da brwin: The Norwegian scored his first goal in two months with a lethal half-volley to break the deadlock before an ice-cool finish melted the Toffees
da aposte e ganhe: Erling Haaland may have been sidelined for two months with a bone injury but his hunger for goals and his striker's instinct remain in rude health as he fired a lacklustre Manchester City to a 2-0 win over Everton.
Pep Guardiola stated the obvious on Friday by saying Manchester City have more chances of winning when Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are playing but then took a risk by leaving the Belgian out of his starting line-up. Not coincidentally, City failed to have a shot on target in the first half for the first time since August 2021 as Everton put 10 men behind the ball and defended for their lives.
De Bruyne and Kyle Walker gave City more ideas when they were introduced but in the end it was Haaland who made the difference, lashing in the opening goal in the 71st minute before making sure of the points with an assured finish from inside the box.
The win means City will sit top of the Premier League for at least a couple of hours before Liverpool play Burnley. But best of all for Guardiola's side was the knowledge that Haaland is back and back with a bang.
GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Ederson (6/10):
Made a brave block on Ben Godfrey's shot and took a blow in the face for it. Kept only his second clean sheet in the Premier League since October.
John Stones (6/10):
Competent in only his fifth league appearance of the season but still lacking the swagger of last season.
Ruben Dias (7/10):
Marshalled the defence well, ensuring Everton rarely caused any danger. Also a handful in the opposing box and played his part in the breakthrough goal.
Manuel Akanji (5/10):
Made a sloppy pass which Everton should have made more of. Didn't get forward enough and was removed for Walker.
Nathan Ake (6/10):
An improvement on Gvardiol's latest appearances at left-back and helped send the ball into Haaland's path for the all-important first goal.
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Phil Foden (7/10):
The most creative player in the first half along with Doku. Got more support in the second.
Rodri (6/10):
Powerful and controlling. Has now gone one year without losing a match with City.
Matheus Nunes (5/10):
Didn't have the patience or ability to break down Everton's rigid defence. Taken off for De Bruyne early in the second half.
Getty ImagesAttack
Julian Alvarez (6/10):
Struggled to find space behind enemy lines.
Erling Haaland (8/10):
Starved of service for most of the game but only needed one chance to find the breakthrough with an unstoppable strike. His second goal was a classy, effortless finish. Back to his best.
Jeremy Doku (7/10):
Ravaged Everton's right hand side and looked like City's best hope of a goal before the cavalry arrived in the second half.
Getty ImagesSubs & Manager
Kevin De Bruyne (7/10):
His arrival led to an instant improvement and kept Everton on the backfoot. His through pass released Haaland for the second.
Kyle Walker (6/10):
Also gave City an attacking edge when he came on.
Bernardo Silva (6/10):
Replaced Alvarez with 13 minutes to go.
Pep Guardiola (6/10):
Took a risk by leaving out De Bruyne and Walker but corrected his mistake with the double change. Has now overseen 10 straight wins in all competitions.