Everton give Richard Keys hope he craved as David Moyes praised
Everton may have conceded a late goal against Manchester City, but Richard Keys was still impressed.
The Toffees played host to Pep Guardiola’s men at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and the roof came off when Thierno Barry bagged a brace.
A superb substitute cameo from the Frenchman should have been enough to seal a massive three points in the race for European qualification.
It wasn’t to be in the end as Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland both scored to snatch a point and keep their title chances alive.
That was enough for Keys to be impressed with Everton against City, with David Moyes being singled out for special commendation.
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Richard Keys loves what David Moyes did vs Manchester City
There was an element of frustration creeping in at L3 as the Blues once again threw away a lead and points late on.
City may have had the better of possession, but the hosts certainly had their chances and arguably deserved more than a draw.
| Stat | Everton | Manchester City |
| Possession (%) | 24 | 76 |
| Expected goals | 2.72 | 1.54 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 4 |
| Big chances | 4 | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 138 | 568 |
That isn’t always how football works, especially when facing a side who are in desperate need of three points to continue their title ambitions.
A draw just about keeps Guardiola and Co. in a tussle with Arsenal, with Keys writing on his weekly blog about his joy that Moyes and Everton have kept the title race alive.
He said: “Let’s get this straight, I’m delighted there’s life in the title race yet.
“I said to Andy, after the showdown at The Etihad, if there was hope, it would be that Everton might take something off City. And there you go. Brilliant. Well done, Moysey.”
Everton’s 3-3 draw with Man City may not be viewed so positively on Merseyside after yet another frustrating end in L3.
Moyes won’t care about the title race – Everton is his only concern
It’s clear that Keys was pleased to see the Blues steal a point away from City in the hope of making the final weeks of the season interesting for a neutral.
That won’t have even creeped into Moyes’ mindset as yet another late goal conceded has potentially derailed hope of European qualification.
West Ham and Man City have both struck in added time in back-to-back games to change a potential four points to just one.
That leaves Everton sitting 10th in the Premier League table, and with just three games to go, a place in the Conference League is out of their hands.
Moyes will only care about that, not who wins the league this season.
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