Match Report and Player Ratings: Everton 0-2 Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

A late strike from man-of-the-moment Nico O’Reilly and an injury-time goal off the bench from Mateo Kovacic secured Manchester City a monumental 2-0 win against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Champions League qualification chasing visitors made a strong start to the game and dominated possession for a large portion of the first half, though the best chances in the opening 45 minutes fell to David Moyes’ side.

In the absence of the injured Erling Haaland, Pep Guardiola’s men were put to the test against Everton’s disciplined low-block that defended with numbers and denied the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan any room to operate in the first half.

Jack Harrison came closest to a clear goalscoring opportunity for the hosts in the first half but the former Manchester City man failed to communicate with teammate Abdoulaye Doucouré whilst latching onto Vitalii Mykolenko’s lobbed ball aimed at the far post. Josko Gvardiol once again showed his class by bossing City’s defence from the get go.

For City, who played their usual song of trying to break the opposition down by means of patient, attacking play, Matheus Nunes produced a very good save out of England’s Jordan Pickford after testing the Everton man with a strong left-footed drive from distance.

Everton dominated proceedings early doors in the second half, putting Manchester City’s defence under huge pressure with a quick flurry of chances before Toffees captain James Tarkowski pulled his hamstring and went off for Michael Keane.

Idrissa Gana Gueye earned himself perhaps the most stonewall yellow card in the history of the Premier League when he brought down Savinho to halt a dangerous Manchester City counter attack that emerged when Stefan Ortega Moreno cleverly found City’s Brazilian winger after collecting a loose ball from an Everton corner.

City kept probing as the second half went on but it has seemed evident in the absence of Haaland all season how unhealthily the Premier League champions have relied on the Norwegian to do the damage up top.

Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku replaced Nico Gonzalez and Savinho respectively in the later stages and Pep Guardiola’s changes proved a treat as Doku’s pace on the left sparked an attack that resulted in Nunes setting up Nico O’Reilly to break the deadlock after 84 minutes.

Kovacic put the game to bed to add another in his personal best season in front of goal by slide-tackling the ball in from the edge of the box after Ilkay Gundogan’s perfectly-weighted setup to take Manchester City a huge step closer to Champions League qualification.

Here are our ratings of the Manchester City players from a vital 2-0 win in their final outing at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon:

Starting XI

Stefan Ortega Moreno – 7

Sometime shaky on the ball when playing out from the back, City’s deputy in goal did step up when called upon in the second half and was on hand to help launch a few counter attacks.

Matheus Nunes – 7.5

Often criticised for his recklessness in possession in the first half of the season, Nunes has really come of age since the New Year and did very well on the right side of defence, providing a crucial assist for O’Reilly’s winner.

Ruben Dias – 8

One of Dias’ best performances of the season as he thwarted everything that came his way and his alliance with Gvardiol in central defence in recent months

Josko Gvardiol – 9 (POTM)

Wow, just WOW. We’re running out of words for Josko Gvardiol. At 23 years of age and having played out of position for a large part of the season in a turbulent season, Gvardiol is my personal pick to take away City’s Player of the Season award with astounding performances after another despite his pre-match briefing. Defensively solid throughout and kept Everton at bay with a calm, composed, classy centre back display. Superb.

Nico O’Reilly – 9

O’Reilly narrowly misses out on the Player of the Match despite scoring the winner – another crucial goal for the teenager, who has come of age and keeps playing well beyond his years. The sole reason City have an FA Cup semi-final to play and arguably the greatest silver lining in what has been a cloud of many challenges for City and Guardiola this season.

Kevin De Bruyne – 7

De Bruyne has lost a few yards and was not quite at his usual, imperious self but he was once again Manchester City’s architect-in-chief and in the absence of Erling Haaland, he did take initiative by wanting the ball time and time again to engineer something out of nothing – and whilst he did not get in on the act, he was good in an important win on the road.

Nico Gonzalez – 7

City’s man in the middle in the absence of Rodri wanted the ball as much as anyone in the first half and enjoyed a fine spell of possession as the visitors tried to slice open the stubborn hosts and despite a few nervy moments in his own half, Nico has impressed of late – as he once again did today.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7.5

The oldest of Manchester City’s midfielders, Gundogan has fond memories of playing at Goodison Park and after a limited contribution to City’s attack in the first half, he set up Kovacic for the all-important second goal that sealed the three points.

Bernardo Silva – 7.5

Often guilty of overplaying the underlapping pass to De Bruyne on the right and getting caught in possession, Silva was frustrating in the first half but he remains important as ever and one of Guardiola’s most trusted confidantes in an important period of the season.

Omar Marmoush – 6

Marmoush had the chance to put City ahead a few times and whilst he could have done better when he was in on goal, it has to be appreciated chances came few and far between for the Egyptian. Still, even he’d agree he’s done much better previously in a blue shirt but nonetheless, another energetic and spirited performance from the January signing.

Savinho – 6.5

One of Savinho’s more lacklustre displays in a blue shirt, largely because the young winger feeds off the presence of a certain Erling Braut Haaland in the box. He kept going one-on-one against his man and despite a hit-and-miss strike rate, the Brazilian was a potent source of danger and often the only outlet for City actually trying to create something in the first half.

Substitutes

Mateo Kovacic – 7.5

No words needed, a man in fine form in front of goal and what a finish to seal the win.

Jeremy Doku – 7

City’s most underrated and under-appreciated player once again delivers the goods and energy off the bench to help the Blues to a third straight win in the Premier League.

Manuel Akanji – N/A