There wasn’t an awful lot to get excited about during Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday.
For the most part, it was a typical early Saturday kick-off at the Etihad Stadium for City as they came up against a combative side who were happy to sit back and soak up the pressure.
City struggled to break down the visiting side but finally found a break through in the 71st minute when Erling Haaland struck.
It was a fantastic finish from the Norwegian sensation who smashed the ball home for his 15th goal of the season and his first since November.
Haaland then grabbed a second in the 85th minute to secure the win in typical clinical fashion.
There wasn’t an awful lot to shout about in the match until the 23-year-old’s late show but Jeremy Doku did provide some moments of magic.
Jeremy Doku creates amazement
Doku was easily City’s biggest threat for the majority of another wise largely flat performance from Pep Guardiola’s side.
Ben Godfrey must have been made dizzy for all the times he was left in the rapid Belgian’s wake after a lovely piece of skill.
But it was in fact Doku’s first touch that earned him praise from TNT commentator Lucy Ward after he brought the ball down with aplomb in the 58th minute.
“Doku’s first touch is absolutely incredible, just plucked it out of the air,” Ward said in amazement.
A crucial win
It looked like it was going to be one of those days for City. They hadn’t exactly been bad, completely dominating the ball, but were lacking penetration.
In fact, Haaland’s first goal was their first shot on target all afternoon but that’s the value of having such a lethal striker in the side.
The three points have taken the Blues to the top of the table – for a few hours at least until Liverpool vs Burnley concludes – but it’s still a confidence-boosting win.
City have now won nine domestic games on the spin and are now finding their stride at the perfect time in the business end of the season.
It wasn’t a vintage win but definitely a crucial one.
