Manchester City took a massive step on its journey to a third straight Premier League title by beating relegation-threatened Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.
City midfielder İlkay Gündoğan was man of the match after scoring a stunning opener in the 37th-minute before setting up Erling Haaland for a header just two minutes later. Then, six minutes into the second half, Gündoğan curled home a right-footed free kick beyond the despairing dive of Jordan Pickford to secure all three points for City.
On paper, this looked like one of the more difficult contests of City's run-in. Everton have shown improvement since Sean Dyche's appointment, climbing from 19th to 17th in the table, and Goodison was at fever pitch for this one with the Toffees only one point above 18th-place Leeds and the relegation zone.
The opening half-hour was exactly what Dyche's side wanted with Everton drilled into position, Haaland hardly getting a sniff and zero chances for either side. But while all signs pointed to a battle of attrition, Gündoğan shattered the status quo with a moment of genius.
⚽️ ¿¡CÓMO LE HICISTE, GÜNDOGAN?!
Controló con el muslo y definió de espalda a la portería para adelantar a los 'Cityzens'. ¡GOLAZO de @IlkayGuendogan!@Everton 0-1 @ManCityEN VIVO por @Telemundo Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/LF9176DHH1#LigaPremierTD pic.twitter.com/24VSzCJwYK
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 14, 2023
ILKAY GUNDOGAN HOW ON EARTH?!?!
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 14, 2023
The German then quickly found Haaland for his 36th goal of the campaign.
¡36 GOLES DE HAALAND! ⚽️
✅ @ErlingHaaland convierte de cabeza al recibir un enorme pase de @IlkayGuendogan para el segundo de la visita.@Everton 0-2 @ManCityEN VIVO por @Telemundo Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/LF9176DHH1#LigaPremierTD pic.twitter.com/dvKYOhpRwg
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 14, 2023
Gündoğan was picking his spots and hitting them with frightening accuracy, so it wasn't surprising to see him paint the corner with a free kick in the 51st-minute.
¡QUÉ PRECISO ES GÜNDOGAN!
@IlkayGuendogan marcó de tiro libre para conseguir su doblete y confirmarse como la figura.@Everton 0-3 @ManCityEN VIVO por @Telemundo Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/LF9176DHH1#LigaPremierTD pic.twitter.com/MExQSodmrV
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 14, 2023
Gundogan is UNREAL
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 14, 2023
The victory put City four points ahead of Arsenal before the Gunners host Brighton later Sunday.
City plays their Champions League semifinal second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday (1-1 on aggregate) before hosting 11th-place Chelsea next Sunday. They finish the season with trips to Brighton (May 24) and Brentford (May 28). As things stand, City only needs to win two of those three fixtures to secure the title.
