MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 2-0 EVERTON

Image courtesy of 90min.com

A brace from Erling Haaland late on was enough for Manchester City to overcome Everton and clinch their tenth victory on the bounce.

A somewhat rotated City side struggled to muster much of a rhythm in the first half, with their build up play feeling slow and lethargic. Their passing was less crisp than usual, with the Blues turning the ball over more often in positions where you wouldn't usually expect them to give it away.

Without the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Josko Gvardiol, Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish, City were lacking a few key players in their ball retention game, and it showed on the pitch.

There was very little to note in the first half for either side. Haaland missed a half chance as his header at the backpost ballooned over the bar, whilst Julian Alvarez, Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden all had shots blocked by bold Everton defenders.

Meanwhile for Everton, they offered very little going forward, but were resolute defensively. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was making himself a nuisance up front, but he was lacking support from those around him.

There was little improvement from either side in the second period, meaning Pep Guardiola looked to his impressive looking bench. On came Walker and De Bruyne - later followed by Bernardo - and City's improvement was imminent.

They began to function more like a team, and the pressure on Everton's goal mounted. De Bruyne in particular looked sharp, as he came deep to pick up the ball and link up with City's forward players including Foden, who drifted more centrally after Walker came on.

The deadlock was finally broken with a set piece. Following a goalmouth scramble, the ball dropped to Haaland, who lashed the ball past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with his right foot to score his first goal since November.

Just over ten minutes later, the Norwegian scored again, this time in fantastic circumstances. He collected a through ball from De Bruyne before carrying it forward, shrugging off Jarrad Branthwaite and slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

By this point, Everton had run out of legs and were no longer busting a gut to get back in the game. City knocked the ball around and closed the game out, whilst thankfully being able to avoid any injuries and maintain the full fitness of their squad.

City could've added a third with a quick counter attack leading to Pickford being caught off his line, but De Bruyne's speculative effort from wide on the right hand side landed on top of the roof of the net, with Haaland arguably in a better position to complete his hattrick.

Matches against a team managed by Sean Dyche are often tough for City, with his preferred style of route one football set up to prevent City from playing their natural game.

But they navigated the task and grew into the game as those that have been with the team longer came onto the pitch and showed their experience playing in City's system.

The new signings will get there eventually, but right now, there are better options in the squad for the very biggest games than the likes of Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku, who still have work to do to fine tune their game.

In their next match, City continue their defence of the UEFA Champions League with their first European knockout game of the season, travelling to Denmark to face FC Copenhagen in their Round of 16 first leg tie.

City will be confident of claiming a positive result, whether that be a win or a draw, to bring back to the Etihad at the start of March and put themselves in the best possible position of retaining their European title.

Here are the player ratings for City's victory over Everton at the Etihad Stadium:

Ederson - 6.5/10 - Came off his line a few times to sweep up long balls over the top towards Calvert-Lewin and later Beto. Distributed well from the back and did his minimal goalkeeping duties with little fuss.

Stones - 7.5/10 - Very solid game for the returning Englishman. Whilst Guardiola will have had a reason for this, it was frustrating to see Akanji and Stones operate in each others' best positions, and not surprisingly, the team improved when Walker came on and Stones moved into midfield from centre back.

Dias - 7/10 - Appeared to struggle at times when the ball was punted long to Calvert-Lewin, with the England forward looking the stronger and faster player. However, he was superior in ground duels, as he nipped in more than a few times to intercept and win the ball aggressively.

Akanji - 6.5/10 - Top notch defensively, but looked slightly more wayward with his passing than usual (which is understandable considering he has been injured for the last month.) City did improve when he went off the pitch, but that was largely due to a stylistic change with Foden and Stones granted more freedom.

Ake - 7/10 - Solid as always at centre back and later left back. The Dutchman was involved in both goals, having seen the ball deflect off him to Haaland for the first and with the way he won the ball back and carried it forward in the build up for the second.

Rodri - 7/10 - A bit quieter than usual, with Everton's aggressive midfield limiting his impact on the game. Playing with Nunes and Alvarez in midfield, he had less attacking freedom than usual, although he was still able to influence the game further up the pitch on occasion.

Nunes - 6/10 - Quite sloppy in the middle of the park, conceding the ball very cheaply on more than one occasion. It is unfair to compare anyone to De Bruyne, but City improved notably when Nunes was replaced by the Belgian.

Foden - 8/10 - Looked sharp but quiet in the first half out on the right wing. In the second period, however, City worked the ball out to his flank more and the team subsequently looked more dangerous. When him, De Bruyne and Haaland are all on the pitch, City will always have a chance of creating something out of nothing.

Alvarez - 6/10 - Quite wasteful with the ball in key areas, which meant City struggled to create with him as the chief central playmaker. Whilst City did take the lead with him on the pitch (and it was his corner that led to the goal) they looked slicker as a team with him off the pitch.

Doku - 6.5/10 - Doku's performance was reminiscent to his performance against Burnley. He was exceptional up to a point, but his end product was largely poor. With Jack Grealish having waited patiently on the bench for his chance in recent matches and Oscar Bobb impressing in all of the opportunities he's been given, Doku has tough competition for his place and may find his game time limited in the coming week if Bobb and Grealish impress.

Haaland - 8.5/10 - Branthwaite and James Tarkowski had an excellent first half keeping Haaland quiet, which was largely a reason for City's lack of chances created. But after City brought the cavalry off the bench, Haaland's influence on the game increased, and his lethal self in front of goal returned as he took both of his goals superbly.

Substitutes:

Walker - 7/10 - Looked an attacking threat down the right hand side, and didn't give Dwight McNeil a sniff. Showed those City supporters who have unfairly criticised him all season just how important he is to the team.

De Bruyne - 7.5/10 - A threat from the bench. De Bruyne was given license to roam and along with Haaland took the game by the scruff of the neck to drag the result over the line for City. The only real blot came in the final few moments, as he should've squared it Haaland instead of going for the spectacular finish, but the rest of his performance means that moment can be overlooked.

Bernardo - 7/10 - A neat and tidy performance off the bench from the Portuguese midfielder. Came off the bench to help control the game with his mazy dribbling and accurate short passing.

Grealish - 6.5/10 - Slightly rusty for the first few minutes, but grew into the game doing the things that have made him so valuable to Guardiola's side in the past - making safe passes, taking on players and drawing fouls from the opposition.