Manchester City 1-1 Everton
Jordan Pickford saves penalty kick from Haaland; Manchester City has now one draw and three losses from past four, 1-1 result with Everton on Boxing Day
Updated: 26 December 2024 | Source: Stats Perform
Manchester City’s recent Premier League struggles continued with a 1-1 home draw against Everton on Boxing Day. Despite dominating possession, Pep Guardiola’s side were thwarted by Everton’s resilient defense and a key penalty save from Jordan Pickford, marking a continuing dip in form for the reigning champions.
Key Match Highlights:
- Erling Haaland's Missed Penalty: A second-half penalty by Erling Haaland was saved by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to extend City's recent struggles. The missed penalty means this is the first time Haaland has seen a Premier League spot-kick saved after converting 15 others.
- Early goal from Bernardo Silva: City took the lead through the first half of the match in the 14-minute mark when Bernardo Silva's cross deflected off Jarrad Branthwaite to give Manchester City a 1-0 advantage.
- Everton's Equalizing: Everton responded with an outrageous goal from Iliman Ndiaye, whose capitalization on sloppy City defending leveled the score with 1-1 right before halftime.
MANCHESTER CITY'S CURRENT FORM:
This draw leaves Manchester City struggling with just one win in their last nine Premier League matches (D2 L6). They had previously won 16 of their last 18 league games (D2). Since the beginning of November, City has been at their vulnerable selves at the back, with 26 goals conceded- no team across Europe's top five leagues has conceded as many or more, with the exception of Heidenheim.
Despite the early-season goal-scoring exploits of Haaland, who netted 10 goals in his first five Premier League games, the Norwegian striker has struggled in recent weeks, scoring only three goals in his last 13 appearances. Haaland has underperformed his expected goals (xG) by 5.2 in his last 13 matches (3 goals vs. 8.2 xG).
Everton's Performance:
The point lifted Everton to 15th in the Premier League table, a five-point cushion from the relegation zone. It was a resilient defensive performance by the Toffees that was the key to them holding the struggling Cityzens to a crucial point. This result comes after their successful defensive outings recently against top teams like Arsenal and Chelsea.
Jordan Pickford, the beaming ray of light that he has been in this Everton team, saved his seventh Premier League penalty for the club to tie with Tim Howard. Only Brad Friedel for Blackburn and Jussi Jaaskelainen for Bolton Wanderers have kept more penalties out at one club in the Premier League than Pickford.
Looking Ahead:
- Manchester City's Next Challenge: With key games against Newcastle and Aston Villa coming up, Manchester City will have to raise their game if they are to remain in contention for the top places.
- **Everton's Survival Bid: This point could prove critical for Everton as they aim to cement their Premier League status with a run of tough fixtures ahead.
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