City leave it late but get the job done at Goodison | OneFootball

Manchester City edged past Everton with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Goodison Park, thanks to late goals from academy graduate Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic.

The visitors had plenty of the ball but couldn't find a breakthrough, with the Toffees defending deep and digging in.

The best chance of the first half actually fell to the hosts, with James Tarkowski heading against the post from a corner.

City pushed forward with more urgency after the break, but Jordan Pickford was sharp to deny efforts from Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan.

The hosts grew in confidence as the game wore on, with Jarrad Branthwaite had a huge chance to put Everton ahead, only to be denied by a tremendous save City's keeper Ortega.

Just as the game looked to be heading for a draw, O'Reilly put City ahead with five minutes to go, tapping in after reacting quickest to Matheus Nunes’ low cross.

In stoppage time, Mateo Kovacic wrapped up the victory for the Citizens, finding the bottom corner despite slipping as he took the shot.

With this win, Pep Guardiola's side moves up to fourth in the Premier League, while David Moyes' team remains in 13th place.