Erling Haaland Misses Penalty as Man City Draw 1-1 with Everton

Erling Haaland missed a second-half penalty and Manchester City’s struggles continued with a 1-1 draw against Everton at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s side, once dominant, now find themselves in a slump with just one win in their last 13 matches across all competitions. The result leaves City in sixth place, three points behind fourth-place Nottingham Forest and 11 points behind league leaders Liverpool.

City started strong, hitting the post through Josko Gvardiol early on and took the lead in the 14th minute when Bernardo Silva’s deflected shot found the back of the net. However, despite dominating possession, they failed to capitalize further. Everton equalized in the 36th minute with Iliman Ndiaye scoring a stunning goal after a cross from Abdoulaye Doucoure. In the second half, City had a chance to regain the lead when Vitalii Mykolenko fouled Savinho in the box, but Jordan Pickford saved Erling Haaland’s penalty.

Despite multiple attempts to break down Everton’s defense including a brilliant save from Pickford to deny Savinho and a near miss by Mateo Kovacic, City couldn’t find a winner. Guardiola’s men have now gone five matches without a victory since December 4, raising concerns about their top-four finish which Guardiola admitted could be at risk. Their once-fluid style of play has become sluggish and the side seems to be lacking confidence.

For Everton, the draw represents a solid result as they’ve now held Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City to draws. However, with only three wins from 17 games, they remain in 15th place, five points above the relegation zone. Despite the result, their 16-match winless streak against City continues.