There was no stopping City's second-half steamroller

Everton 1 - 3 Manchester City

There was no stopping Manchester City's second-half steamroller at Goodison Park after Everton had taken the lead through Harrison in a strong first-half display. 

Abdoulaye Doucouré misses out again, though, and neither Seamus Coleman nor Ashley Young are expected to be passed fit although Coleman is named on the bench. That again limits Dyche's options in midfield where Amadou Onana, James Garner and Andre Gomes are the only remaining fit central midfielders and all play tonight.

Beto is preferred to Dominic Calvert-Lewin upfront but at least the two strikers got to play alongside each other for a portion of the last game at Spurs. 

An early cross in was met by Beto but he was too far out to threaten Ederson. The visitors, though, locked down possession pretty quickly and rapidly regained it through poor Everton passes as soon as they lost it. Grealish forced his way in and somehow Alverez was unable to convert.

But City kept toying with the Everton defence, recycling the ball around the home penalty area. Branthwiate covered well at the cost of the first City corner, Walker's shot deflected wide. Garner drew a good free-kick off Stanes, Gomes playing in a decent enough ball but all it won was a throw-in. Garner's recycled ball in was too far ahead of Beto.

Foden got through but drove his shot over. But City got forward again with far too much ease Alverez taking a decent shot that Pickford put back into play and Nummes got to the rebound, Pickford saved a certain goal with his shin!

Everton were being forced to defend and had few ideas going forward with Beto forced to chase it down, Beto doing well against Akanji with Gomes then fouled. A good ball in by Gomes drew Ederson out to punch clear. Everton kept them engaged until City countered and Everton worked hard to keep them honest in midfield.  

Everton were at times playing a high line without the ball but, when they got it, Beto lost the ball and Grealish was in, shooting low for Pickford to save well. The Blues responded and forced a corner, McNeil, putting in a great delivery but Garner could not get to it. 

Silva was picked out with a pinpoint cross but his shot was very high off target. But Everton got forward well and, in a complex interplay with Garner and Beto making key touches,, McNeil broke forward and Harrison had a very simple finish from his excellent cross for Everton's first goal. 

City of course surged forward to respond, and set up Rodri for a killer strike but he drove it high and wide. Everton pushed back, Mykolenko winning a corner on the left, Gomes delivering to the far post where an absolutely superb first-time strike by Harrison with the outside of his boot was pawed behind by Ederson. 

There was some great high pressing from the Blues, but they could not create the chance their excellent approach play warranted. Beto chased down a ball over the top and Stones did well to clear but he went down injured in the process… and stayed down after the offside flag was finally shown, breaking Everton's great tempo and crowd spirit. 

Patterson had to manhandle Grealish for a yellow card. The ball in was headed goalward by Rodri but hit Tarkowski and went behind for a corner that was cleared. Another City attack was thwarted by good Blues defending at the 18-yard line and they looked to build down the right, then switching to the left but Beto could not claim the ball in. 

From a Garner free-kick McNeil was too strong in his efforts to reach the ball. City moved the ball around the Everton area with threat but Beto launched a clearing hoof. The next time they came forward, Silva won a corner but it ended up back with Ederson and Everton strode off with the half-time lead. 

After the restart, Everton were doing well to disrupt City attacks but the long ball forward wasn't sticking to a blue shirt and Everton had to defend, forcing poor shots from City. Beto tried an audacious shot from a narrowing angle.

City's patient forward play was again disrupted by solid Everton defence and good fighting play from Beto going forward. But City played the ball around well and won a corner. But with nothing much happening Fiden, just smacked one and it was far too clever for Pickford, flying past him at the near post. 

Then a great cross in from Alvarez was just glanced by Grealish and rolled beyond the far post. City kept piling forward.  Garner got forward with the ball but Ake stole it far too easily and City threatened to dominate the play after what must have been a half-time rocket from Pepe Guardiola. 

A brilliant piece of play out of defence by Onana was greeted with a nasty foul off the ball, not seen by the referee, and Everton were back in defensive mode, Patterson forced to concede a corner, Akanji finally shown a yellow card for the foul on Onana.

Gomes caught Foden in a very dangerous position, Alverez forcing a Pickford save with his set-piece over the Everton wall. The ball circled around with a poor punch from Pickford and wild blocks until Onana was accused of handball from a range of a yard or so, very harsh. Penalty converted by Alverz.  City had stepped up  3 gears since the break and simply torn Everton asunder. 

Calvert-Lewin and Keane replaced Beto and Gomes. Mykolenko won a corner off Walker, Garner looping it high to the far post and Tarkowski could only head it behind. 

Everton tried their best to compete for the ball high up the field but it was the visitors who finally won a pinball challenge down by the corner flag.

Garner played a brilliant ball forward to Harrison who played in Calvert-Lewin perfectly and he had to score despite being under pressure... but he could only bundle it past the post for a goal-kick. Tarkowski then took out Alverez after winning a 50-50 ball City bizarrely getting the drop ball.

Branthwaite was in a bit too heavily on Walker for his yellow card.  Everton were fighting hard with the crowd behind them to get back at City any way they could. But it was getting just a little bit ragged, as Harrison was replaced by Danjuma. 

Paterson cleverly pushed Grealish into McNeil, and a yellow card for the City player! Everton were playing up, McNeil's ball forward just over Calvert-Lewin's head. 

Into the final phase of the game and McNeil tried to play in Danjuma but Ederson was out quickly. Alvarez fired just over Pickford's gloves and the Everton bar.  But what should have been a routine clearance became a dreadful mess up at the back by Pickford that saw Branthwaite gift the ball to Bernado Siva and he needed to produce a controlled finish under illegal attention from Branthwite for City's third that killed the game.  

A fierce Foden shot rattled the post with Pickford well beaten. Foden got another opportunity to lash one at Pickford, who saved it this time before the final  whistle went on a seemingly inevitable defeat once City showed up after the half-time break, 

Everton: Pickford [Y:63'], Patterson [Y:38'], Tarkowski, Branthwaite [Y:77'], Mykolenko, Gomes (65' Keane), Onana, Harrison (80' Danjuma), Garner, McNeil, Beto (65' Calvert-Lewin).

Subs: Virginia, Godfrey, Coleman, Hunt,  Dobbin, Chermiti.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones (43' Gvardiol), Akanji [Y:58'], Ake, Nunes, Rodri, Silva, Foden, Grealish [Y:81'], Alvarez.

Subs: Ortega Moreno, Phillips, Kovacic, Gomez,  Bobb, Susoho, Lewis, Hamilton

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