Manchester City's struggles continue with draw against Everton: Key stats
Manchester City's difficult season continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton at the Etihad Stadium in matchweek 18 of the Premier League 2024/25 season on Thursday. The Boxing Day match saw Erling Haaland's second-half penalty get saved by Jordan Pickford. This was another setback for Pep Guardiola's team. Bernardo Silva handed City an early lead but this was cut out by Iliman Ndiaye in the 36th minute. Here's more about the match.
Manchester City's early dominance and missed opportunities
Despite their recent struggles, Manchester City began the match on a high. Josko Gvardiol almost scored in the third minute but his header hit the post. The team's persistence paid off in the 14th minute when Silva found the back of the net after receiving a pass from Jeremy Doku. However, Silva missed another scoring opportunity later in the game.
Everton's comeback and Haaland's missed penalty
Everton came back in the 36th minute with Ndiaye equalizing from Abdoulaye Doucoure's cross. Seven minutes into the second half, Manchester City had a chance to regain their lead when Savinho was fouled by Vitalii Mykolenko in the penalty area. However, Haaland's shot was saved by Pickford, denying City a much-needed victory.
One win in 13 matches across competitions for City
City have just one win in 13 matches across competitions. Barring a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, City own nine defeats and three draws. The Citizens have conceded a whopping 28 goals in these 13 matches. Notably, they have conceded two-plus goals in 11 of these matches. On the other hand, they have scored only 15 goals.
Unwanted records for City
Guardiola's City have won just one of their last nine Premier League matches (D2 L6), having won 16 of their previous 18 games beforehand (D2). Since the start of November 2024, City have conceded 26 goals in all competitions. In this time, the only side from Europe's big-five leagues to concede more is Bundesliga side FC Heidenheim 1846 (28). City have also shipped 62 goals in 2024, their most in a single calendar year since 2016 (67).
41st Premier League goal for Silva
Silva now owns four Premier League goals against Everton. Among Premier league sides, he has scored more times against Watford (five goals). This was Silva's 251st Premier League appearance. He owns 41 goals (A46). In the ongoing season, he has two goals (A4).
Match stats and points table
Man City had 24 attempts with 5 shots on target. Everton had three shots on target from 8 attempts. The hosts had 2.02 expected goals compared to Everton's 0.62. City also had 49 touches in the opposition box. Everton had 15 such touches. City also bossed possession (66%). In terms of the points table, City are placed 6th with 28 points (W8 D4 L6). On the other hand, Everton are 15th with 17 points collected. This was their 8th draw.
