Desperate Man City host Everton in Boxing Day clash - follow live

Guardiola acknowledges his uncertainties but states that he continues to have the backing of the chairman.

This afternoon, Manchester City will take on Everton in the Premier League, as Pep Guardiola's team aims for their second victory in the last 13 matches.

Last weekend, the Cityzens suffered a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa, causing them to drop to seventh place in the Premier League. However, even with these difficulties, they are just four points behind the fourth spot. A victory today could be a crucial move as they aim to ensure a place in the Champions League.

Everton travels a short distance to the east after playing to goalless draws against two of the league's best teams, Arsenal and Chelsea. Under Sean Dyche's management, the team has moved up to 15th place, now sitting four points clear of the relegation zone.

As City struggles to find the back of the net and Everton appears skilled at stopping them, the match on Boxing Day could turn out to be quite intriguing.

Stay updated with everything happening at the Etihad by checking out our live blog below:

Man City Leads Everton 1-0 After 30 Minutes

Savinho once more displayed his energy and determination as he sprinted down the right side, moved inwards, but his attempt at goal was deflected off a sliding Gueye and gently landed in the waiting hands of Pickford.

Savinho has been a threat on the pitch so far, but he hasn't been able to convert that into anything concrete today.

Luke Baker, December 26, 2024, 1:01 PM

Man City Edges Everton 1-0 In 28 Minutes

Everton, known for their prowess with corners on both offense and defense, manage to score one in this instance. Ndiaye sends in a cross that gets headed out to the perimeter of the box, where Gueye takes a powerful shot at the goal. Unfortunately for him, it goes directly to Ortega, who easily makes the catch.

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Man City Edges Everton 1-0 After 26 Minutes

Foden plays a beautiful pass over the defense to Haaland, but his chest control is just a fraction too strong. As a result, Pickford rushes in and slides to grab the ball before the Norwegian striker has a chance to take another touch.

It was a challenging, unpredictable ball to handle, and Haaland came incredibly close to making something exceptional happen.

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Man City Leads 1-0 Against Everton, 23 Mins In

Haaland makes an impressive sprint as he weaves through the Everton defense. He attempts to chip the ball around Pickford, who comes charging out, but it ends up just missing the target. His sliding attempt to pass it back into the area from the edge is stopped by Branthwaite, resulting in a corner kick.

Ake and Gvardiol leap into the air for the corner kick, but the ball sails high above them.

Luke Baker, December 26, 2024, at 12:55 PM.

Man City Edges Everton 1-0 After 21 Minutes

Everton showed some improvement as they linked a few passes together, but Mangala's shot ended up flying high over the crossbar.

Luke Baker December 26, 2024, at 12:53 PM

"Watch: Man City Scores Early Goal!"

Here's how Manchester City went ahead.

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Man City Leads Everton 1-0 After 17 Minutes

Here are Richard Jolly's comments from the Etihad following that goal.

It was bound to happen that Everton's string of draws would eventually come to an end. Manchester City managed to find the back of the net, and while they might have felt unlucky in recent games, they caught a bit of a break this time. It was unclear whether Bernardo Silva was attempting to shoot or cross the ball, but either way, it took a deflection off Jarrad Branthwaite and ended up in the net, leaving Jordan Pickford with no chance. While Everton's earlier focus had been on how few goals they had allowed, the narrative has now shifted to how few they have managed to score.

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Man City Leads 1-0 Against Everton

Manchester City has taken an important lead! They couldn't have asked for a better beginning. Doku delivers an excellent back pass that links up perfectly with Bernardo Silva, who makes a great run. Silva stretches out on the six-yard line and nudges the ball towards the goal.

The ball goes into the ground, slightly changing direction as it deflects off Branthwaite, who attempts to block it, and then rolls past Pickford into the far corner of the net. Silva made a smart move to reach the ball, even if luck played a part in the way it ended up in the goal. But City won't mind at all.

Luke Baker on December 26, 2024, at 12:47 PM

Man City And Everton End In Scoreless Draw

Savinho sprints down the right side and moves inward, but he should have taken his shot sooner. Instead, he ends up losing possession when Doucoure manages to knock the ball away from him near the edge of the penalty area.

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Man City And Everton Draw 0-0 After 12 Minutes

City controlled the ball for most of the match while Everton chose to play defensively, confident in their ability to withstand the pressure from Guardiola's squad. To be fair, they have been quite effective with this strategy in recent games.

Everton is comfortable with Pickford making long passes and doesn't feel the need to always play short. This match will challenge City’s ability to stay patient and effectively break through a solid defense.

Haaland creates some space for himself to take a shot, but a group of Everton players blocks the attempt.

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