Your morning Everton headlines on Sunday, January 1.
Ben Godfrey lifts lid on Everton battle with Man City that left Erling Haaland 'upset'
Ben Godfrey has hailed the character of his teammates after a battling 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad, and revealed Erling Haaland was left 'upset' after their battle.
Everton came away from Manchester with a point that few had anticipated, with Demarai Gray curling home a wonderful second-half finish to cancel out Haaland's opener. Pep Guardiola's side continued to turn the screw throughout the final half-hour but were unable to find a winner, with Rodri squandering their best chance after sending a header wide in stoppage time.
Frank Lampard arrived at the Etihad with a plan to frustrate the Premier League champions, adding Godfrey to a back three alongside the ever-present James Tarkowski and Conor Coady. The trio - along with Nathan Patterson, Vitalii Mykolenko and then Seamus Coleman off the bench - showed all their battling character in keeping out a relentless City side and end a dismal 2022 on a somewhat more positive note.
"Massive,” Godfrey told Sky Sports when asked how big a point that was. “I think we showed our character today. We've always had a team spirit. That's the standard. Work rate and togetherness. It feels good to get a point."
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John Stones accuses Everton of 'time-wasting' in draw against Man City
John Stones has criticised Everton's supposed 'time-wasting' following this afternoon's 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad.
The Blues came away from Manchester with a vital point to end a dismal 2022 on a more optimistic note. Erling Haaland's 24th-minute goal looked to set the wheels in motion for an inevitable home win, but Frank Lampard's side fought their way back into the game through Demarai Gray's wonderful strike just past the hour mark.
City piled on the pressure throughout the second half, but saw any momentum broken regularly by a combination of Everton's game management, a number of injuries and a technical malfunction for one of the assistant referees - forcing referee Andy Madley to add 11 minutes on at the end or normal time.
And Stones, who spent seven seasons at Goodison Park before joining City for nearly £50million in 2016, cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle when accusing the Toffees of time-wasting and breaking up play as part of a game plan to curb his side's momentum.
"I don't really know what to say. I feel like we've lost two points," Stones told Premier League Productions after the final whistle. "That's football. We controlled the game for the majority of the time and had a lot of chances but couldn't seem to get that goal."
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