BREAKING NEWS: Forgive me please it was because of what Donnaruma told me that made me allow them to equalize”, Michael Oliver finally confessed to why He allowed Man city get the equalizer against Everton last night as FA pushes to ban him for the rest of the season
Pep Guardiola watched his Man City side surrender control of the title race
When Thierno Barry sidefooted home his second goal of an astonishing night, Pep Guardiola simply walked to his seat, sat down, took on some water and stared into the night.
The Manchester City manager thought the game was up. And he thought the Premier League title game was almost certainly up. His side had been in complete control but, for some reason, lost the plot.
And never mind the dramatic comeback that saw Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku somehow salvage a point from a truly bizarre contest. Those 15, or so, mad minutes when City forgot how to defend have still given Arsenal a huge boost in the title race.
It really is theirs to lose now. And looking at the fixtures, it is hard to see them losing it.
But while City’s implosion in that calamitous period was inexplicable, at least they showed a resilience that will serve them well in what is left of the run-in.
And when they reflect on this draw – and on Everton’s three-goal surge – they will probably think they were too comfortable in this game.
For half an hour or so, they were undone by their own complacency.
That complacency probably came from knowing they were comfortably the better side, even though they only had Doku’s strike to show for their first-half dominance.
The breakthrough owed everything to individual brilliance. Doku had been the most creative player on the pitch by some distance, a status he confirmed with a peach of a left-footed finish from just inside the penalty area.
Soon after, Doku was at the centre of an incident that should have given City a personnel advantage.
Michael Keane wiped out the Belgian when he threatened to dart clear but Michael Oliver produced only a yellow card.
Thierno Barry scored two goals after coming off the bench for Everton
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Thierno Barry scored two goals after coming off the bench for Everton
The VAR, Paul Howard, had a look but there seems to be a high threshold for intervening when Oliver is in charge. Keane was very lucky to stay on the field.
It is fair to say Oliver won few plaudits from either set of fans but the home support’s sense of injustice seems to give Everton a greater sense of urgency in the second half.
And that greater sense of urgency contrasted with a City approach that became just a little bit casual, one loose pass from Marc Guehil allowing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall a sight of goal but his effort was watched over the bar by Donnarumma.
Guardiola, though, was getting increasingly agitated. With justification.
City had lost all momentum and only a strong hand from Donnarumma denied Iliman Ndiaye but Everton’s leveller was inevitable, if a touch bizarre.
The assistant referee had flagged for offside against Thierno Barry but Marc Guehi carried on playing and rolled the ball to the Everton striker who side footed home.
Jeremy Doku scored a stunning, last-gasp equaliser to earn Man City a point
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Jeremy Doku scored a stunning, last-gasp equaliser to earn Man City a point
After Oliver consulted his assistant, he gave the goal, sending the home support – and Arsenal fans – into raptures.
Those raptures doubled when Jake O’Brien rose above a shell-shocked City defence to head Everton into the lead with barely a quarter of an hour to go.
And it looked done and dusted when Barry knocked in Everton’s third but Haaland produced an immediate response before Doku curled in the last-gasp equaliser with a right-footed strike that was every bit as sweeet as his left-footed hit.
It was a remarkable end to a remarkable night. But it is advantage Arsenal.
