Omar Marmoush invisible, Nico O’Reilly sensational – Man City ratings v Everton
Pep Guardiola’s side took an important step towards Champions League qualification as Man City beat Everton by two goals.
David Moyes looked set to complete another Everton masterclass at Goodison Park, with the two sides deadlocked right until the final few minutes of the clash on Saturday, 19 April.
That was until Nico O’Reilly scored his fifth goal of the campaign across all competitions, latching onto Matheus Nunes’ brilliant cross, and allowing the travelling fans to let out a sigh of relief.
Relief quickly turned to joyous celebrations as Ilkay Gundogan teed Mateo Kovacic up on the edge of the box, who fired past a helpless Jordan Pickford to seal all three points and move up to fourth in the Premier League table.
Man City secure important three points against Everton
Stefan Ortega – 7
Kept his side in the game with a couple of decent saves, though he was watching for much of the game.
Matheus Nunes – 8
Full-back is certainly not Nunes’ forte, and neither is midfield if you ask Guardiola, but he was vital as the Citizens secured all three points on Merseyside, firing across the ball for the eventual winner.
Ruben Dias – 6
Tough to downgrade the centre-half, but after losing far too many aerial duels against Armando Broja and Beto, it was difficult to give him any higher than 6.
Josko Gvardiol – 7
Remained strong in the centre of defence, a position which he has not usually played this season. Clearly wanted to make an impact further forward, but it was his defensive duties that were needed.
Nico O’Reilly – 9 – Man of the Match
Simply sensational. It has been a meteoric rise for the 20-year-old this season, and his most recent role has been to net the opener against Everton before helping to seal all three points. Amazing.
Kevin De Bruyne steals the show ahead of Man City exit
Nico Gonzalez (Off for Kovacic 78′) – 5
Struggled a little bit with the Toffees’ strength in the middle of the park. Gonzalez is clearly not at the same level as Rodri, but at just 23 years of age, he has plenty of time to learn from the master.
Ilkay Gundogan – 7
A very sensible display from the 34-year-old, topping off a brilliant display with the assist for Kovacic’s long-range strike.
Savinho (Off for Doku 78′) – 7
A constant threat throughout the 90 minutes, causing Jake O’Brien plenty of problems down the left flank, but just couldn’t find the final ball at Goodison Park.
Kevin De Bruyne (Off for Manuel Akanji 88′) – 8
Absolutely superb. Looked back to his very best after taking a backseat for much of the 2024/25 season. Man City could regret De Bruyne leaving once the summer transfer window opens.
Jeremy Doku causes havoc off the bench at Goodison Park
Bernardo Silva – 6
Did all the nitty-gritty work at Goodison Park, putting in a shift to control the tempo of the game, retain possession. However, his usual impacts were silenced a bit while out on the wing.
Omar Marmoush – 3
Barely involved. Had one late chance to fire a winner past Jordan Pickford, but it was a rather weak effort at goal.
Substitutes
Mateo Kovacic (On for Gonzalez 78′) – 7
Wrapped the game up with a strike in added time, albeit even if he did slip while taking the shot.
Jeremy Doku (On for Savinho 78′) – 8
The perfect impact from the Belgian, causing plenty of problems down the wing with his pace and trickery. Continued to force Everton back into their own half.
Manuel Akanji (On for De Bruyne 88′) – N/A