Sutton stunned by ‘unbelievable’ Jake O’Brien moment in Everton v Manchester City
Chris Sutton waxed lyrical about Jake O’Brien live on air as Everton lost 2-0 against Manchester City on Saturday.
Everton were in a strong position to earn a point against the reigning Premier League champions at Goodison Park on 19 April, with the scoreline reading 0-0 going into the final 10 minutes.
However, the Toffees’ efforts were undone by an 84th-minute goal from Nico O’Reilly, with Mateo Kovacic then doubling City’s lead in added time.
With only two shots on target, the Merseyside-based club never seemed to trouble Stefan Ortega, meaning Pep Guardiola and Co. went home with all three points.
Sutton blown away by O’Brien at Goodison Park
Manchester City’s dominance and the manner of the defeat do not mean Everton did not have any positives in the game, with O’Brien among those who impressed the Goodison Park crowd.
The Ireland international was the reason the game stayed at 0-0 for as long as it did, as he produced an incredible goal-line save to deny Kevin De Bruyne in the first half.
| Minutes | Accurate Passes | Touches | Accurate Long Balls | Clearances | Ground Duels Won | Aerial Duels Won | Dribbles Past |
| 90′ | 18/27 (67%) | 39 | 2/4 (50%) | 4 | 0/3 (0%) | 1/1 (100%) | 3 |
De Bruyne’s left-footed shot from close range looked destined to hit the back of the net when O’Brien dived to defend the effort with his head, blowing Sutton away on live commentary.
Sutton was so impressed by the right-back’s defending that he could not believe his eyes.
“That is an unbelievable piece of defending from O’Brien”, Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live (19 April, 3:43 pm).
“De Bruyne, 16-yards out, left-footer is finding the bottom corner, and O’Brien flings himself to his right-hand side, and a diving header.
“Reaction diving header to put it behind, brilliant defending.”
Everton stay 13th in Premier League
In the end, the result was not too much bad news for Everton, as they stay 13th in the Premier League with five games left to play.
However, Manchester United and Tottenham could leapfrog the Toffees if they win their games against Wolves and Nottingham Forest, respectively.
Meanwhile, Moyes and Co. will look to bounce back from their defeat against Manchester City when they lock horns with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Saturday, 26 April.