Manchester City vs Everton Match Review – Haaland’s Double Fires City Back to the Summit! | OneFootball

Manchester city 2-0 Everton

Erling Haaland 58′, 63′

Erling Haaland once again proved to be the difference-maker as Manchester City secured a 2-0 victory over Everton at the Etihad Stadium, returning to the top of the Premier League table. His second-half brace – headers of precision and a striker’s finish of cold efficiency – took his tally to 23 goals in 13 matches across all competitions this season.

While City laboured through a patchy first half, Pep Guardiola’s men ultimately found their rhythm through two ruthless passages of play that reminded everyone why they remain English football’s ultimate reference point. Everton, organised and industrious under David Moyes, will rue missed opportunities before Haaland’s inevitable intervention sealed their fate.

Match Summary and Tactical Review

For much of the opening period, this wasn’t vintage Manchester City. The absence of Rodri, the metronome who stitches Guardiola’s sides together, was felt once again. Nico González, the January signing from Porto, deputised admirably at the base of midfield – tidier and more assertive than in previous outings – but the flow lacked the inevitability Rodri provides. Without his calming presence, Manchester City’s possession felt more forced, less intricate.

Everton sensed as much. From the outset, they pressed selectively and countered with intent through Iliman Ndiaye, whose direct running troubled Nathan Aké. It was Ndiaye’s burst down the right on 15 minutes that created the game’s first major scare – his square ball for Beto narrowly evading the striker’s outstretched leg.

Moments later, Jake O’Brien’s misjudged header cannoned off his own crossbar under pressure from Haaland, a let-off that underlined the margins Everton were living on.

Guardiola prowled the technical area with agitation, urging quicker switches and wider angles. His team’s play was predictable, and when they did progress, their finishing lacked conviction. Savinho and Jérémy Doku both spurned clear chances that drew Guardiola’s ire. Manchester City’s best moments came when Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly combined to exploit space on the left.

O’Reilly, stepping in at full-back, impressed with his forward thrust and vision. One low drive from 20 yards skimmed inches past Jordan Pickford’s left post. Another cross from the same flank would eventually unlock the deadlock.

At half-time, Everton had cause for optimism. They had absorbed the Citizens pressure, created the better early openings, and forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a crucial stop from Ndiaye. But against this Manchester City side, resistance has a shelf life.

The breakthrough came in the 58th minute – classic Manchester City, stripped to its essentials. Foden, scanning centrally, found O’Reilly’s underlapping run down the left. The young full-back looked up once and clipped a cross that begged to be attacked. Haaland obliged, launching himself above two defenders and thumping a downward header beyond Pickford. The Etihad exhaled as the net rippled.

Just five minutes later, Manchester City killed the contest. Again the left flank provided the incision. Savinho, sharper after switching sides, accelerated into the box and pulled the ball back for Haaland. The Norwegian, in space, opened his body and swept a left-footed finish low past Pickford. It was his sixth consecutive Premier League game on the scoresheet, a run now echoing Jamie Vardy’s historic 2015-16 streak.

From there, Manchester City’s grip tightened. The geometry of their passing returned, Foden dictating angles and tempo, González shielding efficiently, and Aké recovering his composure after a ragged start. Everton’s threat faded, their midfield overrun, and their energy drained from chasing shadows.

Yet the Citizens were not flawless and without Rodri, they lacked total authority. Guardiola’s side were still prone to moments of sloppiness – Aké’s misplaced pass in the first half that gifted Ndiaye a run, or Doku’s overdribble that stalled attacks. These are minor blips for a team in transition but not insignificant for a manager obsessed with control.

Everton, for their part, executed Moyes’ plan well for an hour. Their defensive line stayed compact, full-backs tucked in to deny Doku and Savinho space, and Ndiaye offered an outlet that repeatedly unsettled Manchester City’s rest defence. But the visitors’ lack of clinical edge cost them dearly. Beto, though physically imposing, squandered two presentable chances, while James Garner’s late penalty appeal – after his shot struck Bernardo Silva’s hand – was waved away by referee Tony Harrington.

Guardiola’s substitutions, introducing Bernardo and Oscar Bobb, added composure in the final stages as Manchester City managed the game out. Haaland could have had his hat-trick in stoppage time but twice hesitated when clean through, allowing Pickford to deny him – a rare moment of fallibility from the most devastating finisher in world football.

Man of the Match: Erling Haaland

Two chances, two goals – that’s the Haaland formula, distilled to its purest form. What sets him apart isn’t just his scoring volume but his instinct for space, timing, and movement. His first goal encapsulated his power; the second, his poise.

What makes his performance remarkable is how little he needed to influence proceedings outside the penalty area. For 57 minutes, he was almost peripheral, his touches minimal, his involvement sparse. Then, in five minutes, he tore the game away from Everton.

It’s now 23 goals in 13 games for club and country, and he has scored against every opponent this season except Tottenham. His consistency, already bordering on absurd, has become the foundation of Guardiola side campaign. Even Guardiola, half-jokingly, lamented that Haaland hadn’t scored “four or five.” Yet beneath the humour was a manager who knows he’s blessed – and slightly burdened – by a forward whose brilliance can sometimes mask structural flaws elsewhere.

Final Word

This wasn’t Manchester City at their majestic best, but it didn’t need to be. They managed risk, rode their luck early on, and then allowed Haaland to settle the contest in his typically brutal fashion.

The 2-0 victory pushes the Citizens back to the top of the Premier League table (Arsenal and Liverpool both have their fixtures later and could leapfrog City to the top with wins, respectively) and extends their unbeaten run to eight league games. Guardiola’s side have now kept four clean sheets in that span, evidence of a defence slowly finding rhythm despite enforced reshuffles. Still, the ongoing absence of Rodri continues to shape Manchester City’s rhythm, and Guardiola’s post-match words hinted at a broader demand – for goals and responsibility to be shared more evenly across the frontline.

Everton leave Manchester with little to show for an organised and spirited display. Ndiaye’s diligence and flair were standout positives, but the finishing touch deserted them. Moyes will know that such wastefulness is fatal against teams of Guardiola’s side calibre.

As for City, the path ahead remains formidable – with fixtures against Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Leeds on the horizon. For opponents studying the tape, there’s hope in the Sky Blues imperfections. But with Haaland operating at this relentless rhythm, it’s hard to imagine anyone stopping him for long because right now, there really is no stopping Erling Haaland.