Match Report Everton fell to predictable defeat to Champions-elect Manchester City as Ilkay Gündogan underlined the chasm in class between the two clubs with another world-class performance that took the visitors to within two wins of the title and kept the Blues mired in relegation danger. In truth, Sean Dyche’s side, hobbled somewhat by the loss to injury of Vitalii Mykolenko that prompted the manager to deploy Mason Holgate as an awkward left-back, put up a spirited display for much of the first half and enjoyed their best spells after they had fallen irretrievably behind by a three-goal margin. However, City’s vast superiority enabled them to break the deadlock through an impressive piece of improvisation from Gündogan and then double their lead through a trademark header by Erling Haaland to give them a half-time lead. Dyche withdrew Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a precaution after the striker reported feeling tightness in his groin and introduced Neal Maupay and though Gündogan killed the contest with a free-kick early in the second half and Everton’s sub offered little up front, the home side did enjoy some decent spells in what became something of an exhibition game as the match progressed. Mykolenko’s injury, a “minor thigh strain” sustained in training yesterday, forced Dyche into making one change from the team that had romped to victory at Brighton last Monday and fielding Holgate out of position meant that Everton were vulnerable down their right flank. Nevertheless, it was the hosts who carried the early threat, with Edersen sending a sixth-minute clearance into Alex Iwobi that the Nigerian couldn’t control before great work by Calvert-Lewin down the right wing saw him find Abdoulaye Doucouré in the centre but Idrissa Gueye was smothered by two City defenders after picking up Dwight McNeil’s square pass. A potentially pivotal moment arrived in the 34th minute when James Garner and Calvert-Lewin drove forward on another promising counter-attack through the centre but the striker’s touch was a little heavy and it only resulted in a corner. Tarkowski rose to meet the set-piece from the right and his downward header fell to Holgate at the near post but the bounce was at an awkward height and the defender couldn’t get over the ball to knock it home. A minute later, Rodri tested Jordan Pickford for the first time with a low drive from 25 yards and a minute after that, the visitors took the lead. Mahrez’s ball from the right flank into the six-yard box picked out Gündogan who controlled it off his thigh and then hooked it backwards past Pickford. It was evocative of the Anfield derby and Everton’s defeat at Arsenal where a decent start and defensive solidity had been broken in the later stages of the first half but this time Manchester City killed the game with a rapid second. Pep Guardiola’s men won a second ball on their left flank this time, an incident that irked Dyche in terms of his defence, where Güdogan was able to flight an inch-perfect cross for Haaland to easily leap above Holgate and power a header in off Pickford’s glove. A foul by Garner just outside the box presented Gündogan with the chance to extend the lead four minutes after half-time, one that he seized with both hands by curling the resulting direct free-kick into the top corner of Pickford’s goal. Dyche withdrew Gueye and Holgate in the 55th minute and introduced Amadou Onana and Conor Coady, moving to something more resembling a back five with James Tarkowski on the left side of defence and McNeil playing wing-back. Everton had a few decent passages of play and some promising moments, notably when Maupay was presented with a chance to shoot from 25 yards by eschewed the opportunity to test Edersen and then when Tarkowski rattled the crossbar with a header from a corner. Referee Anthony Taylor awarded a second corner for the Blues and Yerry Mina might have done better when he met the ensuing dead-ball chance but his downward header bounced over the bar. Demarai Gray made a now-rare appearance off the bench in place of Garner but the game was essentially over at this point, with no further chances for either side. As expected losses go, this was among the more obvious even if there had been a feeling beforehand that Everton had enough to perhaps scratch out another point, having denied City all three points at the Etihad Stadium on New Year’s Eve. Guardiola's squad - and Gündogan in particular - is, simply, on another level and the Blues would have needed everything to go for them today in order to get anything from this match. Of more concern is the fitness of Calvert-Lewin ahead of a crucial trip top Wolves next weekend and the home game with Bournemouth beyond that on the final day. Lyndon Lloyd top Matchday Updates Everton could not lay a proverbial glove to Champions Manchester City despite holding out for 37 minutes at Goodison Park. Sean Dyche has been forced to make one change from the team that did so well at Brighton, with Mason Holgate coming in to replace the injured Mykolenko. Reece Welch is elevated to the first-team bench from the Under-21s. The visitors got the game going and calmly kept possession for much of the opening spell, Mina and Haaland getting an early discussion with the referee. City tried a few probing balls forward that ended up with Pickford and were launched back upfield. Everton made a couple of good interventions, getting forward through McNeil to win the first corner. Garner swung it into the danger area but Rodri cleared it but Everton thought they had a half-chance when they pressed the City defence. Holgate gave away a free-kick wide right with a foul on Mahrez, cleared, but City kept working it around, Tarkowski clearing the cross and Everton countering but Doucouré could not beat his defender. City were able to control the play until another decent counter through Garner and Calvert-Lewin might have produced more with City defenders in reverse to cover. Calvert-Lewin got a chance to run at the City defence but was effectively dispossessed. Walker and Alverez got behind the lines on the right but Tarkowski kept it away from the Everton goal. Foden then skinned Patterson on the left, forcing a City corner, Laporte reacting to Mina's close attentions. City created a dangerous move but Gundogan was somehow judged to be offside. Everton got some rare possession and tried to advance but the turnover was yielded too easily and City came forward, Gundogan forcing a corner that was cleared, but Everton possession again crucially surrendered. Another City attack and Patterson had to concede the corner, Gundogan launching his cross behind. Gundogan was called for a foul on Garner, that let McNeil launch a deep cross that forced a corner. Garner forced Ederson to punch it clear but Everton stifled the City break. Gundogan again beat Patterson and won a corner, but Mahrez blazed his shot over from the 18-yard line. Everton troied to up the empo and the crowd responded but they still could not break into the City area and instead, the play ended up the other end, with another City corner. Foden's drive was blocked by McNeil. Claverer-Lewin tried to break on his own but Mahreez collided with him in the centre-cricle Garner tried to make something of it but City countered with Alvarez needing some cunning work from Ga na to halt him. Another Everton counter almost set up a chance for Calvert-Lewin but for Walker coming across quickly to deny him at the expense of another corner. Tarkowski won the header but Holgate couldn't react to redirect the rebound at the post. City got up the other end, Rodri shooting low and Pickford saving. City attacked again and this time Gundogan produced a clever reverse flick after Mahrezz picked him out that beat Pickford. And straight from the restart, Gundogan overlapped and his cross was sky high above the Everton defenders but not the equally elevated Haaland who headed easily past the flapping Pickford. Mina was lucky not to be carded for barging Haaland over to prevent him reaching a lofted ball forward but City fired wide this time. City were easily in complete control at this stage, Mina somehow stopping a point-blank finish by Gundogan. Everton had defended well for 37 minutes of the first half but City's goals were of a different class. Everton restarted with the massive task of trying to change the course of the game without Calvert-Lewin, Maupay on instead. . Garner was booked for barging Foden down on the edge of the Everton area. Gundogan scooped it into the top corner with consummate ease, Pickford well on the wrong side of the goal. Holgate did a similar thing to Marhrez on the other side of the penalty area. Mahrez's free-kick came off the wall and was put behind by Garner. Dyche made some more subs and Everton actually had a spell of possession, forcing a corner but Maupay unable to finish. City countered and it looked like Haaland would score again but he shot wide. Everton played up again and had some possession but could not fashion a chance. McNeil tried a shot that was blocked away for a corner, punched behind by Ederson. Tarkowski got ahead of Onna to head goalward, forcing Ederson to put it behind off the bar for a third corner. From that one, Mina headed down but the ball bounced harmlessly over. Some great interchange passing out from the back was spoiled by Doucouré's giveaway in midfield. Maupay ran around a lot but he was no Calvert-Lewin. Pickford rather clumsily pushed Haaland in the head as he tried to catch a bouncing ball and was lucky the referee thought little of it. Everton worked what looked to be a good chance but Laporte's foot denied Onana the shot. The futility of the task was summed up by a spell when Everton tried to play out but were easily pushed back until Pickford wellied it long and into City's possession. Everton: Pickford, Patterson, Mina, Tarkowski, Holgate (56' Coady), Iwobi, Garner [Y:48'](76' Gray), Gana (56' Onana), Doucoure, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin (46' Maupay) Subs not Used: Begovic, Lonergan, Keane, Simms, Welch. Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias (90+1' Gomez). Laporte, Akanji, Rodri (88' Phillips), Gundogan (76' Silva), Mahrez, Foden, Alvarez, Haaland (78' Grealish). Subs not Used: Ortega, Stones, De Bruyne, Palmer, Lewis. Michael Kenrick top Match Preview Everton play their penultimate home game of 2022-23 this weekend and it’s their most difficult Goodison Park assignment of the campaign as reigning Champions and current Premier League leaders Manchester City come to town. Pep Guardiola’s well-oiled machine will make the short trip down the M62 on the back of a 10-match winning streak in the League that has seen them overtake Arsenal at the summit and, with four matches remaining, have another title within their grasp. Everton, of course, are still mired in a scrap at the other end of the table to avoid relegation but they boosted their chances of doing so massively last Monday with their stunning 5-1 demolition of in-form Brighton that has them sitting in 17th place coming into the weekend. Saturday’s games involving the Blues’ rivals, Leeds (home to Champions League-chasing Newcastle) and Nottingham Forest (away at unpredictable Chelsea) may change the picture at the bottom by the time Everton kick off but Sean Dyche and his men will at least know where they stand. Come what may, Dyche will know that if his team can pull off a second shock win in the space of a week, they will have taken another huge step towards salvation from the drop. The manager won’t be getting ahead of himself, though, and he explained on evertonfc.com that he has been trying to even out the emotional highs and lows that have affected the squad this season to what he believes has been an unhealthy degree. “I’ve spoken to the players about not getting too carried away,” Dyche said. “We beat Arsenal in our first game and then I was quick to mention it was a step and there are lots of steps to go. “That doesn’t mean to say I don’t enjoy it, but it’s a season’s worth of work, not just one game. I’ve been trying to moderate that feeling. When I walked in here the thing that hit me instantly was a big result, big everything; tough result, low everything. That needed to change in-house. “Our fans, who have been brilliant, can absolutely react like that but the in-house feel here, the environment we work in, and the flow had to get more level and more consistent in our daily work and thinking. “We’ve spoken to the players and staff about it. It’s important to handle good times in terms of not thinking everything is solved and right and proper.” Certainly, in Manchester City they will be facing a similar playing style to that of Brighton even if the individual players will be world class in so many positions on the pitch and not only did a worse Everton side grab a draw at the Etihad Stadium in the reverse fixture on New Year’s Eve but the Toffees were robbed by VAR of a chance to try and claim a point from the penalty spot in last year’s game between these two clubs at Goodison. Anything is possible when it’s 11 vs 11, as Ronald Koeman’s Blues demonstrated in January 2017 when they inflicted on Guardiola his heaviest Premier League defeat in what was the only time an Everton side has beaten City in the last decade. Defensively, though, Everton will need to be near perfect while, at the top end of the pitch, Dyche will be impressing on his players the need to be as clinical as they were against Brighton with what chances fall their way. “The message will be simple; just take it on,” he said in his comments on the official website. “It’s a big challenge obviously. I’m sure the Evertonians will back us as they do, it’ll be a really good atmosphere for us to go and play in. “But it’s about taking it on with the mentality we showed at Brighton. All the details have got to be right against Manchester City. You might need them to have a soft one, and your key players play well, all of them things go in the melting pot. "Yet, it’s still about us taking the game on.” With Seamus Coleman now officially ruled out for the remainder of the season and Yerry Mina having come through 90-plus minutes on the south coast unscathed, the only real question mark over Dyche’s team selection is likely to be who starts between James Garner and Amadou Onana. Garner had arguably his best game so far against the Seagulls and but for a terrific block by Lewis Dunk would have opened his Premier League account with what would have been Everton’s fourth goal just before half-time. But Onana, who laid on a lovely assist for Dwight McNeil to complete the rout at the Amex Stadium, will be champing at the bit to be involved and it his physical prowess and presence from a defensive standpoint might give him the edge against this particular opponent. Guardiola, meanwhile, is expected to make a few changes to a starting XI that ended up playing the full game with no replacements against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. The likes of Aymeric Laporte, Phil Foden and serial tormentor of Everton, Riyad Mahrez could step in and underscore the ridiculous strength in depth that City possess, while Erling Haaland will pose the sternest of tests at the tip of Guardiola’s spear. Mina, for one, will no doubt be relishing going up against the Norwegian while Everton will feel confident that a fit and firing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, combined with their set-piece threat and counter-attacking ability will give them every chance of causing City problems. Any kind of positive result would be a bonus; a win would just keep Evertonians in dream land. Kick-off: 2 pm, Sunday 14 May 2023Referee: Anthony TaylorVAR: Craig PawsonLast Time: Everton 0 - 1 Manchester City Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Patterson, Mina, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Iwobi, McNeil, Doucouré, Calvert-Lewin Lyndon Lloyd top * Unfortunately, we cannot control other sites' content policies and therefore cannot guarantee that links to external reports will remain active.