Everton vs. Manchester City: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game

Manchester City's title bid took a hit on Saturday, as Everton fought back to earn a much-deserved 1-1 draw with the champions.

Fernandinho's goal in the 74th minute broke the deadlock in favour of the guests, but just four minutes later the Toffees were back on level terms thanks to Steven Naismith's header from a Leighton Baines free-kick.

Overall, there were several performances that stood out at Goodison Park, as well as one or two that were rather less impressive.

Following are the individual winners and losers from the encounter.

Winner: Leighton Baines, Who Set a Premier League Assist Record

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Leighton Baines had his hands full with the dual threat of Jesus Navas and Pablo Zabaleta on Saturday, but the left-back's defensive duties didn't stop him from setting a record in the 78th minute.

After Everton had won a free-kick to Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart's right, the England international picked up the 45th assist of his Premier League career when his delivery found the head of Steven Naismith, who nodded in the equaliser.

As Squawka pointed out on Twitter, the helper made Baines the English top flight's all-time assist leader among defenders.

Loser: Eliaquim Mangala, Whose Struggles Continued in the City Defense

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Eliaquim Mangala hasn't exactly inspired confidence since arriving at Manchester City from Porto during the summer.

On Saturday, he got another start—with club captain Vincent Kompany injured—and once again he struggled mightily in front of goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Throughout the first half, he was routinely turned by Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, and he offered no presence whatsoever on the Leighton Baines free-kick that Steven Naismith headed into the back of the net.

Late on, Mangala was skinned by Kevin Mirallas, who narrowly missed the target with his shot.

"Lukaku has got the beating of Mangala every time," tweeted the BBC's Phil McNulty.

Winner: David Silva, Who Pulled All the Strings in the City Attack

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Jesus Navas wasn't all that sharp on Saturday, and fellow Manchester City attacker Samir Nasri also had something of an off day.

Not so David Silva.

The Spain international was typically influential at Goodison Park, springing teammates with accurate passes and getting himself in useful positions to receive the ball.

In the 74th minute, his superb delivery found Fernandinho in the Everton goalmouth, and the Brazil midfielder's flicked header opened the scoring.

Winner: Muhamed Besic, Who Was Imperious in the Everton Midfield

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Muhamed Besic has been a bright spot through much of Everton's difficult season to date, and on Saturday, the midfielder helped the hosts absorb much of what Manchester City mustered in attack.

According to Squawka, the 22-year-old threw himself into eight tackles, won all of his aerial battles and also contributed an interception in addition to completing 85 percent of his passes.

Shortly after the half-hour mark, his well-timed slide prevented a David Silva shot from in close. In the 50th minute, he did well to close down Fernandinho after Silva had sprung a dangerous counter-attack.

Loser: The Conditions, Which Made for a Difficult First Half

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The conditions were hardly conducive to a watchable first half at Goodison Park, and prior to kick-off, ESPN FC expressed just how windy it was at the ground via Twitter.

But any notion of a delayed start to the match was dispelled by Everton, and after an awkward opening frame that saw shirts flapping and plastic bags blowing across the pitch, the players seemed to adjust to what they were facing.

The second half was breathless, even after it started to rain around the 65th minute.

Winner: Steven Naismith, Who Headed in the Equaliser for Everton

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Steven Naismith got back among the goals on Saturday with an important header for Everton in the 78th minute.

Atoning for an earlier foul on Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart that led to a goal being disallowed, the Scotland international made a well-timed move in the goalmouth and nodded Leighton Baines' excellent delivery into the back of the net.

"Naismith gets in front of Hart to nod a brilliant Baines delivery in," tweeted David Lynch of the Manchester Evening News.