Bernardo Silva scored an early goal but Erling Haaland missed a penalty as struggling Manchester City drew 1-1 with Everton to kick off a full slate of Boxing Day games on Thursday.
The champions’ slump has seen them win just once in their last 13 matches across all competitions — including one of nine league games — and they provisionally sit sixth in the table with 28 points, 11 below leaders Liverpool who have two games in hand.
Pep Guardiola’s team could drop to as low as eighth by the end of the day.
Everton are 15th, five points above the drop zone.
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The Etihad Stadium crowd breathed a sigh of relief when Silva scored in the 14th minute. Jérémy Doku played a ball in behind Everton’s defence and Silva slid in to fire into the far corner from a tight angle, the ball deflecting off Jarrad Branthwaite and in.
The goal, which had Guardiola pumping two fists in celebration, ended Everton’s streak of clean sheets at three games.
But City’s celebration was short-lived. Iliman Ndiaye drew Everton level in the 36th when Manuel Akanji failed to clear a cross and the Senegalese midfielder took a touch to settle the ball then unleashed a shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner.
City fans thought they had victory locked up when Haaland stepped up to the penalty spot in the second half after Seamus Coleman‘s tackle on Savinho, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford dived correctly to safe the shot. The rebound was sent back in and Haaland headed into the back of the net, but it was chalked off for offside.
The Norway international the Premier League’s top scorer in the previous two seasons, has just netted just four times in City’s last 14 league games.
City had 24 shots to Everton’s eight, including a header that Josko Gvardiol fired off the near post in the game’s early minutes.
Silva had a brilliant chance at a second goal midway through the first half when he hit the ball on the run from the top of the 18-yard box but sent it sailing wide. City defender Rico Lewis squandered a terrific chance in injury time when he fired well over the crossbar.
While City fans quickly filed out after what would have felt like a loss, Everton supporters celebrated long after the final whistle, chanting “England‘s number one” about Pickford, who tugged off his shirt and gave it to a young fan in the away end.
