals either side of halftime by Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas set Everton on their way before 18-year-old midfielder Tom Davies raced into the area and dinked a deft finish over goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, the ball landing just inside the post.
It completed an impressive display by Davies, who has now started two straight games and is distinctive with his all-action style and mop of blond hair.
The fourth goal was scored by 19-year-old debutant Ademola Lookman, four minutes into injury time. And it summed up City’s sloppy performance.
John Stones — a former Everton player — tried to clear the ball for a throw-in only to see it ricochet off Everton defender Seamus Coleman to set up Lookman. Signed from Charlton this month and on as a late substitute for his debut, Lookman placed his shot through Bravo’s legs. Man United 1, Liverpool 1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalised late for United to bail out teammate Paul Pogba in a frantic, intense match at Old Trafford between the two most decorated teams in English football.
On the day United rolled out advertising hoardings displaying Pogba’s new Twitter emoji, the player himself made a crucial mistake by conceding a penalty for handball while jumping with his back to the ball at a corner.
James Milner converted the spot kick but Liverpool were denied a win after Ibrahimovic glanced a header in off the crossbar in the 84th minute, moments after substitute Marouane Fellaini headed against the post.
Liverpool ended United’s ninegame winning run in all competitions — six of which had come in the league — but dropped seven points behind first-placed Chelsea. Sixth-placed United were 12 points off the leader.