Forthcoming Fixtures

With everyone in City's group playing a game this week it was important that they got a result when they travelled away to Everton at their usual venue of Widnes' Halton; now Stobart Stadium where City have a less than average record but Everton are struggling in their group at present. So when City performed a bit of a robbery by winning three one against an Everton side that caused City all sorts of problems during the match the match ended with relief from the City contingent.

Goals from Andrea Mancini, Donal McDermott and substitute Omar Elabdellaoui kept City in the hunt for a play off place at the end of the season as group winner or highest placed runner up after Everton had taken a first minute lead through Conor McAleny.

As both teams played each other at academy level on Saturday this game's substitute bench included some of Saturday's starting line up and Everton's goalkeeper was their substitute from Saturday.

I had hardly time to blink before Everton had taken the lead when they forced the play down the right and side and a cross was floated by Adam Forshaw and McAleny nipped inbetween the defence at the near post to head the ball into the goal from close range.

City immediately broke up the field from the kick off and the returning Abdul Razak from suspension let a good strike fly from just outside the area that forced a good save from Everton's Connor Roberts.

City however did level things up against the run of play slightly on the break as the referee played the advantage from a foul as the ball cannoned forward to Chris Chantler who could not get his shot off and so passed the ball to Mancini in space on the left and he took a touch before completing his only real meaningful participation of the game because for the first time in dozens of similar attempts during his previous games he got his curling shot on target as it flew into the top corner of the goal.

Everton continued to attack creating really good chances as the City defence just looked so nervous and showed signs that the left arm did not know what the right arm was doing by gifting possession away very cheaply.

So again against the run of play City attacked; this time down the right and Donal McDermott went on one of his mazy runs before cutting inside and using his pace to get around the defenders and fire a powerful strike from the edge of the area with his trademark left foot to give Roberts no chance in the Everton goal.

Everton's main attacks came through their wide midfielder Nathan Craig and forward McAleny but despite making City's defence look ordinary at times could not find a shot or effort on target and when they did there was Scott Kay to clear the ball off the line from McAleny.

The second half started as the first half finished with Everton being on the offensive but this time Everton's Hope Akpan was guilty of not scoring as well when the ball from the right came over and was missed by everyone but fell at the feet of Hope but somehow his shot was impeded as he got his boots stuck in the pitch and Eirik Johansen was able to gather the ball up.

City had already been forced into an early change when Razak walked off with a slight limp and was replaced by Elabdellaoui and so the later change of Mancini for Harry Bunn seemed to give City a bit more balance and more outlets for the defence to relief the pressure from and so they enjoyed nearly a twenty minute spell where they seemed to control the play much better and a good move started by McDermott who played a ball out on the left to John Guidetti who held the ball up before forcing the defence back and beating a few players before playing the ball across the area but Harry Bunn could not quite get himself in a good enough position to force the ball over the line.

Everton made a couple of changes themselves to try to get back in the game and academy player Hallam Hope who had just come on nearly did when he beat Freddy Veseli for pace from a through ball but his shot went inches wide of the far post just less than a minute after McAleny shot was deflected straight into the arms of Johansen.

We then had had a spell at times over a two or three minute period that you might describe as pinball wizzard as the ball was bouncing, cannoning deflecting every where in City's area but fortunately for City no Everton player was able to get that vital touch to send the ball over the line to equalize.

Then just as we entered stoppage time John Guidetti ran well to force Roberts into a hasty clearance that was not controlled in midfield and Elabdellaoui picked the ball up and just got a nick to take the ball off the defender who attempted to clear before he used his strength the hold off the other defender and fire low and hard just past Roberts and into the back of the goal to confirm the victory for City and more importantly all three points for their league campaign.

This was also a first for City as it was their first victory at the Halton stadium in over five attempts so it was a bit of double luck for the EDS team that saw their manager Andy Welsh far more vocal on the touchline than he has been in the past.

Teams:

Everton:

Roberts, Nsiala, Garbutt, Kinsella, Duffy, Mustafi, Forshaw, Akpan ,McAleny, Baxter (Hope 78), Craig  (Forrester 82)

Subs: Fitzgibbon, Barrow, Lundstram

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Manchester City:

Johansen, Logan, Vidal, Kay, Wabara, Veseli, Mancini (Bunn 64), Razak (Elabdellaoiu 49), Guidetti, Chantler, McDermott

Subs: Karius (GK), Meppen-Walter, Kennedy

Attendance: 216