These are early days, but there is something ominous about the style in which Manchester City have swept to victory in their first three matches. They were made to work hard for their three points at Goodison Park, but their superior quality shone through in the second half as they surged to the top of the Barclays Premier League.
On this evidence, they will take some stopping over the nine months ahead. They have scored eight goals without reply, and Aleksandar Kolarov and Samir Nasri became their sixth and seventh different goalscorers since the campaign began. From back to front, they look a far more balanced, aggressive, determined team than at any stage last season.
This was their ninth consecutive league win, dating back to April and equalling a club record that has stood since 1912, but in many ways this season has felt like a new start for Manuel Pellegrini and his players, desperate to atone for last term’s disappointment. With Raheem Sterling slotting in well, Nicolás Otamendi arriving and Kevin de Bruyne likely to follow, a formidable-looking squad has the capacity to improve.
Everton competed well and certainly gave City a tougher game than either West Bromwich Albion or Chelsea managed, but ultimately they found themselves outmanoeuvred. Kolarov opened the scoring on the hour, charging forward from left back to catch Tim Howard by surprise from Sterling’s pass, before Nasri came off the bench to settle the issue after a wonderful exchange of passes with Yaya Touré in the final minutes.
It seemed like another powerful statement from City, but Pellegrini preferred not to see it in those terms. “Really we are not caring about that,” the manager said. “We are just thinking about winning the next game. Before, the next game was Everton. Now the next game is Watford and we must think about that. What other teams think about our team is not a problem.”
Advertisement
Pellegrini suggested that, in the past three seasons, City were “always the team that played the best football”. They certainly have a creative dimension that Chelsea, last season’s champions, rarely match, but too often with City — even in their two title-winning campaigns — there has been a loss of individual and collective focus.
Encouragingly for Pellegrini, that focus appears to have been renewed and reinforced, as illustrated yesterday by another strong display from Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala in central defence. As in their previous two matches, City set out in menacing fashion, full of purpose and creative intent. Inside the first minute, Silva set up Sergio Agüero, whose shot was saved by Howard. The same two players tested Howard again in the early stages before a mistake by Arouna Koné enabled Silva to try another of those eye-of-the-needle passes, which just eluded Agüero, sliding into the six-yard box.
At that stage, it looked like being an arduous afternoon for Everton, whose young left back, Brendan Galloway, was being isolated too often against Bacary Sagna, Jesús Navas and, frequently, Silva, who had been quick to work out that there was joy to be had on that side of the pitch.
Gradually, though, Everton settled into the game, with James McCarthy and Gareth Barry beginning to assert themselves against Fernandinho and Touré in central midfield.
It was striking that Everton’s best moments tended to come when players ran at the City defence. Séamus Coleman shot wide of the near post after dribbling infield, while Tom Cleverley and Ross Barkley were fouled in desperation after carrying the ball to the edge of the penalty area.
Advertisement
From one of those free kicks, just before half-time, Romelu Lukaku grazed the top of the crossbar.
Everton had the ball in the City net midway through the first half, but Lukaku was correctly flagged offside when he beat Joe Hart after Ross Barkley’s shot was deflected into his path.
Despite losing Galloway to injury just before the interval, forcing another youngster, Tyias Browning, to deputise in an unfamiliar role at left back, Everton seemed to have recovered from that uncomfortable start.
City, though, started the second half as impressively as they had the first. Within two minutes of the restart, Sterling set up Silva, whose left-foot shot hit an upright. It was when those two combined, both of them intelligent in their use of space as well as their use of the ball, that City looked most dangerous.
Roberto Martínez accused his Everton team of sloppiness in the build-up to the opening goal, feeling that they gave the ball away carelessly and were slow to respond to the counterattack as Silva found space to release Sterling down the left-hand side. Faced with John Stones, Sterling bided his time before finding the overlapping Kolarov, who deceived and beat Howard with a low shot inside the near post.
Advertisement
The other criticism from Martínez was that Everton struggled to respond to falling behind. It was not easy, though, to see where an Everton breakthrough was going to come from. For all the willingness of Stones and Barkley to be brave in possession, there was a lack of cutting edge and, with Kompany and Mangala defending so well, incisiveness was needed.
Gareth Barry had a header cleared off the line by Kompany in the closing stages, from McCarthy’s cross, and that was as close as Everton went to forcing an equaliser. “The goal gave City a real sense of control,” Martínez said.
City should have doubled their lead in the 63rd minute, when overeagerness led to a mix-up between Stones and Browning, allowing Navas a clear run on goal. Navas looked certain to score but hesitated and shot straight at Howard, who stood up well this time.
Howard denied Navas again in the final minutes before Nasri put the result beyond doubt, lobbing the ball over Howard after a lovely one-two with Touré.
That was a reminder of the quality that lurks beyond Pellegrini’s starting XI and, with Otamendi and perhaps De Bruyne to come, the worry for their rivals is that City really do mean business.
Advertisement
Ratings
Everton (4-2-3-1): T Howard 6 — S Coleman 7, J Stones 7, P Jagielka 7, B Galloway 5 (sub: T Browning, 45min 5) — J McCarthy 6, G Barry 6 — T Cleverley 6 (sub: G Deulofeu, 86), R Barkley 6, A Koné 5 (sub: S Naismith, 63 6) — R Lukaku 6. Substitutes not used: J Robles, M Besic, L Osman, K Mirallas.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): J Hart 6 — B Sagna 7, V Kompany 8, E Mangala 8, A Kolarov 7 — Fernandinho 7, Y Touré 7 — J Navas 6, D Silva 8 (sub: F Delph, 89), R Sterling 7 (sub: S Nasri, 76) — S Agüero 7 (sub: W Bony, 81). Substitutes not used: W Caballero, M Demichelis, J Denayer, K Iheanacho. Booked: Mangala, Fernandinho, Nasri.