Everton 0-2 Man City: 3 talking points as late goals boost Champions League hopes | OneFootball

Manchester City moved up to fourth in the Premier League table after winning 2-0 at Everton on Saturday afternoon.

The Cityzens were far from their best from much of the contest, but they rallied late amid an improved showing in the closing stages to secure an imperative victory.

Pep Guardiola and his side can now put their feet up and enjoy the rest of the weekend's action, with many of their rivals for a Champions League position in action over the next two days.

How the game unfolded

Everton supporters arrived at Goodison Park for the third from last time for a Premier League fixture, as they welcomed to soon-to-be dethroned champions to Merseyside, but they were subject to a contest which struggled to get going early on.

Pep Guardiola's risk-averse set-up limited the hosts' ability to counter but also seemed to inhibit City with the ball, too. The visitors were intent on passing the Toffees to death, as they enjoyed almost all of the possession in the opening period, but rarely did they test Everton's stubborn defence.

Matheus Nunes forced a good save from Jordan Pickford with a drive from distance 15 minutes in, and Kevin De Bruyne was denied a certain goal by a brilliant Jake O'Brien clearing header just before half-time. In between City's only two moments of note in the first-half, James Tarkowski struck the post from a set-piece.

A spark from anywhere was required in the second period to at least lift the Goodison faithful, and while Everton started the brighter of the two teams after the restart, moments of note in the final third were few and far between.

The sterility of City's play was borderline infuriating, and Guardiola's unwillingness to turn to his bench was bizarre. The Spaniard eventually did, with 15 minutes to play, and there had been signs of a City upsurge as the game entered its final act. Ilkay Gundogan tried to inspire some maroon momentum with a driving run or two, and Savinho had a good chance saved by Pickford.

The Everton goalkeeper then bailed out Michael Keane, who defended a high ball woefully and allowed Omar Marmoush in behind, but the forward's effort was smartly kept out by the Englishman.

Nevertheless, there was finally a sense of City building something on Merseyside, and their moment did arrive with six minutes to go as full-back Nico O'Reilly crashed the box and poked home from a Nunes cross. The visitors had no intent of leading their lead slip at the last, and Everton didn't have a sniff in the aftermath. A Mateo Kovacic finish from the edge of the box sealed the deal, masking what had been an uninspiring display, but the result was all that mattered for Guardiola's men.

This was Everton's first defeat at Goodison Park since David Moyes' first game in charge upon his return.

City's right-sided old guard falters

Bernardo Silva was a non-factor down the right / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

The majority of City supporters would agree that we've seen far too much of Bernardo Silva this season. The versatile Portuguese was once again included in Guardiola's team despite his indifference, starting down the right.

He worked in tandem with De Bruyne, who was brilliant last week, but less so here. While the Belgian tried to take command in the opening period, he struggled to combine with Bernardo, who lacked thrust when handed rare opportunities to break into open space and couldn't complete simple passes for De Bruyne on the overlap.

Bernardo's presence was rendered close to futile by Vitalii Mykolenko, who forced the midfielder into sideways and backwards passes which defined City's performance. He was so poor, and after shining against Crystal Palace, De Bruyne proved that while undoubtedly still capable on his day, he cannot be relied upon consistently every week.

Guardiola's old guard has faltered constantly in a difficult campaign, depicting the end of a cycle, and the veteran tandem epitomised their struggles at Goodison.

Nico O'Reilly steps up again for City

O'Reilly scored City's opener in the 84th minute / Carl Recine/GettyImages

It won't go down as the official match-winner thanks to Kovacic's stoppage-time effort, but O'Reilly's opportunistic finish six minutes from time was undoubtedly the game's decisive moment.

City turned it on late after sluggishly meandering through the contest, although it did seem as if they were heading for just a single point. While teams have found it hard to claim three points at Goodison since Moyes' return, Guardiola would've seen this as a fixture City needed to win in their bid to claim a Champions League position.

The Spaniard's set-up supplied City with greater security in central areas, with the revelatory O'Neill performing a rather restricted role in midfield alongside Nico Gonzalez and, occasionally, Matheus Nunes. Rarely did the full-back break into the final third, but a shift in mentality as the visitors grew in desperation facilitated the big moment,

O'Reilly's positioning grew in bravery as the game wore on, and it was his willingness to crash the box which allowed him to score the all-important goal from close range. City finally got in down the right thanks to a smart Nunes run, and the driven cross was pinpoint for the youngster to finish.

Pressure on City's rivals

Pep Guardiola can relax and watch the action unfold over the next 48 hours / Jan Kruger/GettyImages

The race for the Champions League is fierce, but teams have been aided by the Premier League's improved co-efficient which means the top-five will qualify for the competition.

Anything but Champions League football would be disastrous for Guardiola's side, but they've taken a couple of big strides towards the elite by recording back-to-back wins. This was one they had to grind out, something they haven't done all that much this season, and their victory allows them to relax for the next 48 hours with their closest rivals in action.

Newcastle and Fulham each have tricky tests away from home at Aston Villa and Fulham respectively, while Nottingham Forest visit a buoyant Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night. There are five teams competing for three spots, and City will fancy their chances given that four of their remaining matches are either at home or against Southampton.

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