Review – Man City ‘v’ Everton

Result: Man City 0 – 1 Everton

The Toffees left a bitter taste in the mouth after a last-minute winner from Tim Cahill gave the visitors all three points and left City chewing over another defeat and looking nervously over their shoulders towards the relegation zone.

City boss Mark Hughes sprang a couple of selection surprises when he named his side, with Brazilian star Robinho and defender Micah Richards both passed fit despite being doubtful with injuries. Perhaps it would have been better if Robinho was unable to have played, as he lacked the sparkle which you come to expect from a British record signing. He was lethargic on the ball, failed to make an impact and caused City to lose their shape with his roaming about. Richards’ return meant that Israel international Tal Ben-Haim was demoted to the bench alongside the returning Nedum Onuoha. Creative midfielder Elano, sporting a horrendous new braided hairstyle, also started as Hughes opted for an attacking formation.

Elano, on the left, with his diabolical new haircut

In contrast, Everton manager David Moyes was unable to field any strikers, and was forced to make do with Australian midfielder Cahill on his own up front. However, the Aussie showed all of City’s strikers how to run the line by yourself, and he constantly put Richards and Richard Dunne under pressure at the back. Spaniard Mikel Arteta was very impressive throughout, whilst Belgian hard man and afro-wearing Nathan Brush lookalike (most of you reading this won’t know who he is, so just ignore this comment), Marouane Fellaini showed how midfielders can be creative and strong at the same time, a skill which needs to be learnt by Elano, Stephen Ireland and Robinho.

The match was generally a dull affair, with Everton seemingly content to settle for a draw, whilst City looked incapable of breaking the visitors down. Arteta hit the bar with a majestic free-kick, Ireland should have scored when played through by Benjani, Elano saw his drive well saved by Tim Howard, and Shaun Wright-Phillips also shaved the top of the bar after a powerful 25 yard effort.

The second-half was equally, if not more, boring than the first 45 minutes, and only a misplaced Jo header looked like breaking the deadlock. That was the case until the final minute of the match when an Everton corner swung over from the right by Leon Osman found Tim Cahill, who buried his header past the despairing dive of Joe Hart to hand the visitors all the spoils.

Cahill broke City’s hearts with his last minute header

Player Ratings:

Hart – Made a couple of fine saves, including one from an Arteta power drive, but will be annoyed at conceding from corner – 7

Zabaleta – Didn’t reach the heights he saw at Fulham, but defender solidly and handled Pienaar well – 7

Richards – Coped OK with Cahill in open play, but he was the one who was out-jumped for winning goal – 6

Dunne – Playing against former club, but didn’t have one of his most commanding matches – 6

Ball – Didn’t get forward too much but defended as well as needed to. We need Garrido back soon – 6

Kompany – Had intriguing tussle with Fellaini and managed capably in the thick of the action – 6

Ireland – Again, not as good as he is capable of, but had a few moments when he looked sharp, and should have scored in the first-half – 7

Elano – Ran the game in the first-half, but fell away dramatically in the second. Needs to add bite to all his flair – 7

Wright-Phillips – City’s best player by a country mile. Caused Lescott problems every time he had the ball, and forced Howard into a few saves – 8.5

Robinho – Poor. Expect much better from him. Needs a kick up the backside – 4

Benjani – Seemed to have an injury early on, and fluffed up his only chance in the first-half. Was taken off at the break – 5.5

Subs:

Jo – Came on for Benjani, but failed to produce anything. Looks an expensive flop, but needs more time to adapt – 5

Vassell – Only came on for last few minutes, but did more in his brief appearance than Robinho did all game – 6

Man of the Match – Shaun Wright-Phillips