A Dramatic Last-Gasp Equaliser
Jérémy Doku scored a last-gasp equaliser for Manchester City to snatch a 3-3 draw at Everton and throw the Premier League title momentum back to leader Arsenal on Tuesday (AEST). The draw ended a run of three consecutive wins for City and left it five points behind the London club. City has a game in hand, but the loss at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium meant the title was now Arsenal’s to lose. The Gunners have three games to play.
City had four games and knew it needed a win to keep the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side. But although City dominated possession in the first half, it struggled to create real chances. It wasn’t until the 42nd minute that Doku found space in a crowded penalty box to curl in a peach of a strike and break the deadlock.
“First half we played well and created a lot of chances. We know if we don’t score those chances, it is going to get difficult at the end,” said Doku to Sky Sports.
“Obviously, they (Everton) are at their own stadium, they create chances, and they are dangerous, and they scored two goals, but I think we gave them the game. It feels painful now (dropping two points). There is still a lot of games to go. We lost two points today. We will keep on fighting – we owe it to ourselves and to our fans. We know that one point can be important at the end. Happy to score and happy to help the team.”
Everton, though, came out a different side in the second half and struck three times in 13 minutes. City defender Marc Guéhi’s short back pass was intercepted by substitute Thierno Barry, who slipped it past an incredulous Gianluigi Donnarumma. Five minutes later, the City defense was all at sea again as Jake O’Brien rose at the near post to glance home a corner from James Garner.
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Barry made it 3-1 in the 81st when a shot deflected into his path, giving him the simplest of finishes. But just as City fans were beginning to stream out of the stadium, many returned when Erling Haaland stormed forward and clipped his 25th goal of the season over Jordan Pickford.
City threw everything forward and in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Doku curled in a sublime strike with almost the last kick of the match.
“As always, the result is the result. Second half we gave away some balls. We didn’t have that intention to attack a little bit more, but it’s normal. They make a step-up, and they were so incredible in the duels. The British Premier League – we know that,” said Pep Guardiola.
“In the end, we gave away the first goal, and after the corner that was not a corner. At the end, we showed we would keep going, keep going.”
It was a killer blow to Everton, which is still hopeful of securing a European place. A win would have lifted it within two points of seventh but instead it was 10th, tied on points with Fulham and Chelsea.
