Manchester City are still favourites for the Premier League title according to many, but the draw with Everton has seen some frustrations aired from fans who watched another opportunity to close the gap to Arsenal wasted.
The 1-1 draw with Frank Lampard's side made it just one point from their last six possible at the Etihad either side of the World Cup break, and on top of poor results the performances have not been good. The 6-3 thrashing of United feels like a lifetime ago and Pep Guardiola's use (or lack of use) of Phil Foden has mystified supporters who have seen front-foot attacking football disappear from the team with the Stockport star sat on the bench.
Disappointment at not beating Everton comes with the knowledge that Chelsea away is the next game in the start of a run of fixtures that looks seriously difficult on paper. If City are struggling to break down the Toffees, Graham Potter's team can expect to be a much bigger challenge.
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However, this Guardiola team are more reliable for the big occasions - think Liverpool or a trip to Elland Road - than they are for a flat game at home. Not only that, they are even more reliable at Stamford Bridge where they have put in a number of standout performances.
The 1-0 win in 2017 was a textbook performance that set the tone for the record-break 100-point season, and the dominant victory in 2021 a remarkable triumph that put City's Covid worries to one side and kickstarted the run that would see them come from mid-table obscurity to race to another title.
Last season was similar to the situation the Blues find themselves in this year: they faced Chelsea, PSG and Liverpool away in the same week and when it was put to Guardiola how daunting it looked and how difficult things could be if they lost, he simply turned the question on its head and asked what would happen if they won. They only actually won one of the three but their performances - including playing Chelsea off the Stamford Bridge pitch - were so good that by the end of the week many saw them as title favourites again; they were not wrong.
If City have a habit of doing things the hard way (see Aston Villa in the final game of last season), they also have weirdly good memories of playing at Chelsea so a fixture that does look tough on paper may in fact be relished by a dressing room looking to get back to winning ways. If they can do that, plenty of the frustrations that have come out after Everton will fade away.
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