Andy Hinchcliffe stunned by ‘extraordinary’ moment in Everton Premier League loss v Manchester City
Andy Hinchcliffe was left stunned by Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half strike for Manchester City during their Premier League clash against Everton.
The German controlled brilliantly in the Toffees’ penalty area before firing Pep Guardiola’s side into the lead at Goodison Park.
Hinchcliffe reacted to the goal and was blown away by the piece of skill from the mercurial midfielder.
“That’s an extraordinary piece of improvisation from Ilkay Gundogan,” said Hinchcliffe (Sky Sports commentary, 14:38, 14 May).
“The touch off his thigh is outstanding. It’s just individual brilliance. That’s not by accident he knows exactly what he’s doing. That’s stunning.”
Amazing
Sometimes you simply have to hold your hands up and accept that a moment of brilliance has occurred. That was a ridiculous finish from the in-form German. He’s been in remarkable form of late and those runs from midfield have become trademark.
Sean Dyche will be disappointed with his side falling behind. They defended resolutely for large parts and were punished during a poor two-minute spell. Against the best teams in Europe, you cannot switch off and that’s exactly what the Toffees did.
There should be positives taken from the performance. For the most part, Everton dealt with all that City had to throw at them, particularly in the first half. All eyes now turn to the away trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Two winnable games remain and it’s essential that a minimum of four points are put on the board.
There’s still hope, but the pressure is now firmly on heading into the latter stages of the season.