Pep Guardiola reflected on Everton draw
The Catalan manager praised David Moyes
Guardiola was frustrated by the goals conceded
Pep Guardiola has identified one major Manchester City issue after their damaging Premier League draw against Everton.
City showed character to fight back and rescue a point at Goodison Park, but the result still hurt their title hopes.
Guardiola’s side are still chasing Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. With no margin for error left, every dropped point now carries extra weight for the Sky Blues.
However, the City boss believes that the biggest frustration was the manner in which Everton scored to get back into the game.
Pep Guardiola frustrated by Man City defending
Guardiola has admitted that City made life too easy for the Toffees during the 3-3 draw. The Catalan manager insisted that David Moyes’ side deserved credit.
However, he was also clear that Man City’s defending was not good enough in key moments. The homeside ended up scoring three goals in 13 minutes against the visitors.
“We didn’t win against Everton for many reasons; the quality of David Moyes, the team. At the end, if the opponent scored goals, OK, do something to score a goal against Man City and not give them away,” Guardiola said.
The Catalan gaffer added, “And the problem with the game against Everton was the goals we conceded were so, so easy.”
Guardiola still sees defensive progress
Despite the disappointment, Guardiola mentioned that he sees a more consistent Man City this season. The manager believes they conceded more goals cheaply last season than in this campaign.
Guardiola’s side conceded 44 goals in the Premier League last season. However, this season, the number is at 32 in 34 games.
Naturally, this season, City have averaged 0.9 goals against per game compared to last season’s 1.2. They also have one more clean sheet than in the last campaign.
A part of the improvement is also due to the number of set-piece goals City have conceded this season. In the 2024/25 campaign, Man City ranked 12th worst, conceding 11 goals from set pieces in the English top-flight.
This season, they have conceded only five in 34 games, ranking second for fewest goals conceded from set pieces.
City cannot afford cheap goals in the title race
City had won all eight of their previous clashes against Everton before this clash. However, drawing at this point of the season wasn’t a normal setback.
The Citizens went into the game knowing that a win was necessary following Arsenal’s three consecutive wins in the Premier League.
Regardless, Guardiola’s side handed over control to the Gunners following their unlikely draw at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Nevertheless, City still have a chance, but they can’t drop points anymore. Winning their last four games and continuing to apply pressure on Arsenal will be their best bet at the title.