Perfect 10 for City
Guardiola’s men open huge gap at top
It is the perfect 10 for Manchester City. A record 10 straight wins at the start of a year and 10 points clear at the Premier League summit.
The way his side is playing, Pep Guardiola might be celebrating his 10th City trophy by the end of the season.
He will need a clean sweep of silverware to achieve that, but it will not be long before the first is guaranteed. The Premier League title is as good as Guardiola’s again, City galloping clear with their latest masterclass of clinical, high-tempo possession football.
Through the art of retreat, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti retained hope of securing a hardfought draw for 63 minutes at Goodison Park.
Then Riyad Mahrez did what he has done so often, picking out the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area with a vicious, dipping left footer.
By the time Bernardo Silva sealed the 3-1 victory, City were toying with Everton in the same way they had their Merseyside neighbours in the latter stages at Anfield two weeks ago. For all Everton’s defensive endeavour, there was inevitability to those match-winning strikes.
Guardiola’s side were too calm, too smart and too accustomed to such conservative tactics to be flustered, even when squandering a series of opportunities earlier in the second half.
The gulf in class served only to further underline how far Everton remain from their top-four aspirations, albeit they had earlier cancelled out Phil Foden’s more fortuitous first half goal.
How much has changed in six weeks, when Everton noted significant absentees and seemed more confident of denting City’s hopes of regaining their crown.
“This was a big one,” Everton’s statement proclaimed when this fixture – previously scheduled for December in front of 2,000 fans – was postponed at a couple of hours’ notice due to a Covid-19 outbreak at City’s training HQ.
When seeing Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne on the City subs’ bench after their recent lay-off, Everton owner Farhad Moshiri may have been tempted to write to the Premier League requesting another late rearrangement on compassionate grounds.
De Bruyne would make his comeback for the final 11 minutes, and Everton would not be spared the indignity of another home defeat against a team in the midst of its latest ruthless winning spree.
Ancelotti’s line-up had a suspicious look of damage limitation from the outset. The Italian played four centre-backs (two of them, Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey, were at full-back). Although that plan did not last beyond 18 minutes when Yerry Mina pulled up injured, he was replaced by another defender, Seamus Coleman, while James Rodriguez stayed on the bench. Left-back Lucas Digne played in midfield.
As the Italian choreographed his players to withstand pressure, Guardiola was in the mood for one of his tactical adventures. He countered Everton’s defensive strategy with a team brimming with threat.
Foden, Silva, Raheem Sterling, Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus were often joined by left-back Joao Cancelo in what amounted to a 3-1-6 surge.
It was not always flawless, City’s defence occasionally fragile when forced back. The reassurance for Guardiola is how little time his side spends without the ball. City enjoyed an amazing 71 per cent of possession, ensuring goalkeeper Jordan Pickford completed the most home passes.
Thus, a predictable pattern was set, City’s forwards overlapping and interchanging while Everton pitched their tent on the edge of their own penalty area.
Despite that, City were unable to worry the recalled England goalkeeper until their 32nd minute breakthrough. There was an element of luck as Mahrez’s cross was headed by Michael Keane to Foden, and the England youngster’s drilled shot ricocheted off Coleman’s boot past the stranded No1.
Rather than signal the start of an evening stroll, City succumbed almost immediately.
Coleman’s cross picked out Digne, and when his volley struck
the post, Richarlison was close enough to divert into the empty net. Everton would not threaten again, City dashing into the second half creating several chances which should have secured the points in an attacking blitz.
When Jesus wastefully struck over the crossbar on 55 minutes with only Pickford to beat, Guardiola bellowed in frustration – the one and only sign of anxiety. He need not have worried. Just as it was reaching the point at which City might need a sprinkling of magic to restore their advantage, Mahrez duly obliged, his curling strike from the edge of the penalty area the kind he has trademarked at City and previously Leicester.
Ancelotti was forced to respond, sending on Rodriguez and recent signing Josh King, but when Bernardo blasted a third on 77 minutes Everton’s game plan was in shreds. They will look to reignite their campaign at Anfield during this Saturday’s Merseyside derby.
Not for the first time at this point in a season, they are at a junction which will determine if they are truly moving forward or standing still.
City are back where they always seem to be at this time of the year, wondering how many of the four trophies in their sights – and how many more records – will be added to a considerable collection.
Everton (4-2-3-1) Pickford 5; Godfrey 6, Keane 5, Mina 5, Holgate 5; Doucoure 6 (Rodriguez), Davies 5; Iwobi 5 (King 69), Sigurdsson 5, Digne 5 (Coleman 18); Richarlison 6. Subs Olsen, Delph, Nkounkou, Bernard, Gomes, Onyango. Booked Doucoure, Richarlison. Manchester City (4-1-4-1) Ederson 6; Walker 7, Dias 6, Laporte 6, Cancelo 7; Rodrigo 7 (Fernandinho 90); Foden 7, Silva 8. Sterling 7 (De Bruyne 79), Mahrez 8; Jesus 7. Subs Steffen, Stones, Aguero, Zinchenko, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Garcia. Booked Sterling.
Referee Andre Marriner (Birmingham).