Manchester City Edges Closer to Champions League Spot with Late Win Over Everton
Manchester City took a significant step toward securing Champions League football next season with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday, thanks to late goals from Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic.
O’Reilly broke the deadlock in the 84th minute, steering home Matheus Nunes’ low cross, before Kovacic sealed the win with a powerful strike from the edge of the box, turning an otherwise lackluster display from Pep Guardiola’s men into a crucial three points. The result lifts City to fourth in the Premier League table.
Everton, meanwhile, suffered only their third loss in 15 league games since David Moyes returned for a second stint in charge. The defeat delays their mathematical guarantee of Premier League safety.
“A big, big win,” Guardiola said. “With six games left, and considering Liverpool and Arsenal couldn’t win here, it’s massively important. Now it’s in our hands—three home games, two away—we hope to secure Champions League football.”
Guardiola had acknowledged before the match that, given their inconsistent form this season, even being in the Champions League race was a positive. That inconsistency was evident again at Goodison, where the reigning champions labored for much of the match.
Despite dominating possession, City found chances hard to come by until late in the game. Everton threatened on the counter and through set-pieces, coming closest in the first half when James Tarkowski’s header hit the post.
Kevin De Bruyne, who inspired a comeback win against Crystal Palace last weekend, struggled to influence the game and saw his best effort blocked by Jake O’Brien before the break.
Everton had a promising start to the second half, with Jarrad Branthwaite heading straight at Stefan Ortega after another set-piece. However, the match swung in City’s favor following Tarkowski’s withdrawal due to a muscle injury—an absence Moyes admitted changed the momentum.
“For about 60 minutes we were excellent and gave them a real game,” Moyes said. “Tarky going off had a big impact—it shouldn’t have, but it did.”
City pushed forward, with Savinho and Omar Marmoush both spurning good opportunities before O’Reilly and Kovacic finally broke Everton’s resistance. O’Reilly, continuing to impress as a stand-in left-back, made the breakthrough before substitute Kovacic fired home from an Ilkay Gundogan assist.
The win puts City four points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea, with five games to go. A top-five finish will be enough to ensure Champions League qualification for the 15th consecutive season—still within reach despite a challenging campaign.
© Agence France-Presse
