Manchester City’s struggles continued on Boxing Day as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton in the Premier League, despite Bernardo Silva giving the champions an early lead. Erling Haaland’s penalty miss proved costly as City managed only a single point in their opening match of the festive fixtures on Thursday.
The result highlighted City’s ongoing slump, with just one win in their last 13 matches across all competitions and only one victory in their last nine league games.
The champions now sit provisionally in sixth place with 28 points, trailing league leaders Liverpool by 11 points. Liverpool also hold two games in hand, leaving City’s title hopes hanging by a thread. Depending on other results, City could drop to as low as eighth by the end of the day.
City manager Pep Guardiola expressed his frustration after the match. “We played really well, but this is the period we are in. We create chances, and then we concede,” Guardiola said. “We had so many shots inside the box, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get the result we wanted.”
Everton, sitting 15th in the table and five points above the relegation zone, showed resilience under manager Sean Dyche. “The mentality of the team is the biggest thing for me,” said Dyche. “Two losses in 13 games—there have been a lot of draws, but it’s not easy to achieve this in the Premier League.”
Silva gave City a perfect start, scoring in the 14th minute after receiving a clever ball from Jeremy Doku. Silva slid the ball into the far corner, with a slight deflection off Jarrad Branthwaite.
However, Everton responded well and equalized in the 36th minute. Iliman Ndiaye capitalized on Manuel Akanji’s poor clearance, controlling the ball and firing a precise shot into the top right corner.
City had opportunities to regain the lead, including Haaland’s second-half penalty after Vitaliy Mykolenko fouled Savinho in the box. However, Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford guessed correctly and saved the attempt. Haaland netted the rebound, but it was ruled offside.
City dominated possession and created multiple chances, with 24 shots to Everton’s eight. Josko Gvardiol hit the post early, Silva missed a chance for a second goal, and Rico Lewis fired over in injury time.
“We need to take things game by game,” said City’s Manuel Akanji. “The league isn’t our target at the moment. We need to focus on the positives and prepare for the next match against Leicester City.”
While City fans left the Etihad Stadium disappointed, Everton supporters celebrated their team’s resilience. Pickford, who was key to their performance, earned chants of “England’s number one” and gifted his shirt to a young fan, capping a memorable day for the Toffees.
