[title_words_as_hashtags
02:20 PM
17 min Everton 0 City 0
Mahrez feats on a weak McNeil defensive header to get to the byline on the right and whip over a left-foot cross that Akanji heads back across and Rodri hooks towards goal. The ball falls to Gundogan three yards out but the referee stops play before he can shoot having seen a push.
02:18 PM
Jason Burt reports from Goodison
Dominic Calvert-Lewin makes such a difference to Everton. Already causing the Man City defence problems with his pace and hold-up play. No way Everton would be in the relegation fight they are in if he had been fit all season.
02:17 PM
15 min Everton 0 City 0
City are protecting their goal pretty well with Garner and Gueye sitting but Holgate keeps making the crowd jittery. The slickness of City’s passing, though, soon sends Foden down the left and he earns a corner, from which Mina hits the deck after Laporte smacked his arm away after he grabbed a fistful of short. It’s a pathetic dive from Mina. Terrible overacting. Cheating, really.
02:13 PM
12 min Everton 0 City 0
Akanji steps into midfield in the final third to link up with Gundogan but a careless pass lets Everton counter down the right and with reinforcements hurtling forward there’s a moment when it seems they have City on the rack when the ball is centred/ City get enough back to smother Gueye’s attempt to open his body and shoot from 22 yards.
02:11 PM
10 min Everton 0 City 0
Mahrez is fouled down the right but the free-kick is too long then Everton hit City on the break again with Doucoure who runs out of gas when appearing to be ahead of Laporte.
02:10 PM
8 min Everton 0 City 0
The crowd is up for the corner, aimed at Trakowski. City manage to do enough disruptive work but in working the ball back to Ederson they give Everton a glimpse, soon snuffed out.
02:09 PM
Jason Burt reports from Goodison Park
Within two minutes Erling Haaland and Yerry Mina are called over by referee Anthony Taylor. it has been a lively start for the pair of them as they have pushed and grabbed each other from kick-off. Definitely one to watch.
02:08 PM
6 min Everton 0 City 0
Rubbish back-pass from Holgate is almost picked off by Haaland but Tarkowski manages to put himself between the striker and the ball and holds him off. Everton counter down the left with McNeil and Calvert-Lewin and the former’s cross is turned behind.
02:07 PM
5 min Everton 0 City 0
Laporte has a go at another chip down the channel, this one the inside-left and, like Walker, overhits it. Pickford rushes to gather. Everton play it up to Doucoure who has Calvert-Lewin running off him to the left of the D but he misplaces the pass.
02:05 PM
3 min Everton 0 City 0
Mahrez is prevented from taking a quick throw on the right by the referee who wants a word with Haaland and Mina for some wrestling and shoving. Patterson pushes Foden back and he switches it across the defence. Walker then bursts 10 yards forward and looks for a Stones-esque arrow down the inside right channel but he overcooks it.
02:02 PM
1 min Everton 0 City 0
City kick off, attacking the Gwladys Street End. Akanji is outside Laporte on the left. City switch it to Walker who taps it infield to Mahrez but his shallow cross is headed out by Mina.
01:59 PM
Oh Lord …
It’s Andy Hinchcliffe on co-coms. You’d have thought he was Pele given his judgments on what he perceives to be others’ inadequacies.
01:57 PM
Cue Z Cars: The teams are in the tunnel
Everton in royal blue and white, City in their Horlock/Dickov/Weaver tribute acid lemon.
01:45 PM
Guardiola full of praise for Everton
Nathan [Ake] is better but not ready. I have been so impressed with Everton recently. Goodison is tough but we come here [when they’re enjoying] their best moment of the season. I was impressed against Leicester but especially Brighton who are so difficult to play against.
Goodison Park is always difficult but we know exactly what we have to do. Game by game, we will try to do it.
Against Brighton, in transition they were amazing, set-pieces and then [they were] organised defensively, really, really good. They closed the spaces outside and then Calvert-Lewin is able to win every second ball. Many, many good things.
Always the crowds away in this country is fantastic. Everyone plays for something unique, title, against relegation, Europa League etc, so every game is special.
01:33 PM
Sean Dyche has a word
We’ve talked about building a mentality. We went soft on it for a couple of games but now it’s back and we’re looking stronger.
The approach has to change because Brighton have a very specific style, possession based but different from City. They can play wide, they can play through you, probably the best at doing it. They have lots of threats but equally we have to provide a threat of our own. We did that very well against a good Brighton side but we’ve got to do it here. There will be limited chances but we have to use it widely when we do [get them].
We are the only ones who can look after ourselves. We put ourselves in a better position with a big performance at Brighton. Five points from three away games and now we’ve got to take these on today.
The fans have been with us ever since I’ve been here and we’ve got to start that [raucous home fervour] off with a strong performance. It’s key against these teams to start well but you have to play well throughout the 95 minutes.
01:17 PM
A good omen?
Worried about a makeshift left-back up against Mahrez? Not at all …
01:16 PM
Your teams in black and white
Everton Pickford; Patterson, Mina, Tarkowski, Holgate; Gueye, Garner; Iwobi, Doucoure, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin.
Substitutes Begovic, Lonergan, Keane, Onana, Gray, Maupay, Coady, Simms, Welch.
Manchester City Ederson; Walker, Laporte, Dias, Akanji; Gundogan, Rodri; Mahrez, Foden, Alvarez; Haaland.
Substitutes Ortega Moreno, Phillips, Gomez, Palmer, Lewis, Stones, Grealish, De Bruyne, Bernardo.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Wythenshawe)
01:04 PM
Four changes for City
In come Laporte, Mahrez, Alvarez and Foden for Stones, Bernardo, De Bruyne and Grealish.
01:02 PM
One change for Everton
Mason Holgate comes in at left-back.
12:26 PM
Preview: Momentum
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of Manchester City’s trip to Everton where the Premier League leaders will find a Goodison Park as passionate as ever but also a place where hope thrives after their extraordinary Bank Holiday drubbing of Brighton. A point from the trip to the Etihad on New Year’s Eve was the last Frank Lampard earned as Everton manager and the two weaknesses that bedevilled his managership of the club – inconsistency and toothlessness – were threatening to scupper Sean Dyche, too, until that well-organised, smash and grab raid on the Amex which showed their heart, nerve and a coolness that has been lacking for most of the past couple of years.
Back-to-back, high quality performances from bottom six clubs are rare and especially against a side so formidable as Manchester City who are going to have to keep their foot on the gas for the final six or seven games of the season if they are to bag their second Double or first Treble. With the home Champions League semi-final second leg tie against Real Madrid looming on Wednesday night, Guardiola may look to give Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Rico Lewis and Julian Alvarez run-outs, as he did against Leeds eight days ago.
As for Everton, who are one point and one place above Leeds, performance matters more than result with Wolves and Bournemouth to come. Something from this game, something like the storm that shocked Arsenal in February, would be magnificent and push them to the verge of safety. But the key will be to maintain their progress after Monday’s great leap forward, to have them in perfect trim, even if they lose, to batter their last two opponents and banish the prospect of the drop – punishments for overspending apart. For City, it’s all about the win. Points-wise they can afford to slip up. Psychologically it would be unwise to do so.
Seamus Coleman joins Ben Godfrey, Ruben Vinagre and Andros Townsend on the sidelines for the season. Pep Guardiola said on Friday morning that he hoped Nathan Ake would train later that day but even if he did it would be a risk to play him today. Otherwise, City are picking from a full squad.
