Man City 1-1 Everton: Erling Haaland penalty saved as Premier ...
Man City's poor form continued as the Premier League champions were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Everton, with Erling Haaland again malfunctioning in front of goal and having his second-half penalty saved by Jordan Pickford.
City's dreadful run now stretches to one win in 13 games - with manager Pep Guardiola saying he will look to add to his squad in January - while Sean Dyche's side have claimed a point against Arsenal, Chelsea and City in the last two weeks.
Looking to close the gap on the top four and the Champions League places, the hosts made the ideal start at the Etihad as Bernardo Silva's shot was fortuitously deflected into the far corner off Jarrad Branthwaite's outstretched leg.
As it happened: How Everton frustrated Man CityTeams | Match stats: 24 shots, but no City winLive Premier League table | Watch PL highlights for freePlayer ratings:
Man City: Ortega (6), Lewis (6), Akanji (6), Ake (6), Gvardiol (7), Kovacic (6), Bernardo (7), Savinho (8), Foden (7), Doku (7), Haaland )6)
Subs: De Bruyne (6), Gundogan (6), Simpson-Pusey (6)
Everton: Pickford (8), Coleman (8), Tarkowski (8), Branthwaite (8,), Mykolenko (6), Mangala (9), Gueye (8), Doucoure (8), Harrison (8), Ndiaye (8), Calvert-Lewin (7)
Subs: Patterson (6), Broja (7), Lindstromm(6)
Player of the Match: Orel Mangala
But instead of settling home nerves, City's failure to score a second added tension to the game and minutes after Silva spurned a gilt-edged chance to double their lead, Everton levelled through Iliman Ndiaye's third goal of the season.
Image: Bernardo Silva celebrates after giving Man City a first-half lead against Everton
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The Senegalese still had a lot to do to first cushion Abdoulaye Doucoure's pass, before flashing a shot past a helpless Stefan Ortega as the sides went in level at half-time, but with a sense of frustration around the stadium.
Team news
City made three alterations from the team that lost at Aston Villa as manager Pep Guardiola brought in Nathan Ake, Jeremy Doku and Savinho in place of John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish, who all missed out, while Kevin De Bruyne was only on the bench
Sean Dyche made just the one change from Sunday's draw with Chelsea at Goodison Park as skipper Seamus Coleman came in for the suspended Ashley Young in their back line.
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City had the chance to get back to winning ways, though, when Vitaliy Mykolenko hacked down the lively Savinho in the box six minutes into the second half, only for Jordan Pickford to read Haaland's mind to keep out the Norwegian's low penalty - and even though the striker then headed in from close range after Phil Foden headed the rebound his way, he was offside in a moment that summed up both his and the champions' recent struggles.
Image: Iliman Ndiaye celebrates after equalising for Everton at the Etihad
However, two more dropped points mean Guardiola's pre-match warning that City could even miss out on next season's Champions League places are not that far fetched after all.
Did you know?
Haaland's penalty was the first time he’s seen a goalkeeper save one of his Premier League penalties
Man City boss Pep Guardiola:
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"We played really good, but we are in a period right now that this is what happens. But yeah, keep going.
"Confidence will be with the results, because always is in our minds. But the performance against that team was really good, defensively, offensively. We shoot a lot in the 18-yard box, but unfortunately we could not get the result we wanted."
Pep: We have to add players in January
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola speaking to Amazon Prime about the upcoming January transfer window:
"We have to add players. Definitely. Definitely. We struggle especially in the back and in the middle. I think we have to but I don't know if it's going to happen. The transfer window in winter is not easy, but everybody's aware.
"I think even the players asked ourselves, ‘Are we going to add some players please?!'. "
Everton boss Sean Dyche:
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"I was worried about coming here today because it will change, at some point they will hurt someone, but I felt we handled it well - the underlying feeling that they will pull a result out of the bag at some point.
"Great energy from the players. We saved the penalty and Jordan and the analysis team deserve credit. Jordan made a lot of good decisions today.
"There's no easy run in the Premier League and you have to be committed to the cause for all of them. I am pleased overall with the performance and getting a point."
Haaland's struggles in front of goal mirror City's own spluttering formAnalysis by Sky Sports' Richard Morgan:
"In many ways, Erling Haaland's recent struggles in front of goal for Man City mirror those of the team themselves, initially thought of as merely a blip both will come out of in no time and yet we are still waiting for that to happen.
"Haaland, like the Premier League champions themselves, came out of the traps fast to start the season, scoring 10 times in his first five league games, but as City began to wobble, so too did the Norway international.
"So much so, in fact, that last season's Premier League top scorer has only netted three goals in his last 13 matches, coinciding with City's own downturn in form, while underperforming his xG by a league-wide total of 5.2 in that time (3 vs 8.2 xG).
"Nothing better sums up Haaland's woes of late than his penalty failure against Everton with the scoreline 1-1 as Jordan Pickford guessed correctly to keep out his weakly struck effort, incredibly the first time the forward has seen a goalkeeper save one of his 16 Premier League spot kicks.
"And Pep Guardiola's spluttering title holders need their main man back to his best as soon as possible, otherwise their long barren run may carry on into 2025."
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