2023-12-27 22:18:00
Manchester City returned to the Premier League following winning the Club World Championship. The English champions, who were only fifth in the table, faced away once morest Everton, who was fighting for relegation in 17th place. Unexpectedly, they encountered quite a few problems. After the first half, they were losing 0-1, and Erling Haaland’s substitute, Julian Alvarez, was horribly ineffective. Eventually, however, he broke through, and with him the entire team.
Everton scolded an ineffective Manchester City. It smelled like a surprise
City dominated from the start. Already in the fourth minute he had the perfect chance to score a goal. Jack Grealish accelerated on the left wing and retreated to Alvarez, but the Argentine shot straight at Pickford from an advantageous position. Only 10 minutes had passed and Alvarez once more had a great opportunity. This time he was spotted perfectly by Matheus Nunes, but once more the Everton goalkeeper turned out to be better.
Missed opportunities took revenge in the 29th minute and in extremely bizarre circumstances. Rodri received the ball in front of his own penalty area. He won the duel with Beto and moved back behind the sixteenth line. There, he unexpectedly fell over his own feet and the ball bounced and landed under Dwight McNeil’s feet. The 24-year-old quickly passed a cross on the ground to Jack Harrison, who beat Ederson from close range with the first ball. Everton unexpectedly took the lead.
Harrison might have followed suit and a moment later made it 2-0. He hit the shot from a distance right into the window, but this time the guests were saved by the Brazilian goalkeeper. To make matters worse, John Stones was injured before the break and left the field limping. He was replaced by Josko Gvardiol.
Manchester City reversed the result. Alvarez’s break and Silva’s mastery
Pep Guardiola’s players responded only at the beginning of the second half, but very effectively. Bernardo Silva passed the ball to Phil Foden in front of the penalty area, who received it and shot it powerfully from a distance. The ball, like a bullet, flew low just past the near post, fell into the net and we had a draw. City almost took the lead in the next action. After an action from the right side, Foden crossed the ball on the ground from under the end line, the ball was hit by Julian Alvarez a few meters under the goal, but so dirty that it only rolled slowly past the post.
After an hour of play, Alvarez was once more close to scoring a goal. He shot a beautiful free kick into the window, but Jordan Pickford made an even more beautiful save in the goal. Only on the fifth attempt did the 23-year-old striker make a mistake. Amadou Onana blocked Nathan Ake’s shot in the penalty area with his hand and the referee awarded a penalty kick. Alvarez approached him, shot on the ground right in the middle and that was enough. Pickford jumped out too quickly and got beaten.
Everton might have equalized. A quarter of an hour before the end, Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a great opportunity. He found himself one-on-one with Ederson, slightly undercut the ball, but shot it just wide of the right post. Bernardo Silva showed how to shoot just before the end, taking advantage of Jordan Pickoford’s terrible clearance. The Portuguese regained the ball in his own half, ran forward a bit and made the score 3-1 with a phenomenal lob. – Great class, maestro, extremely intelligent player – commented Canal+Sport commentators.
Everton – Manchester City 1:3 (1:0)
- Bramki: 29′ Harrison – 53′ Foden, 64′ Alvarez (k.), 86′ B. Silva
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#magic #touch #Bernardo #Silva #Football #poetry #Maestro #WIDEO #Pika #nona
