Ill-fated Manchester City has continued their deplorable winless streak on Boxing Day as they failed to beat Everton at home on Thursday afternoon (1-1).Pep Guardiola’s side are now closer to tenth position on the table, then to the summit, almost equally distanced from league leaders Liverpool and the relegation zone in terms of points.Another lukewarm, cluelles display of the defending champion saw them dropping points against Sean Dyche’s die-hard slot. After Arsenal and Chelsea, the Toffees managed to ruin the day for another EPL giants. This time, more importantly, they did it even after conceding the opener, which was not the case in the previous two games that ended in goalless draws.🚨📉 Manchester City’s last 13 games…❌ 2-1 loss to Tottenham❌ 2-1 loss to Bournemouth ❌ 4-1 loss to Sporting❌ 2-1 loss to Brighton❌ 4-0 loss to Spurs⚖️ 3-3 draw to Feyenoord ❌ 2-0 loss to Liverpool✅ 3-0 win vs Nottingham Forest⚖️ 2-2 draw vs Crystal Palace❌… pic.twitter.com/CZOkMWiYy1— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 26, 2024 There was a feeling that Everton would look for a goalless draw at any cost and that the eventual City goal would not just break the deadlock but instantly decide the outcome. Therefore, the hosts rushed for the opener, and Josko Gvardiol’s header ended on the woodwork just two-three minutes into the game. Some ten minutes later, the inevitable happened, as Bernardo Silva slid in a shot from anything but the promising situation, but the ball took an odd deflection off Everton’s defender and went past Pickford into the far corner, 1-0.##NAJAVA_MECA_8593726##Surprisingly, that goal didn’t boost City nor break the spirit of Sean Dyche’s side, which responded magnificently with the first decent chance of the game.It was an outstanding work of art, as Iliman Ndiaye needed just two touches to swerve it with the outside of his foot into the far corner for the equalizer.That was another kick in the gut for the Cityzens, who once again proved to be unable to bounce from that.MCI 1-1 EVE Goal – Ndiaye Assist – ❌#MCIEVE | #ManCity pic.twitter.com/8nPx2BbBPV— A 37 (@OnIy4K) December 26, 2024 Erling Haaland did have a wonderful opportunity to restore the lead, though, as he skipped around Pickford, but Jarrad Branthwaite cleared it on time.Going into the second half with a stalemate meant City would feel all the pressure of the world on their shoulders, so it was no surprise to see them attacking fiercly from the very first second. Savinho fired nicely, but Pickford was on it on time, before Kovacic fired sharply from the rebound just wide.And then – the decisive moment of the game left us all with our jaws dropped.HAALAND MISSES THE PENALTY! ❌pic.twitter.com/DO2N4fU3qH— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) December 26, 2024 Savinho was knocked down in the box, and Haaland stepped up to take it and save his team from another trauma. Alas, the Three Lions’ keeper was brilliant, sticking to the notes he had on his watter bottle regarding City’s penalty takers.Pickford’s notes that proved crucial today (©Getty images)The Norwegian embarrassed himself with a really poor penalty, which perfectly encapsulates his and City’s entire season so far. Haaland headed it home, though, in the aftermath of the action but the offside flag was deservedly up and the goal was voided.Somewhat unbelievable, despite the presence of Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan in the last part of the game, the Skyblues were nowhere near the opposite goal as Guardiola’s reactions by the sidelines showed how dreadful the things look at the moment for the reigning champion.ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 18Thursday Manchester City – Everton 1-1 (1-1)/Silva 14 – Ndiaye 36/18.00: (2.05) Bournemouth (3.50) Crystal Palace (3.60)18.00: (1.48) Chelsea (4.40) Fulham (6.75)18.00: (2.05) Newcastle (3.60) Aston Villa (3.80)18.00: (2.35) Nott.Forest (3.60) Tottenham (2.85)18.00: (3.00) Southampton (3.50) West Ham (2.30)20.30: (4.10) Wolverhampton (3.50) Man.Utd. (1.90)23.00: (1.07) Liverpool (13.0) Leicester (25.0)Friday 22.30: (1.70) Brighton (3.90) Brentford (4.90)23.15: (1.13) Arsenal (8.50) Ipswich (19.0)***odds are subject to change***
