Manchester City ran out 3-1 winners over Everton at Goodison Park this evening to set up a potential championship coronation against Manchester United next weekend.
Leroy Sane took only four minutes to open the scoring with a sweet volley from David Silva's cross, and combined elegantly with Kevin De Bruyne to set up Gabriel Jesus for City's second eight minutes later.
The Citizens further asserted their dominance prior to the break when Raheem Sterling converted his 21st goal of the season from an inch-perfect delivery from Silva.
Everton pulled one back just after the hour mark when Yannick Bolasie fired home via the post for his first goal since October 2016, but City comfortably closed out victory to move to within one with of the title.
Relive how the action unfolded with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
Good evening! Manchester City can lift the Premier League title in dreamy circumstances by beating rivals United at the Etihad Stadium next weekend, but only if they beat Everton first, and the Toffees are one of only four teams to have taken points off Pep Guardiola's side this season.
EVERTON: Pickford; Coleman, Jagielka, Keane, Baines; Rooney, Schneiderlin; Walcott, Calvert-Lewin, Bolasie; Tosun
Subs: Joel, Martina, Funes-Mori, Davies, Baningime, Vlasic, Niasse
Subs: Joel, Martina, Funes-Mori, Davies, Baningime, Vlasic, Niasse
MAN CITY: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Laporte; Fernandinho, Silva, De Bruyne; Sane, Sterling, Jesus
Subs: Bravo, Danilo, Gundogan, Bernardo. Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, Nmecha
Subs: Bravo, Danilo, Gundogan, Bernardo. Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, Nmecha
Guardiola makes one change from the team which beat Stoke City 2-0 prior to the international break. Left-back has been City's one problem position because of the injury to Benjamin Mendy, and today the solution is Aymeric Laporte who is preferred to Danilo and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Sergio Aguero had been hoping to feature on Merseyside after missing two matches with a knee injury, but the Argentine is held back for Wednesday's Champions League showdown with Liverpool so Gabriel Jesus starts up front. Defender John Stones is also absent, with the concussion that he suffered with England last week denying him a return to Goodison Park.
Sam Allardyce has a reputation for being a conservative manager but there is nothing cautious about his team selection. Wayne Rooney starts in a two-man midfield and Theo Walcott, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun all start in attack to provide the Toffees with a genuine goal threat.
The injured Idrissa Gueye and Tom Davies drop out for Schneiderlin and Calvert-Lewin, while Ashley Williams serves the final game of his suspension and Gylfi Sigurdsson is still unavailable.
January signing Tosun is starting to find his feet in England with four goals in his last three matches. Another today and he would become the first Turk to score in four straight Premier League games.
While Tosun's Premier League career is just getting started, Leighton Baines today clocks up his 400th appearance. Seamus Coleman also starts, and a couple of years ago these two were considered the best full-back pairing in the league. Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling will put that to the test today.
4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ | Another @premierleague milestone for Bainsey! #EFCmatchday pic.twitter.com/PEsGjHmF4V — Everton (@Everton) March 31, 2018
Everton inflicted the heaviest defeat of Pep Guardiola's managerial career last season when they thumped City 4-0 at Goodison, and the Toffees are in fact the only Premier League team that the Spaniard is yet to beat after the 1-1 draw between the two sides way back in August.
PREDICTION: The international break does have the potential to unsettle a star-studded team such as Man City, but Everton do not have much to play for and their attacking lineup could play into the hands of the visitors who I expect to run out 3-1 winners.
KICKOFF: The action is underway at Goodison, where Everton have only suffered one defeat in 10 league matches...
Sane has been in sparkling form and is immediately into the action down the left, whipping in a ferocious low cross which a nervy Keane clears behind for a corner at his near post.
GOAL! EVERTON 0-1 MAN CITY (LEROY SANE)
City are off to the perfect start as Sane thumps home a left-footed volley from 12 yards out after lovely play from David Silva in the build-up. The German could not have hit it any sweeter, curling it away from Jordan Pickford at the back post for his 13th goal of the season.
Everton cannot get out of their own half at the moment. They do have the pace to hit City on the break but the way that the visitors have started it is far more likely that they are next to score.
A win in this game would mean City become only the third club to beat all other teams in a single Premier League season, after Chelsea in 2005-06 and Manchester United in 2010-11.
City have a chance to spring on Everton after Rooney is pickpocketed in midfield, but a heavy touch from Walker allows Baines to intercept, and the City man fouls his opposite number on the follow through.
GOAL! EVERTON 0-2 MAN CITY (GABRIEL JESUS)
What a wonderful second from City as Sane juggles the ball in the middle of the park before releasing De Bruyne, who serves his cross up on a plate for Jesus to head home from six yards. Everton were left short at the back after Bolasie just missed a sitter at the other end and were completely cut apart.
That counter-attacking goal was a joy to watch but Everton should really have been level at 1-1 prior to that, with Bolasie heading over from close range after Calvert-Lewin got a good cross in.
SHOT! Silva weaves his way through a couple of challenges inside the left edge of the area and thumps a shot into the side-netting. The angle was always against the Spaniard and I'm not sure he really expected to beat Pickford from there.
SHOT! Sterling has bags of time to try to pick out the bottom corner from 25 yards out, but his effort did not have enough bend on it to trouble Pickford who was furious that his new England teammate was not closed down.
CLOSE! Laporte's poorly-timed tackle on Walcott gives Everton a free kick in Baines territory, and the set-piece expert leaves Ederson helpless with a curling effort which drifts just a couple of yards wide of the crossbar.
CHANCES! Pep's boys are in full flow here and this could get very messy for Everton. A superb combination from Silva and Sane tees up Walker for a shot which he scuffs on his left foot at the back post, and De Bruyne then fails to pick out one of three teammates in the box.
De Bruyne has just shanked a pass straight out of play to mild gasps of shock from the crowd, who have barely seen him put a foot wrong all season. He has not been quite so flawless in recent weeks, and the timing of this minute dip in form could cost him Player of the Year to Mohamed Salah.
One of the biggest improvements that City have made this season is in goal where Ederson has showed that he is good enough with his feet to play in most midfields. Here though the Brazilian loses control over the ball and has to be bailed out by Laporte before Tosun can potentially pounce.
There is incessant pressure on the Everton goal and City players are taking turns to have a shy. Laporte's volley is blocked to the feet of Fernandinho, who blazes his effort over the bar.
Tosun may have been starting to feel that he was acclimatising to English football but this sort of experience has the potential to knock him back a step or two! The Turk has spent the opening half an hour hopelessly chasing the ball around the City defence and has not had even a sniff of goal.
Jesus comes deeps and flicks the ball delightfully into the path of Sterling. The Brazilian spins away for the return pass but Sterling dribbles and takes on a shot which is deflected for a corner.
SHOT! Sterling travels with the ball again and this time tees up Silva for a left-footed shot which goes across Pickford but wide. The Everton keeper probably had that one covered.
Everton have made a greater effort to press as a team in recent minutes and it is working to an extent, although it is equally dangerous as one good pass between the lines could release De Bruyne or Silva into acres of space.
GOAL! EVERTON 0-3 MAN CITY (RAHEEM STERLING)
A third City goal arrives before half time, and it comes through a third different goalscorer as Sterling buries his 21st of the season with a tidy finish under pressure from Baines in the box. Silva's cross was perfect for the England international, although the Spaniard may have been offside in the build-up.
De Bruyne and Sane exchange a silky one-two on the left edge of the box and a shot from the former is deflected behind for a seventh City corner - Everton are yet to have a single one.
Liverpool fans may be enjoying seeing their Merseyside rivals take a hammering this evening, but their team will have to deal with City at Anfield on Wednesday. Guardiola's side will be out for revenge too after losing their unbeaten start to the season at the hands of Liverpool in January.
There is not much that Pickford could have done to stem the City tide this half, and his frustration shows as he gives Laporte a moutful after coming out the wrong side of a shoulder-to-shoulder.
Otamendi has taken a blow to the head but appears as though he will be okay to continue. The Argentine was on the end of a 6-1 hammering by Spain on international duty so will be glad to be on the other side of what promises to be another heavy scoreline today.
HALF TIME: EVERTON 0-3 MAN CITY
Boos ring around Goodison Park as referee Paul Tierney blows the half-time whistle, but really it should be applause all-round for the champions elect who have been absolutely untouchable. Everton were a bit passive in the opening 20 minutes but this has been more about City's excellence.
This City side continue to make a mockery of some of the Premier League's most difficult away trips. This is not a visit to one of the bottom three; Everton is a recognised as a bona-fide fortress of English football and although they have not been at their best this season, City are making this look easy.
There was talk that City's first-half trio against Arsenal back on March 1 was as spectacular a collection of goals as we might have ever seen in the Premier League, and these three today have been just as good. Sane's finish for the first and skill to help supply the second were absolutely world class.
City have had 82% possession, 13 shots to Everton's three and seven corners to Everton's none.
First half highlights from Goodison... #EVEMCI #EVE pic.twitter.com/XMUWflmXYy — Football Whispers (@FB_WHISPERS) March 31, 2018
I think Sam Allardyce has to accept some of the blame for just how outclassed Everton have been. The set up, with effectively two strikers and two wingers, was far too attacking against this City side and Guardiola's men have been able to spring on Everton's defence with incredible ease.
With huge games against Liverpool and United coming up, Guardiola may take the opportunity to rest a couple of players in the second half. Sane and Silva would be the two leading contenders to keep fresh for that double bill as they might be the two in-form midfielders in Europe right now.
KICKOFF: The action is underway with both sides unchanged from the first period. Will this continue to be the Man City show or can Everton give a better account of themselves this half?
Sane starts another flowing move in City's defensive third and seconds later is nearly released into the Everton third by Silva, only for Jagielka to step in and make a crucial interception.
Baines it is this time who is the last line of defence to prevent Jesus from running clear after City broke rapidly from an Everton corner.
Silva picks out the out-to-in run of Sane, who tries to lay the ball back for Jesus first time but sees his pass intercepted by Coleman.
Only fine margins have prevented City from getting a fourth. Walker's cross nearly reaches Sterling but Jagielka gets a block in, and Silva's pass around the corner is just ahead of Fernandinho who cannot get on the end of it.
SAVE! Fernandinho's 25-yard drive takes a big deflection off Calvert-Lewin and Pickford does really well to get enough power on his save to push it high and wide, away from danger.
SUBSTITUTION: Wayne Rooney has enjoyed better days against Man City, and is now hooked early for Tom Davies - a more traditional midfielder to try to get around Silva and De Bruyne.
A long ball up to Tosun comes straight back at Everton as Kompany wins a towering header. It was difficult to see how this City side could improve but the return of their captain to consistent fitness has taken them to a different level.
Tom Davies has been bright in his few minutes since coming on. The midfielder has the courage to carry the ball which is important as it stops City from getting it back straight away.
GOAL! EVERTON 1-3 MAN CITY (YANNICK BOLASIE)
Everton have one back through Yannick Bolasie, who fires his first goal since October 2016 past Ederson to give the hosts a lifeline in this match. Bolasie's shot went through the legs of Walker, which might explain Ederson's slow reactions, and the ball rolled across the line off the inside of the post.
SUBSTITUTION: Guardiola makes his first change by swapping Sterling for Bernardo Silva, who has actually made more appearances this season than any other City player, mostly off the bench though.
CLOSE! Tosun gets above Walker from a corner and is not far from steering his header inside the post. Suddenly Goodison Park is on its feet, dreaming of the most amazing comeback.
Fernandinho passes up a shooting opportunity from 20 yards out to try to find Sane, but his pass is overhit and the German cannot keep it from going behind for a goal kick to Everton.
The Everton goal and the improvement that has followed has forced City to hold back slightly and just play keep ball in midfield to try to quieten this home crowd - and it is working.
CLOSE! Fernandinho skims the roof of the net with a 25-yard rocket which had Pickford worried.
SUBSTITUTION: Youngster Beni Baningime is going to get the opportunity to test himself against the best midfielders in the world as he replaces Calvert-Lewin for the final 15 minutes.
SUBSTITUTION: De Bruyne is the second City player to be preserved somewhat for the big Champions League showdown at Anfield as Ilkay Gundogan replaces him in midfield.
SUBSTITUTION: It has been a tricky day for Tosun and Allardyce uses his final substitution to spare the Turkish striker the final 10 minutes or so, bringing on Oumar Niasse.
City nipped that Everton comeback in the bud before it could even get started really, which shows that this side has another string to its bow - they have managed this last 20 minutes very sensibly.
Schneiderlin knocks a decent ball into the box which Niasse stoops to head at Ederson, who holds at the second attempt. The Senegalese had strayed just offside so it wouldn't have counted.
SUBSTITUTION: Laporte appears to be wincing somewhat as he makes his way off to be replaced by Danilo late on. That would dampen this City victory just a little.
This victory will see City set a new club record of 13th away league wins in a season. I imagine there will be a few more records smashed by this team before the end of the campaign.
Sane gives the ball away to Niasse in his own box but Fernandinho reacts quickly to snuff out the danger. He has been as good as anybody for City today, the unheralded Brazilain.
Only three minutes of stoppage time separates me from a perfect score prediction!...
FULL TIME: EVERTON 1-3 MAN CITY
Another game, another win for Man City and that is 27 out of 31 in the league this season for Pep Guardiola's side. Just one more will clinch them a thoroughly deserved Premier League title, and next up is rivals Man United at the Etihad Stadium. What a way to do it that would be...
You can read our match report from Goodison Park here, and catch up with all of today's Premier League scores here. That is it from me for today, but be sure to rejoin Sports Mole tomorrow for a big double header from London, including Chelsea vs. Spurs. Until then, goodbye!
Written by
Joe Fish
Joe Fish
