Manchester City slipped from momentum in their bid to catch up with Premier League leaders Arsenal as they were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Everton in their final match of the year on Saturday.
Erling Haaland made a positive start for Pep Guardiola’s men when he latched on to Riyad Mahrez’s pass to tap in his 21st league goal of the season.
After several interruptions at the start of the second half, which took over six minutes as the assistant referee’s communications headset was repaired, Demrai Gray leveled for the visitors.
The Everton winger raced up the left-hand flank in a rare counter-attack before cutting inside and curling a curling effort from the edge of the box, beating City goalkeeper Ederson.
The result left second-placed City four points behind Arsenal, while Everton are 16th on 15 points. They are two points above the relegation zone.
Guadiola’s side came into the match as the league’s highest-scoring side, but they were often left frustrated by their opponents on Saturday.
Haaland came close to scoring when he latched onto Kevin De Bruyne’s ball well inside the Everton box to guide his effort into the side netting.
