Manchester City struck twice late to break through Everton and produce a 2-0 away win at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Nico O’Reilly scored in the 85th minute and Mateo Kovacic bagged an insurance goal in stoppage time to secure three pivotal points for City’s Champions League push.
WATCH – Everton v Manchester City full match replay
City are back into the top four on 58 points, one point behind Newcastle, one above Nottingham Forest, and five clear of Chelsea and Aston Villa. All four of those teams have yet to play this weekend.
Everton stay 13th with 38 points, in neither danger of relegation nor a spot in the top half.
Pep shows some new tricks
This isn’t to say that Pep Guardiola’s never done this before — he’s done just about everything — but his risk/reward with Nico O’Reilly as a left back has now produced a couple of goals. And the risk is huge. If you’re someone who wonders why Liverpool doesn’t deploy Trent Alexander-Arnold in the midfield due to his perceived defensive shortcomings, then putting young O’Reilly — an attacking midfielder by trade — at left back is like leaving a puppy home alone with a plate of peanut butter on the new couch. Yet as Pep explained after the game, the idea of O’Reilly is how comfortable he’ll be arriving in attacking places, and the 20-year-old now has two goals from four starts at left back. The move also allows Guardiola to deploy a monstrous center back partnerships of Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol instead of using the big Croatian out left.
Everton vs Manchester City player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Ortega controlled his box and was in good position to make some decent Everton strikes look average.
It was the keeper and his back line that delivered this win to City, no doubt.
Everton vs Manchester City player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Everton vs Manchester City player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
Everton head to Chelsea at 7:30am ET Saturday.
City are home to Aston Villa at 3pm Tuesday before an FA Cup semifinal with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, April 27.
How to watch Everton vs Manchester City live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday (April 19)
Venue: Goodison Park — Walton, Liverpool
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
Everton vs Manchester City final score: 0-2
Nico O’Reilly 85', Mateo Kovacic 90+2'
Everton vs Manchester City live updates
Mateo Kovacic goal — Everton 0-2 Manchester City (90+2')
The sub strikes.
Jeremy Doku finds Ilkay Gundogan at the penalty spot, but the midfielder is bodied by Jarrad Branthwaite and has to play the ball back.
That’s where Kovacic slides onto a volley, which takes a turn en route to City’s insurance goal.
Nico O’Reilly goal — Everton 0-1 Manchester City (85th minute)
The fullbacks have been targeted by Everton and haven’t shone in their own half, but they deliver a late goal.
Bernardo Silva waits for Matheus Nunes to overlap, then gives the right back the ball for a pass to the front that sees left back O’Reilly dart to the right post to finish for his second goal in as many games.
Subs for both in the 79th minute
Nico Gonzalez and Savinho depart the game in favor of Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic.
Everton’s James Harrison is leaving for Dwight McNeil, and Carlos Alcaraz replaces Ndiaye.
Beto had already replaced Armando Broja in the 64th minute.
0-0!
Ortega save
Everton do well down the left as Iliman Ndiaye finds Abdoulaye Doucoure.
The big midfielder finds room to let loose a left-footed shot and Stefan Ortega is there with his left hand to keep the damage to a corner kick.
The Man City keeper then collects a loose ball and launches a counter attack that ends with Savinho winning a free kick and leaving Idrissa Gana Gueye with a yellow card.
0-0, 62'.
James Tarkowski injury
The Toffees have been good and forced a save out of Stefan Ortega, but there’s bad news here, too.
Mainstay center back James Tarkowski is gingerly departing the pitch after some treatment from trainers, replaced by Michael Keane in the 52nd minute.
Halftime — Everton 0-0 Manchester City
We sincerely hope for better viewing in the second 45!
Everton are in this, though, with enough moments of promise to think they could snare three points by hook, crook, or other.
Not quite a foothold, but Everton’s toes in the door
The Toffees are keeping City from danger, and finding a few moments with the ball themselves.
This is a game with 0.02 xG through 24 minutes, and City will be getting a bit antsy.
City in early control, absent final ball
Man City have kept the ball in the Everton half for the most extended bits of possession, but they’ve been unable to connect for the final ball.
Nico Gonzalez headed a ball behind the back line but his target was retreating onside, while a whipped-in pass had too much to reach Omar Marmoush.
Everton have had one moment of danger, too, but City swarmed multiple defenders to the end line target of a hard diagonal cross.
0-0, 10'.
Everton lineup
Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gana Gueye, Garner, Doucoure, Harrison, Ndiaye, Broja
Manchester City lineup
Ortega Moreno, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Nico, Gundogan, De Bruyne (C), Savinho, Bernardo, Marmoush
Everton vs Manchester City preview
Pep Guardiola’s men are unbeaten in four-straight Premier League matches and sit fifth with 55 points. That total is just two points off third but a point ahead of sixth-place Chelsea and seventh-place Villa. Everton boss David Moyes saw his team pick up a crucial win at Nottingham Forest and have only lost once in the Premier League since mid-January.
That run also includes six draws, but a 5W-6D-1L stretch against any run of PL opposition is an upgrade on the latter days of the Sean Dyche era. Everton’s 38 points pull them to 13th on the table, and a strong finish could leave them on the precipice of the top half and feeling very good about the 2025-26 season in addition to the move to new grounds.
Everton team news, focus
OUT: Jesper Lindstrom (groin), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (thigh), Orel Mangala (knee)
Manchester City team news, focus
OUT: Erling Haaland (ankle - MORE) John Stones (thigh), Rodri (torn ACL - MORE), Nathan Ake (ankle) | QUESTIONABLE: Ederson (muscular), Manuel Akanji (groin).
Everton vs Manchester City prediction
City have still drawn twice in their past four outings, and it doesn’t feel like the side are completely over their wobbles. But the five goals they fired past Palace did feel relatively vintage even given the 2-0 hole they opened early in the game. Everton haven’t allowed multiple goals in a half-dozen Premier League games, but they also haven’t scored more than one goal in that period. We expect City to find their way home a couple of times at Goodison. Everton 1-3 Manchester City.
