Everton 0-2 Man City: Leveling the dangerous terrain, returning to the top of the table

Everton played very uncomfortably at home, but Man City still had enough strength to take all three points in the late match of round three and maintain their winning streak since the beginning of the Premier League this season.

Visiting Goodison Park has never been easy for Man City, even when they were transformed by the money of their Arab owners. The proof is that in the last six Premier League matches played at this stadium, Man City lost four times, drew once and only defeated the home team Everton once.

That tradition seemed to continue on August 23, when the two teams clashed on the old football field in Merseyside today. In the first hour of the match, Man City encountered many difficulties against a stubborn, stubborn Everton, playing a very annoying defensive counter-attack, and there were many moments that made the rich visitors startled.

Everton did everything they could, but still had to helplessly watch Man City take all three points and leave. Photo: EPA.

But at the moment when their strength was most doubted, Man City spoke up to affirm that they were capable of overcoming difficulties. When the famous attacking stars were powerless, a left-back - Kolarov - suddenly spoke up, with a goal opening the score from a very narrow angle in the 60th minute. Towards the end of the match, when the home team was struggling to find an equalizer, Man City added another fatal blow, to end the match with a beautiful wall pass between Toure and Nasri.

Besides dispelling the haunting memory of Goodison Park, this 2-0 victory also has many other important meanings for Man City. Thanks to it, they extended their winning streak to three matches in the Premier League this season. If Liverpool - who also won both first two rounds - cannot defeat Arsenal in the late match today, August 25, Man City will be the only one at the top of the table. That position and the way they overcame obstacles (scoring eight goals, still keeping a clean sheet) is the strongest affirmation of their position as the number one candidate for the championship after only three rounds. This is something that other ambitious opponents such as Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal cannot do.

The way Man City won on August 23 also said a lot about a talented and ambitious team under Pellegrini. Everton were very excited after a big 3-0 win at Southampton in the previous round, but all they did against Man City was missed opportunities.

Lukaku had Everton's best chances, but lacked the sharpness needed to score and turn the game around. Photo: Reuters.

But before the home fans were left feeling sorry for themselves with a goal ruled out for offside midway through the first half and a free-kick that hit the crossbar, both from Lukaku, it was City who had the better of the chances. Had Aguero (twice) and Sterling been a little sharper when given the chance, it would have been the visitors who could have opened the scoring in the opening 14 minutes.

After the break, when many fans had not yet returned to their seats, Man City gave Everton another chill with Silva's shot hitting the post. But they did not have to regret it for too long, because when Aguero, Silva and other stars were unlucky, left-back Koralov spoke up when he received the ball from Sterling and then ran down to score from a very narrow angle.

Everton responded very positively after conceding the goal. But that seemed to only serve as a backdrop for Man City to demonstrate another quality that a title contender needs to have - the ability to withstand pressure. The central defenders became the bright spot for the visitors during this time, when Kompany and Mangala covered well, continuously making many timely interventions, blocks, and saves, relieving the pressure that Everton created towards Joe Hart's goal.

Man City's defense is not perfect, but it is creating a sense of confidence and safety for the teammates up front. Photo: DM.

From the sidelines, coach Pellegrini also made timely personnel adjustments, with Nasri, Bony, and Delph coming on as substitutes. The first of these changes, Nasri, not only fully utilized his ball-keeping skills, slowing down the tempo of the match, but also brought about the necessary breakthrough with a launch and then personally scored the goal to seal the 2-0 result.

According to VNE