- Everton extended winless run to four after a 3-3 draw against Manchester City.
- The Toffees conceded in stoppage for the third consecutive game.
- A pattern of late goals has emerged since Blues’ late defeat against Liverpool.
Everton, in modern times, always finds a way to keep supporters and neutrals alike on their toes.
Going from 2-0 to 2-2 in a matter of two minutes against Newcastle United, slumping from 2-0 to a 3-2 loss after leading for over 85 minutes against Bournemouth; it is true character building to be a Blue in the 21st-century.
After Thierno Barry notched his side’s third goal of the evening with just nine minutes until stoppage time, it looked as though the Toffees were about to pull off a real upset.
But Everton quite simply did an Everton; they crumbled once more and gifted City a lifeline to rescue a point.
They continued a trend of conceding in stoppage time, which stemmed from Virgil van Dijk’s late winning header in the recent Merseyside Derby.
The derby loss was gutting, but their draw against City was worse.
Everton were in control against Manchester City
If the Blues had gone on to lose or draw from just a one-goal advantage, then this would have been understandable, as City are an outstanding side.
Yet after Barry sent Hill Dickinson Stadium into raptures in the 81st minute, they had completely rattled Guardiola’s men, who looked dazed and shaken, and could not believe what was going on.
It was at this point that Everton were in full control.
The plan of action from then was simple, nothing silly.
But calamitous defending sent Erling Haaland straight through on goal, halving the deficit and dragging his side back into the match.
From then on, it was a foregone conclusion that the Blues were not going to hold out.
For a small window, though, Everton were firmly on top.
Comparing the draw to their loss against Liverpool, that was a true derby match where momentum ebbed and flowed, and the result hinged on fine margins.
Neither side overly deserved to win the derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium, yet Everton’s performance on Monday evening was worthy of all three points, but they still let them slip out of their grasp.
Can Everton take positives moving forward?
A win against City would have handed the best confidence boost ahead of the Blues’ final three Premier League matches.
There is no denying that back-to-back late losses knocked their confidence heading into Monday, but after working themselves into a position where they could have beaten title-chasing Man City, they let this opportunity slip away.
The manner of defeats against Liverpool and West Ham United were harsh, but losing late to the Reds is something of a tradition for Everton now, and the Hammers simply outmatched the Toffees in a match they needed to win in their relegation battle.
So maybe the results were meant to be in those aforementioned games, but the stars had aligned perfectly against City, and the Toffees could not even make that work for them.
However, it was still an evening that spotlighted brilliant performances from Tim Iroegbunam, Thierno Barry, and Merlin Rohl, and Hill Dickinson Stadium was showcased as a cauldron of passion and raucousness.
Everton are still in the hunt for Europe, but Monday’s stalemate will likely go down as the Blues’ biggest ‘if’ of the season.
