Pep Guardiola was left frustrated after his side dropped valuable points following their 1-1 draw to Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Erling Haaland gave reigning champions City the lead in the first half, but Demarai Gray tied the score halfway through the second half of a game with a lot of fouls.

The game also had to be stopped for 11 minutes so that a headset for an assistant referee could be fixed.

After Saturday’s late match, in which the Gunners beat Brighton 4–2, City fell to second place, seven points behind the Gunners.

When asked about Everton’s strategy, City manager Guardiola said, “They made a fantastic goal with the first shot on target they had, so we played a real, real good game.

“Of course the result was not expected but that is football, it is not the first time it happened. We did everything to win. They played really well.”

The Spaniard added: “Afterwards they broke a bit the rhythm because the referees were not ready but, in general, we did everything and unfortunately could not win.”

Everton got their first point in four games with a hard-fought draw. The Merseysiders, who had lost to Wolves 2-1 at home in their first game back from the World Cup, are now two points above the relegation zone.

“I think we did limit their good chances,” said Everton manager Frank Lampard.

“And in terms of our character and discipline and following through with the plan, working consistently for 100-odd minutes, understanding that’s sometimes tough and you have to stick with it, I thought we did that brilliantly and we deserved a point.

“When he hits a goal like that it just shows you the talent he’s got, and it got us a point.”

Photo by EPA/Peter Powell