Manchester City secured a deserved victory over Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, making it three wins from three.
City were the better team on the balance of play and eventually their control over proceedings was made to count.
Aleksandar Kolarov lashed home the opener on the hour-mark, though Everton custodian Tim Howard will be left thinking he could have done better after being beaten at his near post.
Samir Nasri made a certainty of the result two minutes before time. He finished off Yaya Toure’s deft flick with a well taken finish.
The Citizens sit pretty at the top of the league with nine points from nine, conceding no goals in the process. Meanwhile, the Toffees now have an even ledger after three fixtures; one win, one draw and one defeat.
Formations
The home side remained unchanged after disposing of Southampton 3-0 on matchday two. The Blues lined up in a conventional 4-2-3-1 formation, with James McCarthy sitting deeper than he did against the Saints.
Everton XI (4-2-3-1): Howard (GK); Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Galloway; Barry, McCarthy; Kone, Barkley, Cleverley; Lukaku.
Like their hosts, City opted against changing a winning formula, with Manuel Pellegrini putting faith in the same XI that brushed aside Chelsea so comprehensively.
Manchester City XI (4-2-3-1): Hart (GK); Sagna, Mangala, Kompany, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Toure; Navas, Silva, Sterling; Aguero.
City spread their wings
The Citizens put on a clinic in width at Goodison Park, with much of the success they enjoyed coming from the flanks. Bacary Sagna and Jesus Navas lined up on the right, while Kolarov and Raheem Sterling manned the left.
The right-hand side, in the first half, looked to be the go-to side for City. Lining up at left-back as he has done in each match this season was 19-year-old Brendan Galloway. Manuel Pellegrini’s side targeted the youngster and looked to isolate him; this saw Navas and Sagna often double up in advanced positions.
Galloway held his own until succumbing to a knee injury he sustained in a tussle with the French right-back, but City did get some change from this tactic, albeit without the opening goal. Sagna and Navas were able to deliver seven crosses from the right and pass at a success rate of 92%, with three telling balls amongst those.
Another youngster, Ty Browning, replaced Galloway at left-back, but attentions looked to have turned for City after the interval as the £50 million man shone.
Sterling, amongst a chorus of boos, became the primary outlet for his new club and wasted little time in wreaking havoc after re-emerging from the dressing room, teeing up Silva on 47 minutes who sent a strike thundering into the post. The former Red linked up well with his left-back, whom he slid in to break the deadlock after a barnstorming overlap.
Sterling’s increased output also meant the threat of Seamus Coleman was nullified. The Irishman was one of the biggest threats for the Toffees in the opening stanza, bursting forward at any opportunity. However, that threat dissipated following the break. Coleman played only one meaningful cross, but perhaps more tellingly, completed no take-ons in the final third.
Silva breaks the shackles
Everton stalwart Gareth Barry was always in close proximity of City’s Spanish wizard, but ultimately it was the ex-Valencia man who prevailed in the duel. Silva pulled the strings in midfield, offering a constant threat in and around the penalty area: three shots on goal, one of which struck the post, six crosses and a pass accuracy of 85%.
Barry himself was by no means poor. The veteran dominated in the air and, for the most part, shielded his back four expertly. Silva, in the end, did not register a score or an assist, so Barry can claim a job reasonably well done.
But Silva still enjoyed a somewhat influential afternoon. Unmarkable? Probably.
Cleverley settling well out wide
A known favourite of manager Roberto Martinez, Tom Cleverley has settled well into life on Everton’s left-hand side. The ex-Manchester United product was the home side’s biggest threat against City and ensured the impressive combination of Sagna and Navas had something to think about throughout the evening.
That included ten crosses as the England international continued to lay claim to the spot that otherwise would be occupied by Steven Naismith or Kevin Mirallas.
Everton Conclusion
The Toffees were outclassed on the day, but can take solace from knowing their superiors now have nine Premier League points in three matches with a goal difference of +8 and three clean sheets. Nevertheless, tinkering will be required upon the club’s trip to London next Saturday where an enticing battle with Tottenham Hotspur awaits. The already-strained left-back post will need filling if Galloway cannot recover from his injury, while Arouna Kone will face pressure to hold his spot at right-midfield with Mirallas and Gerard Deulofeu nipping at his heels.
Manchester City Conclusion
So far, so good for City. They are at the league’s summit and will be confident of extending their excellent start to the new campaign against Watford at the Etihad next week. Most importantly for Pellegrini, a settled starting XI appears to have taken shape.
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