Live Blog

Fulltime Thoughts - Really unfortunate for the Blues who played well and can say they deserved a draw today. However, between Paul Tierney and VAR, somehow the Blues were denied a penalty for a second straight game and that was that.

90+8’ - With all the time wasted by Stones and Ederson, who knows if the ref will allow the Blues one last crack at goal. Nope, it’s over and Everton lose 1-0 to Manchester City.

90+5’ - Stones bundled over by El Ghazi and more time-wasting. Pickford hoofs it forward but it rolls to Ederson, who rolls about theatrically as Dele makes it difficult for him. The Everton player gets booked for his trouble.

90+3’ - Holgate cross into the box almost met by Dele, just over his head. About two more minutes to be played.

88’ - Last sub is Anwar El Ghazi on for Iwobi. Foden goes in the book for shoving Coleman in the face.
Gray wins a corner on the right.

85’ - No penalty!!! Richarlison in on goal from a narrow angle and Ederson saves, but the ball bounces funnily and Rodri handles it in the box while under no pressure at all!! Everton want a penalty but Tierney makes no indication as VAR takes a look. Richarlison looked offside though and the Blues have simply no luck today. Mysteriously no VAR video showing Richy offside though.

82’ - Disaster strikes as the ball ricochets and falls to Foden. Bernardo Silva’s cross deflects off Holgate, Keane can’t get to it properly and the ball comes kindly to Foden who tucks it home with Pickford stranded. Unfortunate. City lead 1-0 late on.

77’ - Gordon coming off to a big hand from the crowd, with Demarai Gray replacing him. City make a double change too, with Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus on, while Sterling and Gundogan come off.

74’ - Iwobi and Doucoure mount a great break, find Gordon in space on the left but Stones closes him down and his shot is wide.

70’ - Double save! Brilliant by Pickford parrying away KDB’s shot, and then DVDB is fouled by Foden trying to clear the rebound.
It’s the Dutchman’s last participation though as he goes off for Dele Alli. He’s not the only Blues that was looking gassed there, with Gordon and Allan looking exhausted too.

65’ - Kenny’s partial clearance met at speed by Stones, Pickford parries it away for a corner. Partly cleared and then Richarlison finishes the job.

60’ - Richarlison kicked in the back by Stones and goes down, one by one every City defender has had a shot at him and Goodison wants a card, but it’s in vain.

57’ - Allan gives away a foul on the left, and is irate at the assistant referee, and gets booked for his troubles. Dangerous freekick, Richarlison heads clear.

56’ - Two quick saves from Pickford! Ball falls to an open Foden on the left and his first time shot is punched away well, ball is still live though and Foden’s cross-shot is parried and then gathered by the England #1.

52’ - Iwobi everywhere. Involved in the attack, loses the ball trying to take on five men himself. Then he tries to win it off Cancelo in the middle, and then streaks back to help Coleman at right back and does the job there too, getting a deserved round of applause.

49’ - Allan’s pressure wins him the ball in the middle and he finds Richarlison streaking behind the backline! It’s offside though, and Richy’s finish was stopped well by Ederson’s foot.

46’ - Second half underway and Everton have two half-chances quickly! Good start this.

Halftime Thoughts - That was a feisty performance from the Toffees, the kind we are starting to get used to seeing at Goodison Park.

45+2’ - Allan hounds Stones and gives away a foul. KDB will put it into the box, Pickford collects and it’s halftime, still 0-0.

45’ - There will be two or more minutes added on.

43’ - Bit of timewasting going on here as Pickford is going to take a goalkick long.
Blues do well to control the ball and now Richarlison wins a freekick just outside the box, just under thirty yards out. Gordon standing over it.. lovely shot, just over the bar and lands on the roof of the net!

36’ - Everton giving City fits in their own half! Pep has made an in-game change, Foden has move to the left, Bernardo Silva in the middle and Raheem Sterling has gone to the right.
City led by KDB break at pace, Everton backpedalling and DVDB does brilliantly to cut out two quick passes and the danger is past.

33’ - DVDB claims he is fouled but ref Paul Tierney waves play on and City have a half chance. Now Everton attack down the left again, Richarlison shoves Gordon out of the way to try a shot! A ricochet falls to Richy and his volley is straight at Ederson! Everton doing very well!

32’ - Chance! Everton press City in their own box, and Allan steps up to win the ball and keeps driving.. plays in Kenny on the left and he tries a left-footed shot but its into the side netting! Could have gone anywhere from his weaker foot.

30’ - KdB tries to slide in a low shot, Pickford collects.

26’ - Goodison incensed! Allan nicks the ball off de Bruyne just outside the City box but goes down too easily in the box, no penalty. However, as City try to break van de Beek comes sliding in and is going to be booked.

25’ - Conversation on the RBM Slack channel - do you agree?
“I feel like Iwobi is someone who isn’t going to drive the team performance. He’s more likely to feed off of it.”

20’ - Good Toffees’ passing sequence ended by a poor pass from Iwobi.
Everton freekick on the right after Laporte puts his elbow through the back of his head. Gordon will bend it into the box, just over Keane’s head. City can break at pace with the Blues caught upfield, but Kenny goes sliding across to cut it out and prevent a three-on-one, whew.

17’ - Foden’s first touch to a cross-field ball takes Jonjoe Kenny out of play, but the cross is cut out by Michael Keane. Taken short and eventually comes to nothing.
Doucoure looks to have fouled Aymeric Laporte. Ball skimmed into the box, Ruben Dias gets his head to it but can’t control it and Richarlison fouled as he looks to break.

13’ - Gordon takes on and beats John Stones down the left, his low cross into the six-yard box is not met by any Everton shirts though and Ederson gathers.

12’ - Everton are pressing City well in the middle and forcing some turnovers, but have been losing the ball too easily themselves too. The visitors have about 65% possession early on.

7’ - Coleman controls well on the right to beat his man and wins a corner. Gordon outswinger from the right, City clear partly but the Blues win it back and get it back into the box, but it’s overhit.

5’ - All City early on as expected; the Toffees’ middle trio is Donny van de Beek, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure from left to right.
Foden pushes down Gordon as he tries to clear and the crowd is unhappy about it.

3’ - Early chance for City as Anthony Gordon cuts across Phil Foden. The freekick from Kevin de Bruyne is into the box but Bernardo Silva fouls Mason Holgate.

1’ - Underway at an emotional Goodison Park where the fans have been showing their support for the nation of Ukraine.

Lineups

Frank Lampard has inserted Abdoulaye Doucoure right back into the starting XI, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin will not feature at all after suffering a minor groin strain, per El Bobble.

Everton

Man City

Preview

Everton need every point they can get. It’s that simple. Between now and the end of the season, the Blues are going to need Herculean efforts like the performance they put in against Leeds United to ensure they don’t get dragged into the relegation mire. However, they also face a number of very difficult opponents, and will need to get anything they can in those games to ensure the so-called ‘relegation sixpointers’ don’t become season deciders for the them.

There’s never a good time to play Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, but with their lead in the league table just narrowed down to three points and coming off a loss makes for a bad combination for the Toffees. Plus Pep can also count on Jack Grealish and Gabriel ‘always scores against Everton’ Jesus coming back into a star-studded squad. Doesn’t look good for the Toffees does it?

Match Details

Competition: Premier League Matchday 24

Date and start time: Saturday, February 26th at 9:30 a.m. PT / 12:30 p.m ET / 5:30 p.m. BST

Stadium: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 39,572

Weather: 49°F/9°C, mostly cloudy, 4% chance of precipitation, 18 mph winds

How to Watch/Listen

TV: Peacock - United States; Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Ultra HD - United Kingdom; DAZN - Canada, beIN Sports Premium 1, SuperSport Premier League ROA, SuperSport MaXimo 1, RMC Sport 1, Canal+ Sport 3 Afrique, Star Sports Select 1

Radio: evertontv, BBC Radio Manchester, SiriusXM FC

Live stream: Fubo, Sky GO Extra, ESPN Play Sur, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, DStv Now, RUSH, Hotstar VIP, Jio TV, Canal +

Gamethread: Live blog above starting one hour before game time

*Royal Blue Mersey has affiliate partnerships and may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links provided.

Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Last Meeting

Everton are going nine games now without even a draw against Manchester City, with the Toffees only within one goal of their opponents in one of those games. The last time the two teams met was in November when the Blues traveled to the Etihad but were easily dispatched off 3-0. City’s last trip to Goodison was in March in the FA Cup quarter-final last season, when they won 2-0 despite a spirted performance by the Blues, led by Joao Virginia between the sticks.