Doku rescues point for Man City against Everton but title hopes severely dented

City held a 1-0 half-time lead but three Everton goals in a 13-minute second half period were a crushing blow to the title hopes of Pep Guardiola's team

The vulnerabilities shown by Manchester City's defence will no doubt give Pep Guardiola sleepless nights as the run-in reaches a crescendo. Pic: Peter Byrne/PA Wire.

Premier League: Everton 3 Manchester City 3

THIRTÉEN minutes of mayhem might just have cost Manchester City the Premier League title after they pressed the self-destruct button to astonishing effect on the banks of the Mersey.

A stoppage-time equaliser by Jeremy Doku as the Belgian midfielder found the far corner from 18 yards to salvage a point from a rollercoaster contest might yet prove pivotal in the title race but the vulnerabilities shown by City's defence will no doubt give Pep Guardiola sleepless nights as the run-in reaches a crescendo.

A routine victory over an Everton side they normally always beat and who had struggled to lay a glove on them all evening looked little short of a formality as Guardiola's men led by Doku's first-half goal with the final 20 minutes approaching.

But an aberration of epic proportions by England defender Marc Guehi gifted Thierno Barry the first of the substitute's two goals with Jake O'Brien's near post header from a corner sandwiched in between in a stunning turnaround.

Straight from the restart after Barry put Everton two goals clear, the hosts unforgivably switched off to allow Erling Haaland the freedom of the penalty area to reduce the arrears with a calm chip over Jordan Pickford before Doku's second of the evening with virtually the final kick reduced the deficit to leaders Arsenal to five points.

For all their early dominance on their return from a 12-day break from league action, City fashioned precious little in the way of clear-cut openings until Doku's deadlock-breaking goal two minutes before the interval.

Antoine Semenyo wasted two presentable opportunities, pouncing on the loose ball to drift past two challenges after Jordan Pickford beat-out a Rayan Cherki shot to send a low shot across the face of goal.

When Semenyo volleyed an inviting Doku centre to the far post soon after, City's finishing looked about as sure as their footing, with several players slipping on the Hill Dickinson Stadium playing surface during the course of play.

When the hosts briefly broke the shackles of City's 90 per cent possession, Abdukodir Khusanov produced a fine block to divert a Kiernan Dewsbury Hall shot from the edge of the area when a rare lapse in the visitors' defence provided Everton with a rare sight of Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal.

City's Italian keeper was finally called into action when getting a vital touch to divert a low Merlin Rohl centre across the six-yard area which had looked destined to leave Beto with a tap-in to an empty net at the culmination of a purposeful break down the hosts' right.

It proved only a brief interruption to the one-way traffic as the visitors' dominance was rewarded on the stroke of half-time soon after Doku picked himself up from a crude Michael Keane challenge for which the defender was rather fortunate to escape with a yellow rather than red card as VAR saw no reason to escalate the punishment meted out by referee Michael Oliver.

Following a sustained bout of pressure in enemy territory, Cherki's square ball across the face of the Everton area found Doku, who was given far too much time by James Garner to curl his sixth domestic goal of the campaign left-footed into the top corner past a stranded Pickford.

The second-half followed a similar pattern, City dominating but keeping Everton in the hunt due to the lack of a second goal and it took a fine Donnarumma save as the big keeper spread himself well to prevent Iliman Ndiaye from equalising just after the hour mark.

City failed to heed the warning and from an appalling Guehi backpass with 20 minutes left, Barry pounced to slide home a close-range equaliser which was initially flagged offside, but awarded on review as the offside against the Everton substitute was cancelled out by the final pass coming from an opposition player.

Guehi's goal-saving challenge denied Ndiaye after Khusanov was caught in possession on the edge of his own box but from Garner's resulting corner Donnarumma went AWOL as O'Brien's unchallenged header found the net at the near post.

With nine minutes left Rohl ran onto a quick throw from halfway to brush off substitute Mateo Kovacic with far too much ease before the German ran into the area and saw his deflected shot fall perfectly for Barry to roll home his side's third from close range.

Haaland's collected finish gave City hope before Doku's late, late leveller. You could almost hear the groans from North London but this was a night when Arsenal arguably put one hand on the Premier League trophy.

Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford 7; O'Brien 8, Tarkowski 7, Keane 7, Mykolenko 7; Iroegbunam 6 (Armstrong 90, 5), Garner 6; Rohl 7 (Patterson 90, 6), Dewsbury-Hall 7 (Alcaraz 90, 6), Ndiaye 7; Beto 4 (Barry 64, 8). Booked: Keane, Beto, Tarkowski, O'Brien.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma 6; Matheus Nunes 6, Khusanov 5, Guehi 4, O'Reilly 5; Bernardo Silva 6 (Marmoush 87, 6), Gonzalez 5 (Kovacic 75, 4); Semenyo 5 (Foden 75, 6), Cherki 7, Doku 8; Haaland 7. Booked: Donnarumma.

Referee: Michael Oliver