Manchester City climbed back into the English Premier League’s top-four as second-half goals by Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva sealed a comeback 3-1 victory at Everton on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola’s newly-crowned Fifa World Club champions had lost ground in the title race after a run of one win in six league games, but they returned to domestic action to send out a warning to their rivals.
Everton took the lead against the run of play through Jack Harrison’s close-range finish in the 29th minute.
But Foden drilled in a superb low shot after 53 minutes and Alvarez converted a penalty after a handball awarded against Everton’s Amadou Onana.
Silva wrapped up the points four minutes from time with a sublime finish after a mistake by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford although the win came at a cost with defender John Stones forced off due to a leg injury.
Champions City moved above Tottenham Hotspur into fourth place with 37 points from 18 games, five behind leaders Liverpool having played a game less.
Everton’s second successive defeat after four straight wins left them one place and one point above the relegation zone, a position skewed by their 10-point deduction.
City’s quest for an unprecedented fourth successive league title hit turbulence before Christmas with defeat by Aston Villa, draws against Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace and an injury to Erling Haaland.
They were not in league action last weekend as they headed back from Saudi Arabia having become world champions so victory was essential to close the gap on Liverpool.
“I thought we played really well in the first half and it seems to have been the same story as previous games,” Foden told Amazon Prime. “The manager just said to believe in ourselves at half-time because we’re a top team. In the second half, wow. I think we blew them away with the way they played.”
Foden produced a dazzling display and equalised with a sweetly-struck left-foot shot that flew low past the dive of Pickford.
Laboured victory
An 89th-minute penalty from substitute Noni Madueke earned Chelsea a laboured 2-1 home victory over Crystal Palace in the London derby.
Madueke was brought down by Eberechi Eze who caught the Chelsea midfielder’s trailing leg and, after initially waving play on, referee Michael Salisbury was called by VAR to the screen where he signalled a foul.
Palace’s Michael Olise had shown fine skill when unmarked at the far post he chested down Jordan Ayew’s pass and finished deftly past Djordje Petrovic in first-half stoppage time.
