EVERTON 0, MAN CITY 3
Ilkay Gundogan has suddenly upstaged Erling Haaland as Manchester City close in on a third straight Premier League title.
The German scored a double in back-to-back league games in the 3-0 win at Everton as City recorded an 11th straight league victory.
Gundogan, whose contract expires this summer and whose future is in doubt, made it four goals in the last two league games while Haaland has managed only one goal in the last three games, City’s third at Goodison where they won for their seventh successive visit.
Surely City will make every effort to persuade 32-year-old Gundogan to remain at the Etihad where he remains an indispensable figure in their pursuit of the treble.
City took to the field needing nine points from their last four games to be crowned champions, and by the end they required two wins from their three remaining league games.
It was a comprehensive victory achieved with minimal effort as Everton did not muster an attempt on goal which was on target as they suffered a 10th home league loss as they created an unwanted club record.
And Everton have now won only once in their last 20 league games against City, a 4-0 home success in January 2017 which remains Pep Guardiola’s heaviest loss as City manager.
City had only six goal attempts, their lowest for some time, but a conversion rate of 50 per cent as City became the sixth club to achieve 500 Premier League victories.
Guardiola added that every effort will be made to keep Gundogan who is this season’s influential club captain.
Embed from Getty Images“Maybe he stays, hopefully. He is a quality and can do everything, an important player,” he said.
“He doesn’t speak a lot but, when he does, people listen, a sign of a leader.”
Guardiola added: “Between the Champions League semis, it’s difficult here after Everton scored five against Brighton. From minute one, we took the game in our hands. It was a brilliant performance at the end of a season. We need two more victories to be champions.
“They defended deep. Their transitions are amazing. They are the best team by far in transitions in the league. We controlled the game. We were patient and attacked the spaces.
“Every time we win you bring energy for the next game. We are recovering well.
“Semi-final of the Champions League against Real Madrid at home, what can you say? I said to the players try to relax and just do what you have done for the last four or five years.”
The only controversial moment was Guardiola confronting Yerry Mina at the end of the same, over things that had gone on during the game, but he would not elaborate on, though it was suggested he may have pinched Haaland.
Everton manager Sean Dyche said: “I thought we were excellent for 30 minutes, but they showed what a class side they are. They were slow in passing it in front of us, which was fine by us. But they changed their game plan and went longer.
“They picked up the scraps and capitalised on it. They showed what a top side they are because they can score goals in different ways.
“We tried to counter and break well, which we did at times, but all of a sudden we were 2-0 down and it’s very difficult from there on in.”
Guardiola made four changes with their huge Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid in mind.
Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte replaced Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
Dyche made just one change from the side that trounced Brighton 5-1 last time out.
Mason Holgate came in at left-back in place of Vitalii Mykolenko. Amadou Onana remained on the bench.
City had to display patience as Everton were set up to frustrate as they quickly got every played behind the ball whenever they lost possession.
Indeed, it took City almost half an hour before carving out their first chance, but Mahrez blazed well over.
Everton, in fact, ought to have taken a 35th minute lead when Holgate missed a sitter.
Dwight McNeil’s corner was headed back across the face of goal for Holgate, completely free and unmarked, to fire well over from no more than three yards.
It was to prove a pivotal moment in the match as City soon took complete control with two goals inside three minutes.
After Rodri’s drive had forced a first save from Jordan Pickford, City made a 37th minute breakthrough when Gundogan, making his 300th appearance for City, superbly controlled Mahrez’s cross on his thigh and swivelled to poke home a shot from six yards, his eighth of the season.
Gundogan, whose effort was a goal-of-the-season contender, then turned provider for Haaland to score his 52nd goal of the season and 36th in the league.
The German floated a cross from the left to the far post for Haaland, who had barely had a kick, to head past Pickford. Surely it was game over?
That was reinforced when City added a third goal within six minutes of the restart.
Foden was tripped just outside the penalty area for which James Garner was booked.
City punished Everton further when Gundogan floated his free kick over the defensive wall and beyond the reach of Pickford for his second double in three matches. It was only the second time he had ever scored from a free kick for City.
Everton almost got on to the scoresheet midway through the second half when James Tarkowski’s header from McNeill’s corner was turned on to the bar by Ederson.
And from the resulting corner, Yerry Mina’s downward header looped up on the ground and over the bar.
Everton had made four substitutions before City made their first changes with 13 minutes left as Gundogan and Haaland made way for Silva and Grealish. That was soon followed by a further two as Rodri and Ruben Dias were replaced by Kalvin Phillips and Sergio Gomez.