Man City's poor form continued as the Premier League champions were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Everton, with Erling Haaland again performing poorly in front of goal and his second-half penalty saved by Jordan Pickford.
Looking to close the gap in the top four and Champions League places, the hosts made the ideal start at the Etihad when Bernardo Silva's shot happened to deflect off Jarrad Branthwaite's outstretched leg and into the far corner.
But rather than calm the home nerves, City's inability to score a second goal added tension to the match and minutes after Silva spurned a golden opportunity to double the lead, Everton leveled through Iliman Ndiaye's third goal of the season.
However, the Senegalese still had plenty to do to be the first to collect Abdoulaye Doucoure's pass, before flashing a shot past a helpless Stefan Ortega as the sides drew level at half-time, but with a sense of frustration in the stadium .
However, City had the chance to return to victory when Vitaliy Mykolenko brought down the lively Savinho in the penalty area six minutes into the second half, only for Jordan Pickford to read Haaland's mind to keep out the Norwegian's low penalty. The striker then headed in from close range after Phil Foden headed the rebound his way. He was sidelined in a moment that summed up both his and the champion's recent struggles.
As a result, City moved just one place to fifth in the table as their dreadful run of late stretched to one win in thirteen games, while Sean Dyche's side now sit 15th after another impressive result on the road.
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