Everton 0-2 Manchester City: Howard’s heroics not enough for the Toffees

Tim Howard made seven saves on the day

Raheem Sterling contributed his first goal for Man City, an assist to Aleksandar Kolarov

Man City reclaimed the Premier League’s top spot and maintained a 100 percent win record

Everton suffered defeat for the first time in 2015-16 and remain 4th

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Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard was called into action just 79 seconds into the game, when Sergio Aguero latched onto a badly deflected effort from David Silva. Aguero unleashed a blistering shot from a tight angle but Howard made the kick save and the ball went out for a Man City corner kick.

Howard thwarted Aguero once more in the 10th minute, when the Argentine striker got on the end of a cross from Jesus Navas, driving the ball low and into the center of the goal.

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Everton thought they had taken the lead in the 24th minute, when Romelu Lukaku received the ball inside the penalty area from Ross Barkley, danced around Hart and slotted the ball inside Hart’s right-hand post. The celebrations at Goodison Park were short-lived, though, as the assistant referee flagged Lukaku for offisde.

Lukaku went six inches from giving the Toffees the lead in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time. After a foul committed by Fernandino barely a yard outside Man City’s penalty area, Lukaku took the ensuing free kick and whipped a frightening left-footed shot over the wall and grazed the top of the crossbar with Hart rooted to the ground.

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Eighty-five seconds into the second half, Silva got onto the end of a through ball from Raheem Sterling and smashed a left-footed shot, which would have had Howard beat all the way, but found only the American ‘keeper’s right-hand post.

For the difficult saves made by Howard early on, the one that snuck in – struck by Aleksandar Kolarov from an incredibly tight angle – and gave City their lead in the 60th minute is the only one he’ll remember Sunday night. Sterling played the Serbian left back into the box and Kolarov whipped a left-footed shot past Howard inside the near post.

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Samir Nasri scored City’s long-awaited second goal in the 89th minute, when Yaya Toure chipped a through ball into the box for Samir Nasri, whose brilliant first touch was just strong enough to lift the ball over Howard and just delicate enough to bring it back down under the crossbar.

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