Champions Manchester City went top of the Premier League with a disciplined 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday that saw them leapfrog Liverpool on goal difference.
Aymeric Laporte headed the opener just before the interval and substitute Gabriel Jesus sealed the victory deep in stoppage time for City, who returned to the league’s summit for the first time since Dec. 8.
Both City and Liverpool have 62 points, but Pep Guardiola’s side have played one game more than the Merseysiders, who have drawn their last two encounters and host Bournemouth on Saturday.
We have played one more game than Liverpool, it’s good to be top but Liverpool has a game at Old Trafford, he added, referring to Liverpool’s match at Manchester United on Feb. 24.
The game against Everton was a re-arranged fixture caused by City’s advance to the League Cup final and highlighted the difficulties to come for a side still involved in four competitions as there were some signs of weariness in their display.
Everton manager Marco Silva left two of his main creative players, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison, on the bench and opted for three central midfielders a tactic that worked well as his side closed down City and limited their control of possession.
Yet after all that good work, it was Everton’s sloppiness at set-pieces which cost them yet again.
David Silva curled in a free kick from the left and Laporte was somehow left unattended to head home from close-range.
The goal was the 17th conceded by Everton from a set-piece in all competitions this season — prompting further questions about Silva’s insistence on zonal marking.
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