That’s your lot, folks. Thanks for reading this MBM. Remember to check Richard Jolly’s match report.
Frank talking ... no, scrub that, Frank fuming. “First half was immense. On general play, we deserved at least a draw. Every player, for their application, I’m very proud. Fans don’t clap you off after a defeat when you don’t play like that, and they did, and the lads deserve that. We’re a bit hurting because we deserved it for performance, and for a huge decision. I wanted to know if it was offside in the build-up. It wasn’t. I’ve been told that [by the referee] clear, it’s not offside against Richarlison in the build-up. So then you isolate the penalty. The referee says he was on the other side of it. Fine, I get that. So go to VAR, who have two minutes to look at it. To think that Chris Kavanagh has not given that penalty, that strikes him on the arm, midway, strikes him when his arm’s not in a natural position, I’ve got a three-year old daughter at home who could tell you that’s a penalty. I don’t mean to make light of it, because we’re in a position where we’re fighting at the bottom of the table, and Manchester City are fighting to win leagues. Everything’s crucial, and when you have a system to have a view on a penalty that’s the easiest decision to give a handball ... I don’t know what has to happen as a reflection of that. You’ve got two minutes to digest the handball. It’s incompetence at best, and if it’s not that, someone needs to explain to me what it is.”
Pep speaks to Sky. “The second half was much better. We moved better, we attacked better. A good victory, another step. It was difficult because they defended four and five. Gordon is an exceptional player, Richarlison of course. But in the second half we had chances. Everton made some moments, and it was difficult. I said at half time, be patient and we will find the solution. We tried again and again, and Phil scored. We were searching, and we earned the good fortune.” As for the penalty incident? “It was offside. I didn’t see the VAR, the image, I don’t have time.”
“Not clear enough evidence to show conclusively that it was handball.” This is the explanation given by VAR operative Chris Kavanagh as to why he didn’t ask the referee to take a look at the monitor when the ball slapped onto Rodri’s outstretched arm in the City box. Make of that what you will, and opinions may vary on the world wide web. However on Sky, Micah Richards, a City-minded gent who always gives it to you straight, says: “It’s handball. It’s below the t-shirt line. It’s just ridiculous. They got it wrong, and it’s cost Everton dearly.”
A word with the managers coming up, no doubt. In the meantime, Richard Jolly’s report has landed. Don’t forget to come back, now!
Everton coach Ashley Cole is booked for arguing the toss with the referee over the non-award of a penalty kick. Boos ring around Goodison as City cavort in glee. They know that’s a huge result in the race for the title. City stretch their lead at the top, keeping Liverpool at arm’s length, if you will ...
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 27 | 47 | 66 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 26 | 50 | 60 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 25 | 31 | 50 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 27 | 10 | 47 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 24 | 11 | 45 |
... while Everton have today slipped to 17th, with Burnley now breathing down their necks.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Leeds | 26 | -31 | 23 |
| 17 | Everton | 24 | -13 | 22 |
| 18 | Burnley | 24 | -8 | 21 |
| 19 | Watford | 26 | -22 | 19 |
| 20 | Norwich | 26 | -40 | 17 |
FULL TIME: Everton 0-1 Manchester City
The whistle goes, and City re-establish their six-point lead over Liverpool at the top! Everton remain in bother at the bottom, but they’ll surely be buoyed by their performance ... and will wonder why they weren’t awarded a penalty for Rodri’s handball near the end.
90 min +8: City keep the ball deep in Everton’s half. This is surely all but over.
90 min +7: Ederson gets back up, and takes as much time as possible to restart the game, before running the risk of a second yellow.
90 min +6: Ederson doesn’t get back up. On come the physios. The clock ticks on.
90 min +5: Stones is repaired and we go again. The ball rolls back to Ederson, who waits until the last moment before picking up. Alli trundles into him and earns a yellow for the challenge.
90 min +4: On the pitch, Alli seethes as well, Stones having dislocated a finger while falling over the touchline. Stones hangs his leg over the white paint, to ensure play can’t restart without him. Alli tries to bundle him off, and a mild argument breaks out. Nothing too serious, though.
90 min +3: On the touchline, Frank Lampard is a picture of frustration.
90 min +2: Holgate has space, 30 yards from goal. He considers a shot, then thinks better of it. He floats a cross towards El Ghazi, just to the left of the six-yard box. An inch too high.
90 min +1: Pickford launches long ... too long. The ball sails straight through to Ederson. “I don’t want to sound like John Generic-Pundit, but if that’s not handball we might as well all go home,” writes Dan Christmas. “He deliberately controlled it with his arm.”
90 min: Gray dribbles down the right and wins a corner off Cancelo. Goodison roars ... but City deal with it easily. Goodison falls quiet ... then another blast of encouraging noise as the board goes up for five added minutes!
89 min: Foden is booked for shoving Coleman in the chest. A fair bit of tension now after that VAR decision.
88 min: One last throw of the Evertonian dice, as El Ghazi comes on for Iwobi.
87 min: Ederson is booked for time-wasting at the restart. Goodison is a seething cauldron of fury at the moment.
86 min: VAR decides it’s not a deliberate hand ball. The referee isn’t even asked to look at the monitor. Rodri is a very lucky chap. City have got away with one there. Another huge moment in the title race?
85 min: Rodri goes to clear a ball bouncing in the City box. It hits his right arm, which is not hanging by his side. It’s extended. VAR will take a long look at this.
83 min: That’s an appalling mistake by Keane, the ball stolen from him when a simple blooter clear would have done the job. A huge goal in the title race, as City look to reestablish a six-point lead over Liverpool ... and a big blow for Everton as they fight to avoid the drop.
GOAL! Everton 0-1 Manchester City (Foden 82)
Everton have been staunch, but when the dam broke, it did so softly. Silva’s low cross from the left is no good. But it pings off Holgate, Keane fails to sort his feet out, allowing the ball to roll slowly across the face of the six-yard box, and Foden nips in to tuck the ball into the bottom left from a couple of yards. What a farce. What a huge goal for City!
Updated
80 min: A little bit of relief for Everton as they spend a minute or so in City’s half. They don’t really go anywhere, but that’s not the point.
78 min: More on that breaking Roman Abramovich story.
77 min: Everton replace Gordon with Gray, while City make an attacking double change, switching out Sterling and Gundogan in favour of Jesus and Mahrez.
76 min: This is otherwise attack versus defence. City are utterly dominant, albeit yet to make the breakthrough. They’ve been threatening all right.
74 min: Doucoure finds Gordon in acres of space down the left with a raking diagonal pass. Gordon makes it to the City box, but Stones holds his line, and the Evertonian is faced with a tight angle. He lashes into the side netting, never troubling the City goal. A rare sortie into enemy territory for the hosts, though.
73 min: Some breaking news ahead of tomorrow’s League Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool: Roman Abramovich has handed over control of Chelsea to the trustees of the club’s charitable foundation. “I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interest of the club, players, staff and fans,” reads his statement. Plenty more on that big story elsewhere on the Guardian website soon.
71 min: Van de Beek’s race is run. He’s replaced by Dele Alli.
70 min: De Bruyne dinks a cross from the byline to the right of goal. Foden rises but can’t get high enough, and eyebrows a header over the bar from close range. Had he left it for Gundogan, just behind him, it was surely 1-0 to City.
Updated
68 min: De Bruyne races in from the left and pearls a low drive towards the bottom right. Pickford parries well. The ball breaks right to Silva, who returns it with cream. Pickford sticks up a strong arm to stop that flying into the net. As brilliant a double save as that previous parry was questionable.
Updated
66 min: Another City corner on the right, swung in by De Bruyne. Richarlison, who has put in a shift at both ends, heads clear.
65 min: Nothing comes of the corner, but City are rapping hard on the door now.
64 min: Stones, of all people, attempts a long-range drive. Pickford parries into the air, slightly clumsily, and is happy to see the ball fly out for a corner, as opposed to looping into the top right. Not great goalkeeping, and shades of Divock Origi’s absurd late winner in the derby a couple of seasons back.
62 min: Doucoure attempts to break upfield and swings an accidental arm in Foden’s face. Foden goes down dramatically but the coming together is deemed accidental. That seems fair.
60 min: Cancelo crosses from the left. Kenny eyebrows away from danger. De Bruyne hits one in flat from the right. Keane hoicks clear. Stones then barges into the back of Richarlison, an act met with predictable scorn by the home support. They want a yellow card, in the immediate wake of Allan’s punishment, but the referee’s not interested.
58 min: Foden’s low delivery is cleared by Richarlison ... but there’s a sense they’re hanging on now. City have enjoyed 82 percent possession in the last five minutes.
57 min: Allan, under pressure, bowls Silva over near the right touchline. Foul, no mistake. Allan explodes in anger and talks himself into the book. Foden stands over the free kick as City load the Everton box.
56 min: Pickford makes two big interventions. Silva finds Foden in space on the left, just inside the Everton box. Foden creams a shot towards the bottom left. The keeper parries. Cancelo then drives in from the left. The ball balloons into the air, and Pickford claims under pressure. City are ramping it up now.
54 min: City are beginning to push Everton back now, for the first sustained period this evening. Silva swings in from the right. Foden fires low from the left. Holgate, Keane and Richarlison ensure the hosts hold firm.
52 min: Foden busies himself down the left, bursts in between two royal blue shirts, and cuts back for Gundogan. He floats towards Silva at the far stick. Too much on it, and it’s a goal kick. The men in sky blue (I’ve just remembered I forgot to mention the colour schemes before kick-off, you see) trudge back upfield.
50 min: Iwobi busts past Cancelo on the right and wins a corner. The denizens of Goodison are enjoying this at the moment. The corner’s worked short. Van de Beek eventually swings in deep. An easy pick for Ederson, who sets City off on the counter. Van de Beek redeems himself by racing back to break it up. At the moment, there’s a feeling that this game could go either way.
Updated
49 min: Allan scoops a pass down the middle to release Richarlison, who knows he’s offside and doesn’t attempt to beat Ederson with any conviction. The keeper parries well, for what it’s worth, and then the flag pops up.
48 min: City go up the other end and ping it around themselves, but Everton hold their shape, push up, and the pressure is released when Gundogan is spotted offside.
46 min: Richarlison, Doucoure and Gordon paint some pretty triangles down the Everton left. They nearly fashion a chance for the latter in the box, but the last pass doesn’t quite ping. Early signs in the second half that Everton fancy this?
Everton get the second half underway. No changes.
Half-time reading ... seeing we’ve been on the subject of the conflict in Ukraine.
HALF TIME: Everton 0-0 Manchester City
Nothing much happens during two minutes of added time, and Everton walk off the happier team.
45 min: Or is it? The referee thinks it’s a few yards further back, and despite vociferous Evertonian protests, he’ll not be moved. Gordon eventually takes, whipping the ball over the wall and onto the top of the net. Not a million miles away from the top-right corner, but Ederson had it covered anyway.
44 min: Allan and Van de Beek jink progressively down the inside-right channel. They lay off for Richarlison, who is more than happy to go down when nudged from behind by Rodri. Free kick, just to the right of the D.
43 min: Rodri launches a long pass down the left. Foden can’t keep it in play. Goal kick. Pickford takes his sweet time over the restart. The referee trots over and has a quiet word.
41 min: Silva dances in from the right, but upon entering the box rolls a weak shot towards the bottom right. Easy for Pickford.
40 min: Sterling slips a ball down the left and nearly releases Foden. Coleman wasn’t concentrating, and is fortunate to see the overhit pass fly out for a goal kick, just before Foden can take a whack at goal from a tight angle.
39 min: Sterling drives down the right, part of a three-on-two counter. City look ready to open Everton up at last ... but his pass infield is intercepted by the heroically backtracking Van de Beek. Everton are working their tails off here.
37 min: ... and now he’s bustling into the City box on the right! His cross is no good, but this is an all-action performance from the Brazilian. Don’t rule out some hot-headed nonsense down the line, mind, in the time-honoured enthusiasm-spills-over fashion.
36 min: Richarlison is in the mood for this, though. Here he’s back helping out his defence, holding off Dias and eventually buying a foul that releases the pressure on his team-mates.
34 min: A slapstick moment as Richarlison somehow manages to tackle his own player (!) Gordon, as he’s dribbling in from the left. Richarlison tries a dribble of his own. He can’t get through. The ball breaks to Iwobi, then pinballs through to Richarlison, six yards out and clear! Richarlison only has time to flip an instant no-backlift shot straight at Ederson. Either side, and that was the opening goal.
33 min: Silva wins a corner down the right. De Bruyne sends it deep. Laporte loops a harmless header over the bar.
32 min: Space for De Bruyne down the left ... and this is another uncharacteristic moment, as he crosses towards nobody in particular. A weird three minutes for such a class act.
31 min: Allan steals the ball off a dozing De Bruyne, 30 yards from the City goal. He runs right to left, then feeds Kenny down the channel. Kenny bursts into the box but slices a wild shot well wide left. He should have made Ederson work at least.
29 min: Stones rolls a pass down the middle for De Bruyne, who bursts into a little pocket of space, 25 yards out, and aims for the bottom right. The pea-roller is snaffled by Pickford. De Bruyne usually belts them with more feeling than that.
Updated
27 min: Allan goes down in the City box. There’s a light brush on him from behind by Cancelo ... perhaps ... but even if there was, it’s not a foul. No penalty, the correct decision. Everton are nevertheless incensed, and in the immediate aftermath, Van de Beek scythes through Gundogan. The first yellow of the card is flashed. Everyone’s unhappy for one reason and another.
Updated
26 min: Iwobi and Doucoure swap passes down the right, and for a second it looks as though the latter is going to win a corner at the very least. But Laporte sticks to him like glue and nicks the ball away.
24 min: Van de Beek has the chance to release Gordon into acres of space down the left, but from inside his own half, hopelessly overhits a clunker of a pass out for a goal kick. Ajax’s run to within 30 seconds of the 2019 Champions League final seems a long time ago at this minute.
22 min: Gordon swings it in. City clear and attempt to counter. Sterling is stopped in his tracks by Kenny’s no-nonsense slide tackle. This is fast-paced and fun, if a little light on quality so far ... something that usually can’t be said about a match involving City. Plenty of time for the champions to right that wrong.
21 min: Laporte pointlessly barges Richarlison to the ground with the Everton man going nowhere down the right. Now it’s a free kick in a dangerous position. The hosts load the City box.
19 min: Nothing comes of the corner, but City keep pressing, and win a free kick out on the left. Foden floats this one in. Everton deal with this set piece as well. City are on top now, though Everton will be happy enough with the way it’s been going so far, Pickford yet to be called into serious action.
17 min: Rodri dinks a diagonal pass towards Foden, just inside the Everton area on the right. Foden takes it down and diddles Kenny with one smooth action, trapping, bodyswerving and driving towards the byline all at once, and winning a corner.
Updated
15 min: The first kind-of lull of the game so far, as City try to calm things down to their preferred pace in the middle of the park. Meanwhile here’s a nice idea from James Boyle: “If they haven’t been brought on already as subs, I think the managers should send on both Ukrainian players at the same time near the end of the game. Then just listen to the Goodison crowd roar their support for Ukraine. Just a thought.”
13 min: Gordon runs at Stones down the left and reaches the byline. He fires centrally, low and hard, hoping to find Richarlison on the edge of the six-yard box. Ederson makes a meal of claiming, but claim he does, at the second attempt. The Goodison faithful enjoyed that, as well. It’s a cracking atmosphere at Goodison, with kick off at a-couple-of-Saturday-night-pints-in o’clock.
Updated
11 min: Sterling and Gundogan nearly open Everton up neatly down the left. Not quite. The crowd roar their approval at the home side’s staunch early work. “I enjoyed reading the pre-match Frank-Pep talk. I get the feeling that Frank will need to give a frank pep talk at halftime as well.” Peter Oh, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the meat-and-root-vegetable stew.
9 min: Van de Beek plays out from the back in a very poor fashion. He’s very lucky that his directionless ball can’t be controlled by Silva on the edge of the Everton box. He breathes again.
8 min: Everton come back at City immediately, Van de Beek looping into the mixer from the right. Richarlison prepares to attack the ball, six yards out, but Dias is on point to deal with the danger. City counter through Gundogan, who drives too hard down the left and runs the ball out of play for a goal kick.
7 min: Richarlison is tapped from behind by Dias. A few competitive challenges during these early skirmishes. Holgate wedges down the right for Coleman, who wins the first corner of the evening. Gordon takes. Rodri clears. A fast, fun start to this game.
5 min: Stones receives plenty of pantomime pelters as he takes up possession. They loved him once. Then some boos for Sterling, who as an ex-Liverpool player was always going to get it. Sterling reaches the byline on the left and cuts back for Rodri, whose shot is blocked. The ball breaks right. Gordon mops up, and is barged by Foden, a little bit of payback for that earlier foul. This could be a tussle worth keeping an eye on.
3 min: Foden jinks in from the right and is clumsily upended by Gordon. A free kick 30 yards out. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Everton box. De Bruyne loops long. Keane is in the process of heading clear when Holgate is bundled over and the whistle goes for a pressure-releasing free kick for Everton.
2 min: To the football, then, and City begin with a period of sterile possession, stroking it around the back, Everton making sure they stay in shape. A pattern set early, perhaps.
City get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes the knee. There’s no room for racism.
The teams are out. No air-raid siren to greet the players, just the theme to Z-Cars. City wear t-shirts with the Ukraine flag and the legend NO WAR. Everton emerge draped in the flag of Ukraine. Then a timely spin of the 1960s Hollies classic He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother. A lovely moment where humanity prevails. Poor Zinchenko on the City bench looks close to tears but the brave young man gives a supportive crowd the thumbs up. We’ll be off in an emotional minute. Godspeed Ukraine.
Frank Lampard also speaks very well in the circumstances. “We have a lot of empathy as a club, it’s a people’s club. The decision to be involved was Vitalii’s, he’s never given me the inkling he doesn’t want to be involved. It’s a small release for him to train with us and feel he’s part of our family. The onus is on us to support him. There’s not much help we can give to know we’re there for him. A tough time for him, and I’m sure both sets of fans will show big reactions to those players.”
Pep Guardiola talks to Sky. “Of course we are sensitive of everything. It is an issue that is a concern all around the world, not just for the Ukrainian people. Even for Russian innocent people, because they are unfortunately sent to the war but maybe they do not want to go. Zinchenko is worried, as you should be for your friends and family.” Then onto football. “City always has a difficult game here, but we are ready to do battle. We performed well against Tottenham, but football is sometimes unpredictable, and we lost because we defended really, really bad. We deserved to lose.” Yes, the battle juxtaposition is a bit unfortunate, but Pep’s not speaking in his first language, and anyway it’s an easy enough slip to make when asked during an interview to change gears between the topics of war and sport in an instant. An awful situation addressed with the greatest respect.
Updated
A heartwarming, if extremely bittersweet, moment during the warm-up, as the Ukrainian pair Vitalii Mykolenko of Everton and City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko embrace each other with great feeling. Some things on their mind bigger than football. Everton normally sound an air-raid klaxon before playing the Z-Cars theme during the build-up at Goodison, but they’re expected to silence that this evening as a measure of respect. Here’s to peace and love.
Updated
On this subject, here’s the latest edition of our ongoing series Pre-Match Optimism: The Everton Way. “They say that any Premier League team has a chance to win against everyone,” begins Mary Waltz. “As an Everton fan I would love to believe that. The reality is: Everton v City = Cow v Abattoir.”
Of course, it’s not breathing space or hope Everton desperately need; it’s points. Here’s Jonathan Liew on the challenge facing their new boss Frank Lampard ... and whether he’s got the tools required to haul them out of the mire.
Everton, looking over their shoulder towards the relegation places, will have been happy to see Leeds take yet another pounding this lunchtime, going down 4-0 at home to Spurs. They’ll have been pretty pleased to see Saints beat bottom club Norwich last night. But the Saturday 3pm results haven’t gone their way. A surprise point for Watford at Old Trafford; a come-from-behind point salvaged by Burnley at Palace; and a win for in-form Newcastle at Brentford. The Toon, bottom not so long ago, aren’t even in our relegation caption any more. They’re in 14th! Everton as a result have slipped to 17th, though their matches in hand, coupled with Leeds’ form, give the Mersey giants, last relegated in 1951 and ever-present in the top flight since 1954, a little bit of breathing space ... and some much-needed hope.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Leeds | 26 | -31 | 23 |
| 17 | Everton | 23 | -12 | 22 |
| 18 | Burnley | 24 | -8 | 21 |
| 19 | Watford | 26 | -22 | 19 |
| 20 | Norwich | 26 | -40 | 17 |
Both teams are coming off the back of a defeat; both make one change to their starting XIs. Struggling Everton, who lost 2-0 at Southampton last Saturday, are without the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin (adductor) so in comes Abdoulaye Doucoure to bulk up the midfield. League leaders City, dramatically beaten 3-2 at home by Spurs this time last week, bench Kyle Walker in favour of John Stones.
The teams
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Kenny, Allan, Doucoure, Iwobi, van de Beek, Gordon, Richarlison.
Subs: Patterson, Gray, Townsend, Begovic, Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Rondon, El Ghazi, Alli.
Manchester City: Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Laporte, De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Foden, Sterling.
Subs: Walker, Ake, Gabriel Jesus, Grealish, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Carson, Slicker.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
Preamble
Manchester City have won their last nine matches against Everton. Despite last weekend’s weird blip against Spurs, you’d expect Pep Guardiola’s title-chasing leaders to make it ten in a row this evening against Rafael Benitez’s Frank Lampard’s relegation-haunted shower. Then again, Everton really need something here, as they scramble for safety, and they’ll be buoyed by Lampard’s first two matches in charge at Goodison, which they’ve won to a cumulative score of 7-1. Admittedly those victories were against fellow out-of-form strugglers Brentford and Leeds, but you can only beat what’s in front of you … and long losing streaks against bogey teams have to end sometime. Everton’s chance to do themselves – and Liverpool, because nothing’s perfect – a big favour kicks off at 5.30pm GMT. It’s on!
