LIVERPOOL, England -- Three points from Everton's 4-0 defeat of Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
1. Man City losing ground
The revival is over. After a run of five wins in six games, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side are in disarray. Having already seen Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea win comfortably on Saturday, it was imperative that City brought something back from their trip to Goodison Park. They brought back nothing. They deserved nothing. City were desperately ordinary and heavily beaten. It is quite possible that the scale of the rebuilding job required here was underestimated.
So much of what Guardiola achieved at Bayern Munich was built on his world-class full-backs, men like Philipp Lahm and David Alaba; complete footballers capable of performing almost any role. Guardiola fielded three full-backs here: Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and, in midfield, Pablo Zabaleta. The contrast is stark. Factor in a declining Yaya Toure and a subdued Sergio Aguero, and you have a team too deficient in too many areas to beat a vastly improved Everton side after their embarrassing FA Cup exit last weekend.
Guardiola had no such problems in the cup last week and, after a rare nine-day period of rest, chose to stick with the same outfield 10, but there was to be no repeat performance. Kevin De Bruyne twice split the Everton defence with long passes, once to Raheem Sterling and another to David Silva, but neither man could find a way past stand-in goalkeeper Joel Robles. Sterling felt he was denied a penalty after just 11 minutes when he tried to leap and was clipped by the leg of Robles, but referee Mark Clattenburg was unimpressed. Aguero came close to reaching a low De Bruyne cross, but not close enough.
It wouldn't be a City game without an eccentric formation, and this was no exception. Zabaleta resumed his new role as an auxiliary midfielder, while Sterling frequently joined De Bruyne on the left flank in what appeared to be an effort to overload the space between Seamus Coleman and young Mason Holgate. It brought scant reward. Two goals down and with an hour played, Guardiola withdrew Zabaleta for Kelechi Iheanacho. Still, City failed to make inroads on the Everton defence. And then, as they pushed up in greater numbers, young Tom Davies intensified their misery with a third goal. A fourth, from new signing Ademola Lookman in injury time, was just cruel.
The last time these sides played, City were hugely unfortunate -- held to a 1-1 draw thanks to two penalty saves by Everton keeper Maarten Stekelenburg. This result had nothing to do with luck. City were outfought and outplayed. They are 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea, and with so many other teams currently in form, City are in serious danger of missing out on a place in the top four. Gabriel Jesus' paperwork should clear in time for next week's vital game against Tottenham, but they need more than just a new striker. They need to be rebuilt.
2. Everton fully deserve battling win
After the humiliation of last week, this was an extraordinary response from the home side. Manager Ronald Koeman was furious with his players for the manner of their FA Cup defeat to Leicester City, but he had no cause for discontent here. Everton were far more aggressive and far braver in their use of the ball. They didn't make many chances, but they didn't waste many either. Indeed, their first three shots were all on target and they all beat keeper Claudio Bravo. After the anger and the bloodletting that marked last weekend's defeat, this felt like a new beginning.
Koeman stuck with a back three, relying on Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines to stretch City without neglecting their defensive responsibilities. Thanks to the industry of Gareth Barry and Tom Davies in the middle, Everton were just about able to hold their own and were ruthless enough to take the lead 10 minutes before the break when Davies found Kevin Mirallas with a fine pass and the Belgian teed up his compatriot Romelu Lukaku for a decisive finish. Would Everton make the mistake of sitting back to defend their lead after the break? The answer came within two minutes of the restart, when a sharp Mirallas finish doubled the Everton advantage.
With City piling forward in hope of a lifeline, Koeman withdrew Mirallas for new signing Morgan Schneiderlin, packing the midfield and slowing City still further. And then came Davies' goal, a deft chip from a narrow angle. He swiftly vanished underneath a pile of his teammates and released a noise that put undue stress on the foundations of this grand old stadium. When youngster Lookman made a brief cameo and fired home a fourth, there was an edge of disbelief in the celebrations. There's a long way to go before Everton can challenge for a top-four finish. But this isn't a bad start.
3. Youngster Davies steals the show
Never mind booing the old hero. Everton fans preferred to herald a new one. John Stones received a light smattering of jeers on his return to Goodison Park, but it wasn't long before the home fans lost interest, distracted and emboldened by the temerity of their own players. Having endured so many of Stones' "little moments" in the past, they relished his time on the ball, particularly in the 18th minute when he put far too much power on a pass to Claudio Bravo and left the Chilean unable to control it.
But it was the performance of Davies, nephew of former Everton player Alan Whittle, that made this a special day on Merseyside. Just 18, he was composed and calm on the ball. He set off the move that led to Lukaku's goal, popped up to clear Yaya Toure's header off the line on the stroke of half-time, and then added a delicious goal (Everton's third) with just 10 minutes left. He wears his socks low, gives himself time on the ball and doesn't shirk a battle. Everton have a new hero.