Everton dent Manchester City’s title hopes

Manchester City let a seemingly comfortable victory slip away, settling for a single point in a dramatic 3-3 draw against hosts Everton in Matchweek 35 of the Premier League.

Although City avoided defeat in the closing moments, the result directly benefited their rivals Arsenal, who are now on the brink of reclaiming the title for the first time in over two decades.

The title equation is now clear for Arsenal—winning their remaining three matches would secure the championship regardless of City’s results, highlighting the scale of the opportunity in front of them.

Key moments of the match

Manchester City started with clear attacking intent and managed to translate their dominance into a first-half lead, as Belgian winger Jeremy Doku fired a superb strike into the top corner of Jordan Pickford’s net, following a well-worked pass from Frenchman Rayan Cherki.

However, the match turned dramatically in the second half, with Everton emerging a completely different side, capitalizing on City’s repeated defensive errors. French forward Thierno Barry equalized after a defensive lapse, before Ireland’s Jake O’Brien made it 2-1 with a powerful header from a corner.

Everton continued their surge, and Barry struck again to add a third goal on a swift counter-attack that exposed City’s defense, putting the hosts on course for a valuable victory.

But Pep Guardiola’s side refused to give up and mounted a late comeback. Norwegian striker Erling Haaland pulled one back after a pass from Mateo Kovacic, before Doku scored a dramatic equalizer in stoppage time to rescue a point for City.

Despite the draw, City remain five points behind Arsenal, with a game in hand. However, both the psychological and practical advantage now lies with the London side, who have full control of their destiny.

Arsenal will face West Ham, Burnley, and Crystal Palace in their remaining fixtures, needing maximum points to seal the title.

Chelsea’s crisis continues

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s struggles deepened after a 3-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi opened the scoring early, before Brazilian Igor Jesus doubled the lead from the penalty spot. Chelsea’s woes worsened when Cole Palmer missed a penalty just before half-time.

In the second half, Awoniyi struck again to make it three, before Brazilian João Pedro pulled one back late for the Blues.

With a sixth consecutive league defeat, Chelsea are enduring their worst losing run in over three decades, severely damaging their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. While slim possibilities remain, the reality is bleak—especially with tough fixtures ahead against Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Sunderland.