Everton outplayed Manchester City to seal a deserved 2-0 win and condemn Roberto Mancini to his first defeat.
Toffees outclass woeful City on Merseyside
Everton outplayed Manchester City at Goodison Park to seal a deserved 2-0 win and condemn Roberto Mancini to his first defeat as manager.
Steven Pienaar broke the deadlock in the 36th minute with a well-taken free-kick from the left-edge of the penalty area, curling the ball through the City wall into the bottom corner.
The Toffees doubled their lead in first-half injury-time from the penalty spot after Micah Richards blatantly grabbed hold of Louis Saha's shirt inside the box.
The Frenchman made no mistake from 12 yards - coolly rolling the ball down the middle of the goal with Shay Given diving to his left.
It could have been more after the break as Given clawed out a Marouane Fellaini header before Tim Cahill hit the bar.
City got off to a good start, though, and Martin Petrov strode forward before delivering a rasping shot that goalkeeper Tim Howard was content to parry to safety.
The home side hit back and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov sent a header into Given's arms following a cross from Landon Donovan on his home debut.
Robinho, who was brought on for the injured Roque Santa Cruz, then had a half-chance for City following a flick-on from Carlos Tevez but cleared the bar with his effort.
Switch
Play switched back down the other end and Donovan came close to making the breakthrough in the 20th minute.
He clipped the ball beyond Given but narrowly wide of the post after being set up by Saha.
Donovan then swung in a corner from the left three minutes later and Fellaini peeled away from his marker only to deliver a weak header that Given collected comfortably.
Everton stepped up the pace and Fellaini cracked a shot wide before Bilyaletdinov saw his close-range effort turned over the top by Given in the 27th minute.
Pienaar made the breakthrough in the 36th minute after Pablo Zabaleta's challenge on Saha.
The South African took the free-kick and from 20 yards curled the ball beyond Given at the goalkeeper's near post.
Everton almost got a second seven minutes later after Bilyaletdinov brushed aside Zabaleta and raced into the box. However, the Russian snatched at his shot and sent it wide of the target.
Craig Bellamy went close for City before Everton added a second in first-half stoppage-time. Saha scored a cool penalty in the wake of City protests after he had his shirt tugged by Richards.
City boss Mancini made a change at half-time, bringing on Benjani Mwaruwari to give Tevez some support with Petrov remaining in the dressing room.
The main concern for the former Inter Milan boss was that there was little invention from midfield.
Everton were playing with confidence but there was some anxiety in their ranks when Pienaar went to ground after a challenge from Richards in the 55th minute.
Pienaar looked shaken up but after brief treatment returned to help his side. City were struggling to get a foothold in the game and Mancini had obviously seen enough from Robinho to know he was not testing the opposition.
He decided to replace the ineffective substitute and bring on Shaun Wright-Phillips in the 62nd minute.
Setback
It was another setback for Robinho, who had tested the patience of the previous manager Mark Hughes.
Everton were holding firm at this stage with former City defender Distin not giving an inch.
Toffees boss David Moyes, however, decided not to push Distin too much after his injury and brought on Seamus Coleman in the 70th minute.
Everton were keeping their shape well and almost extended their lead after two swift counter-attacks
Fellaini got on the end of Pienaar's corner in the 79th minute but Given reacted superbly to tip his header onto the post.
Then a minute later Cahill smacked the bar as the visitors again found themselves on the back foot.
City kept pushing forward but to no avail as Everton dealt a blow to their hopes of clinching a UEFA Champions League place.
| Everton |
Team Statistics |
Manchester City |
| 2 |
Goals |
0 |
| 2 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 6 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
4 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 11 |
Corners |
3 |
| 14 |
Fouls |
15 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 70.5 |
Passing Success |
76.8 |
| 19 |
Tackles |
25 |
| 84.2 |
Tackles Success |
76 |
| 49.1 |
Possession |
50.9 |
| 62.1 |
Territorial Advantage |
37.9 |
|
