Everton 1-3 Man City: Pep Guardiola’s side make winning return to the Premier League as goals from Foden, Alvarez and Silva secure a comeback victory at Goodison Park following Jack Harrison’s opener

The accused defeated the convicted at Goodison Park on Wednesday night as a team facing 115 Premier League charges defeated a side deducted 10 points last month with a crucial goal that sparked another outpouring of anger and consternation over the handball rule. Given the circumstances, it felt like it was a fitting way to decide the match.

Amid the furor over the events that led to Julian Alvarez's second-half penalty, which was the critical moment in this match, Manchester City rekindled a title challenge that had unexpectedly come to an end by drawing the line under some mysteriously bad form that had seen them slip from the top of the table.

After beating Urawa Reds and Fluminense in Jeddah to lift the Club World Cup last week and add a fifth trophy to what has been quite a remarkable year, this was a gritty, courageous victory for Pep Guardiola's side, who message sent out are ready to resume their bid to become the first team to win four league titles in a row in England.

Despite all the confusion over their recent form, this hard-fought 3-1 win against Everton, who were still suffering from the penalty, moved City, themselves in the Premier League's crosshairs, into fourth place, just five points behind the leaders Liverpool. with a game in hand.

Everton fought hard but they were undone by an excellent strike from Phil Foden, that controversial penalty and then by a hesitation from England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who gifted a late goal to Bernardo Silva, but if they play like this, even with a exhausted team, they will have no problem avoiding relegation.

Julian Alvarez converted the penalty to give City the lead in the 64th minute of the match

Amadou Onana was penalized after the ball hit his arm following Nathan Aké's strike on goal

City had started the match in fifth place, eight points behind leaders Liverpool. Some people might rub that in, but it was true. City had won just one of their previous six games in the league, a slump that many believed they were incapable of.

Some began to believe that their cloak of invincibility was beginning to slip from their shoulders. Their manager, Pep Guardiola, felt hope blossom among their rivals and in the hearts of the teams' critics. “No matter how much you want to win,” Guardiola said, “they want you to fail more than ever.”

Everton started the match as the form team. They may have been just one point above the relegation zone, but they had won four of their last five league matches in a run of brilliant form that seemed inspired by seething resentment over the 10-point deduction imposed on them by the Premier League. last month for violating profit and sustainability rules.

To the surprise of no one, City didn't pay much attention to the form guide at the start of the match. They dominated the initial phase and should have taken the lead after fifteen minutes with the first chance of the match. Actually it was the first two chances.

The first chance fell to Matheus Nunes, who held on to a clever through ball and prepared to shoot as Jordan Pickford raced towards him. Nunes fired his shot both without conviction and too close to the England goalkeeper, who blocked it with his feet.

But the rebound fell at the feet of Julian Alvarez and the Argentine World Cup winner took the first time. His shot headed towards goal before Pickford managed to keep it wide with an excellent save.

That double save prompted Alan Shearer to comment that Pickford would have to play a fantastic game if Everton were to get anything out of it. Pickford proved he was right almost immediately, diving low to his left to prevent Jack Grealish's toe-poke from firing into the bottom left corner. Only later would his standards deteriorate.

Then, 17 minutes before the break and completely against the flow of play, Everton took the lead. Bernardo Silva, the most meticulous player, slipped and lost the ball on the far touchline as he tried to keep it in play and the ball was drilled into the City field.

Former Man City player Jack Harrison ensured Everton got off to an excellent start with the opener after just 29 minutes

Pep Guardiola beamed after the match as his side made a winning return to the Premier League after their exploits on the world stage

Rodri controlled the ball but dawdled in possession and was bundled off the ball by Dwight McNeil. Rodri is a heavyset man who should be able to withstand that kind of pressure, but he lost his balance. McNeil took the ball and passed it to the near post where it was met by Harrison.

A few minutes later the home team thought they had doubled their lead. When an Everton corner was only half cleared, it fell twelve meters away from Harrison. His snap, struck with the outside of his left foot, curled away from Ederson towards the top corner until the City goalkeeper made an excellent save to hit the ball over the crossbar.

City were dealt a blow five minutes before half-time when John Stones, such a key player for the champions and just back from injury, limped off after appearing to injure his ankle in a last-ditch tackle to deny Beto. He was replaced by Josko Gvardiol.

City struggled to make an impact in the game towards the end of the first half. Too many of their players looked undersized. Rodri was careless in possession, Grealish lacked penetration, Bernardo Silva was ineffective and Nunes once again failed to make any kind of impact.

That changed eight minutes after half-time when City worked the ball across the goal from the Everton box and then back again until it reached the feet of Phil Foden 25 yards out. Foden touched him, pulled his left foot back and let go.

It was as clean a football shot as you could ever want to see. Pickford is a brilliant shot-stopper and is in good form, but even though it was a sublime strike he might have done better.

The England keeper began to drift slightly to the right when Foden hit the ball and it was hit with such force that he could not recover quickly enough. The ball raced past him like a bullet, low and clean, just above the ground, and ended up in the back of the net.

City now played with much more purpose and intent and ten minutes later they took the lead. Referee John Brooks awarded a penalty after Amadou Onana had swung at Nathan Aké's shot in the Everton box. Brooks had hesitated before making his decision and was surrounded by City players pleading their case.

The ball hit Onana on the arm from close range, sparking another passionate debate over the handball rule and complaints from Liverpool fans about the penalty they were denied last week when Arsenal's Martin Odegaard appeared to handle the ball at Anfield. Although the decision was revised, it was not overturned.

Pickford was booked for gamesmanship in the build-up to the kick, but Alvarez had the last laugh. He hit his penalty through the middle and when Pickford dived to his right, the ball wedged itself under his back legs and bounced into the net.

City completed the win four minutes from time when Pickford delayed a clearance too long. The ball was deflected to Bernardo Silva, who expertly curled the ball over the helpless England keeper's head and into the net.