Everton well beaten at the Etihad

It wasn’t unexpected let’s be honest but Everton were, in the end, easily beaten by champions Manchester City in the lunchtime Premier League game.

Although few Toffees fans would have held out much hope of success, this was nevertheless a disappointing result and another indifferent performance from Everton after poor efforts in their last two home games.

Manager Marco Silva rang the changes for this match. He brought in Kurt Zouma and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the injured Idrissa Gueye and Theo Walcott, who was dropped, and switched to a back three.

The decision to recall Calvert-Lewin made sense as he has the strength and pace to operate as a lone front man when you are playing very much on the break, as Everton knew they would be.

It also meant that Richarlison could revert to playing from a wider position, which perhaps is still his best role while he is continuing to learn the intricacies of being at centre-forward.

However going to a three at the back seemed less justifiable.

After a shaky start earlier in the season the Everton defence has improved markedly in recent weeks.

First the partnership of Michael Keane and Zouma and then more recently Keane and Yerry Mina, were giving the Toffees a much more settled and more solid look.

So it was questionable whether Silva’s decision to go to a central defensive three made sense. Although it was pretty obvious that Everton would struggle to get much possession in the game, conceding both the ball and much of the initiative to Pep Guardiola’s side wasn’t perhaps the best strategy.

It’s very difficult to construct an effective way of playing City you need luck, but the most successful sides have generally been the ones who have tried to press and harry City and not let them settle into any rhythm.

When the Toffees brought on Walcott and Lookman in the second half they improved considerably and created some good chances. Those chances were wasted and the Blues poor finishing is becoming a major concern.

And of course if your going to defend with additional numbers and a new formation, you’ve got to do the basics well and Everton didn’t.

Maybe it was just one of those days, maybe it was the switch to a new defensive system but whatever the reason the Blues were guilty of some simple defensive errors, which proved very costly.

Once more Seamus Coleman was exposed on the right where Leroy Sane had a lot of joy and the Blues must surely address this weakness in the coming transfer windows.

And both Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling were wide open in the penalty area for City’s second and third goals. You just can’t give a side of their quality those sort of easy chances to score.

Sterling’s goal was particularly annoying as Everton had just got a foothold in the match through Calvert-Lewin’s goal, after a great cross into the home team’s box from the ever-excellent Lucas Digne.

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To concede another simple goal just minutes later was especially frustrating for the Blues.

But in truth this game showed just how far Everton still have to go to compete with teams of City’s calibre in the Premier League.

The Toffees are still at least four or five players short of where they need to be and where the Everton squad can give sides like City a real game.

And the games don’t get much easier as next up for the Blues high-flying Tottenham arrive at Goodison Park next Sunday afternoon.