Roberto Martinez’s unbeaten Premier League record as Everton manager was brought to an end by defeat at Manchester City.
Despite taking an early lead, the Goodison outfit were ultimately no match for a City side that carried too much attacking threat.
Romelu Lukaku’s fourth goal in as many appearances since arriving on a season long-loan from Chelsea had put Everton into a 16th-minute lead.
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Man City 3 Everton 1
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But Alvaro Negredo equalised less than a minute later, with Sergio Aguero putting the home side ahead in the closing stages on the stroke of half-time.
A controversial 69th-minute penalty awarded for a foul by Seamus Coleman on Pablo Zabaleta allowed City to seal victory, although Aguero’s penalty was ultimately credited as an own goal by Tim Howard.
So there would be no continuation of Everton’s remarkable record against City having won nine of their previous 12 meetings, with four victories coming at the Etihad.
Martinez had indicated there was little chance of his team parking the bus given the manner in which City had swept English opposition aside at the Etihad already this season.
And the visitors signalled their intentions directly from the (Free £25 bet offer) Kick-off, former Goodison defender Joleon Lescott strong to hold off Lukaku as he ran on to a throughball from Steven Naismith, the Scotsman replacing the ineligible Gareth Barry in Everton’s only change.
City soon found their rhythm and Aleksandar Kolarov curled a free-kick into the side-netting before powerfully heading over David Silva’s corner from the left.
Despite speculation following a series of high-profile blunders, Joe Hart was retained in goal by City for his 121st successive Premier League start.
But he was found wanting on 16 minutes when Lukaku struck. Racing on to a long Phil Jagielka pass and played onside by Vincent Kompany, the Everton striker then nutmegged Lescott and struck a shot that Hart, despite getting a strong hand to it, couldn’t keep out.
Everton’s lead lasted less than a minute. A delicate Yaya Toure pass into the area set Negredo free behind Coleman and the Spaniard finished beyond Howard.
An end-to-end encounter ensued with City perhaps deserving of the interval lead given to them by Aguero on the stroke of half-time.
With Everton’s defence having been unwisely distracted by breaking up an ongoing set-to between Negredo and Seamus Coleman, Silva slipped a pass down the inside right channel to Aguero, who lost the attentions of Distin sufficiently to fire a shot across Howard into the far corner.
Aguero had suffered a nightmare in the period preceding his strike.
First, a brilliantly creative set-piece saw Aguero freed inside the area with just Howard to beat, but curled his shot woefully wide from close range.
And then, sent clear by Negredo’s clever toe-poke, the Argentine was caught in two minds whether to shoot or dummy, and ended up just falling over.
City could have ended the half with 10 men had a more strict referee than Jon Moss – poor throughout – adjudged James Milner’s wild challenge on James McCarthy worthy of more than a yellow card.
A more cagey second half followed, although City remained in a comfortable level of control. It prompted Martinez to bring on Darron Gibson for his first Premier League appearance of the season shortly after the hour, along with Spanish starlet Gerard Deulofeu.
But the game drifted away from Everton on 69 minutes in contentious circumstances.
Coleman lost the marauding Zabaleta on his inside and then it took only the slightest of touches from the Irishman to send the City man sprawling to the turf.
It appeared no more of a foul as Matija Nastasic’s first-half shove on Lukaku that went unpunished.
As if to rub salt into the wound, Aguero’s poorly-struck spot-kick was saved by Howard on to the post, only for the ball to rebound off the back of the goalkeeper’s head and over the line.
That was that. With Lukaku running out of steam, City’s defence went into lockdown and the final moments passed with relatively little goalmouth incident.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany (Nastasic 35), Lescott, Kolarov (Clichy 58); Fernandinho, Toure; Milner, Silva, Aguero (Nasri 80); Negredo. Subs: Pantilimon, Richards, Navas, Dzeko. BOOKINGS: Kompany, Milner, Silva, Zabaleta and Fernandinho (all fouls).
EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; McCarthy, Osman (Gibson 63); Mirallas (Deulofeu 63), Barkley, Naismith; Lukaku (Kone 82). Subs: Robles, Heitinga, Jelavic, Stones. BOOKINGS: Distin and Howard (both dissent) and Coleman and Naismith (both fouls).
REFEREE: Jon Moss.
ATT: 47,267.
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