Michael Keane slammed after what he did in Everton loss v Man City
Everton suffered just their third Premier League defeat since David Moyes returned when they took on Manchester City on Saturday.
It was a forgettable game at Goodison Park for the Evertonians in attendance as Moyes’ men were undone by a couple of late goals from the reigning English champions.
Pep Guardiola’s side are not the same as the one that lifted the title last season, but they still managed to get the job done against the Toffees.
After picking up a draw against Arsenal and then defeating Nottingham Forest, Everton had been on an impressive run against teams pushing for a top-five finish.
However, that came to a halt against City in disappointing fashion as they conceded two goals in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Nico O’Reilly opened the scoring in the 84th minute before Mateo Kovacic secured the result in the 92nd, breaking Everton hearts in the process.
Everton struggled defensively without James Tarkowski
The visitors dominated the game up until that point, having 68 per cent of the possession as they looked for openings against the Toffees.
Everton struggled at the back in their attempts to contain Guardiola’s side, especially once James Tarkowski was replaced due to injury.
Michael Keane was given a rare opportunity to play from the 52nd minute, but his attempts to prove his quality to Moyes were not impressive.
| Match Stats | Keane |
| Minutes Played | 38 |
| Accurate Passes | 5/7 (71%) |
| Touches | 17 |
| Dribbled Past | 3 |
The 32-year-old struggled dramatically throughout his second-half performance, which led to pundit Don Hutchison ripping into him after the game.
He spoke to Premier League Productions (19 April) during the live TV coverage and said: “He was all over the place.
“He’s on a yellow card and not strong enough. You can’t let that ball bounce. You’ve got to be stronger.”
David Moyes has a decision to make
If Tarkowski’s injury proves to be a serious one, then Moyes is going to have a tough decision to make for the remainder of the season as to who replaces him.
Keane is widely expected to leave Goodison Park during the summer transfer window, but he might be needed to finish this campaign.
Moyes will be demanding an improved performance if that’s the case, because his display on Saturday (19 April) will not have instilled any confidence into the manager, his teammates, or the fans.
After Everton’s impressive turnaround this season, Moyes will not want the campaign to just fizzle out, with the squad still having plenty to play for in the remaining fixtures.