Manchester City vs. Everton: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester City beat Everton 1-0 on Saturday evening, closing the gap at the top of the Premier League to just three points.
Yaya Toure's first-half penalty was ultimately enough for Manuel Pellegrini's side to secure the win, despite the early injury suffered by Sergio Aguero. That is likely to be a real source of concern for all connected with the club over the coming days, but Toure, Samir Nasri and James Milner all came up big in the absence of the Argentinian to ensure they took advantage of Chelsea's earlier loss to Newcastle United.
Everton struggled for much of the match, although Romelu Lukaku did force a brilliant save from Joe Hart late in the game.
Click on for some winners and losers from the match.
Loser: Man City's Attacking Options
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It was a measure of Manchester City's current attacking issues that when Sergio Aguero limped off injured in the opening minutes of Saturday's game, it was Jose Angel Pozo, a teenager who only made his Premier League bow in the final minutes of the midweek win over Sunderland, who was introduced. Edin Dzeko was on the bench, but was clearly not fit enough to last the full 90 minutes.
Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping that Dzeko, who eventually played the final 30 minutes (in place of Pozo, who became the rare substitute to be substituted), is now fit to start a game. Because it looks like Aguero, who limped off the field with tears in his eyes, could be out for a while.
The striker suffered a knee injury in what appeared to be an innocuous early challenge for the ball, but he was clearly in a great deal of pain. It is in such situations when you always fear it could be a serious problem, and Aguero is one player Manchester City can scarcely do without.
After the match, Pellegrini told Sky Sports (via the Mirror):
"Sergio has a knee ligament problem and we will see tomorrow how serious it is.
It is not good news and we will see tomorrow when he [visits the doctor] but he won't be able to play next week.
We must wait for the doctor to see how [bad it is] but the important thing is he won't be fit for the Roma game. We will see tomorrow, but at the moment, we're not sure [about the length of the injury].
"
Set to face Roma in a do-or-die Champions League match in midweek, Pellegrini will be praying that Aguero makes a miraculous recovery. More realistically, he will be hoping Stevan Jovetic is fit to return—at least giving him an option other than the undercooked Dzeko and the extremely raw Pozo.
Long-term, however, the Chilean will be cursing the loss of Aguero—perhaps wondering if he should have been rested more over recent weeks. Considering his options elsewhere on the bench, however—not to mention Aguero's scintillating form—perhaps he never really had a choice.
Winner: James Milner and Samir Nasri
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With Aguero withdrawn after mere minutes and Pozo introduced, City's lack of attacking threat was glaringly obvious. Pozo worked hard, but his lack of influence was more noticeable than anything else. About all he had to show for a committed-but-difficult hour of action was a close-range shot which Howard saved.
In that void, then, Pellegrini will be deeply impressed with the way Samir Nasri and James Milner responded. Yaya Toure grabbed the winning goal, but it was his two fellow midfielders who were more influential over the course of the game. Nasri in particular pulled the strings in the final third as he tried to mask the absence felt by Aguero's injury.
It was Milner who won the decisive penalty—clumsily challenged by Phil Jagielka—and, in the closing stages of the game, it was the Englishman who took on the mantle from the tiring Nasri. His persistent running prevented Everton from ever really getting a firm grip on the match.
Between them, Milner and Nasri guided City to a victory that, on another occasion, they could have been forgiven for failing to kill off. It was an impressive effort, even if it is perhaps asking too much for them to keep doing for as long as Aguero remains sidelined.
Loser: Roberto Martinez
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Roberto Martinez clearly entered this game with a gameplan in place, but unfortunately it never quite worked in practice, partly due to Aguero's injury. The Spaniard had clearly prepared for the game with the striker in mind, but when he was withdrawn so soon, many of the strategies he had put in place became almost obsolete.
The selection of Tony Hibbert at right-back (with Seamus Coleman further forward) was a clear attempt to solidify the right flank, a spot where Nasri, Aguero and Gael Clichy like to create danger. With Aguero removed from the equation and Nasri shifted to a central role as a result, however, the Hibbert-Coleman pairing suddenly seemed a waste, especially as Coleman failed to get into the game in any tangible way.
Further forward, partnering Samuel Eto'o with Romelu Lukaku seemed an obvious attempt to ape the strategy of West Ham United and Sam Allardyce—who matched up two strikers against City's two central defenders to great effect in their win at Upton Park earlier in the season.
Eto'o and Lukaku lack the pace and movement of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho, however, and City generally coped well with Lukaku's physicality and Eto'o's attempts to link the play from a deeper position.
Ahead of the game, Martinez expressed his pleasure with the way his team have been playing, but said he wast disappointed the final results have not reflected that. This game was arguably the opposite.
Everton did not play well, and only the lack of cutting edge from their opponents prevented them from suffering by a more significant scoreline.
Loser: Andre Marriner
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The decision to award Manchester City a penalty—after James Milner, the player fouled, did not even appeal—will be scrutinised in the aftermath of this game, although it seemed a reasonable (if slightly soft) decision from Andre Marriner. Some of his other decisions, however, were more questionable.
Everton might reasonably wonder how, after Phil Jagielka was penalised for barely touching Milner, both Eliaquim Mangala and Fernando survived more serious punishment for what was verging on assault against Samuel Eto'o and Gareth Barry, respectively.
Marriner seemed to apply the laws with little consistency—usually the minimum you ask of any referee.
Winner: The Premier League Title Race
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Following Chelsea's surprise defeat to Newcastle United earlier on Saturday, Manchester City were presented with a glorious chance to close to within three points of their rivals—something that, in the end, they just about managed.
Eight points behind the Blues—and with some bookies paying out on a Chelsea title win—just a week ago, suddenly Pellegrini's side are back within striking distance of Jose Mourinho's men. Suddenly, after so many people saying this title was already wrapped up, we have a race once more.
One wonders, however, whether Mourinho will be sitting down with a glass of wine on Sunday evening and deciding this wasn't the worst week in the world for him and his team. Not only has the defeat to Newcastle removed some of the hype from his squad and perhaps refocused them (while also alleviating the pressure of the unbeaten season), he has seen his biggest rival lose their star player, perhaps for a sustained period.
While the Portuguese would obviously never wish an injury on anyone, he may recognise that if City were to lose Aguero for months rather than weeks, that will likely end up costing them far more than the three points they gained this weekend.
