Key events
7 min: Corner to City, with Cherki playing it short … he eventually launches into the area but Guéhi can’t direct his header goalwards. Cherki closes the scene with a shot over the bar from outside the area.
5 min: González slips inside his own half and Dewsbury-Hall takes over … but Everton fail to take advantage.
4 min: City take the free-kick short and fail to trouble Everton before Dewsbury-Hall and Cherki clash by the touchline.
3 min: Doku tries to skip down the wing and is brought down by Röhl. Free-kick to Manchester City.
2 min: City dominate the ball … until Ndiaye tries to drive down the left wing.
1 min: Guéhi gets a good look at the ball as City roll it around at the back. Khusanov narrowly escapes Beto’s press.
Peeeeep!
Everton get us underway at the Hill Dickinson. Let’s play!
Phil Grey writes in:
I keep on hearing that every game is a final now, but surely this isn’t even a quarter-final because there are 4 more games after this one.
Let’s call it a last-32 clash.
A reminder that Erling Haaland leads by two goals. He’s already won the golden boot twice – another would take him level with Alan Shearer and Harry Kane.
Over to another title race:
Words from Pep Guardiola but also some strong criticism of Tyler Dibling by David Moyes.
Manchester City make eight changes to the XI that started against Southampton in the FA Cup – the big-hitters are back. Matheus Nunes, Nico González and Rayan Cherki keep their places. Beto, Tim Iroegbunam and Merlin Röhl make their way into the Everton side.
The teams
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Iroegbunam, Garner, Dewsbury-Hall, Röhl, Ndiaye, Beto
Subs: Travers, Patterson, McNeil, Barry, George, Dibling, Coleman, Alcaraz, Armstrong
Manchester City: Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly, González, Silva, Semenyo, Cherki, Doku, Haaland
Subs: Trafford, Reijnders, Stones, Aké, Marmoush, Kovacic, Aït-Nouri, Savinho, Foden
Preamble
It’s Manchester City’s turn. They’re unbeaten in 11 consecutive league games, another treble in view for Pep Guardiola and co. They’ve not lost to Everton since January 2017, when Ademola Lookman completed a 4-0 rout at Goodison Park in Guardiola’s first season. David Moyes’ team have lost their last two, stung by injury-time winners against Liverpool and West Ham.
Yet Arsenal have responded to that defeat at the Etihad with back-to-back victories, forming a six-point lead, applying some serious scoreboard pressure. Even a draw feels fatal at the moment. Let’s see what the Hill Dickinson has for us. Kick-off’s at 8pm BST.
