Manchester City will talk about Jeremy Doku’s 97th‑minute equaliser, they will talk about resilience, about refusing to fold and about keeping the title race alive, but the truth is simpler and far more damaging for Man City as they handed Arsenal the advantage with a collapse that felt entirely avoidable.

A 3-3 draw at Everton is not a disaster in isolation, and in a title race this tight, it is a gift-wrapped opportunity for Arsenal, now five points clear with Man City holding only one game in hand. Pep Guardiola’s side were cruising, then crumbling, then scrambling. Even with Doku’s late rescue act, by the end they looked like a team suddenly aware that the margin for error has evaporated.

Man City thought they were in control, until they weren’t

For 45 minutes, this looked like the Man City we know. Calm, structured, superior. Doku’s opener, a sharp, curling finish into the top corner, reflected the pattern of the half. Everton could not get out, could not keep the ball, and could not stop City’s wide rotations from pulling them apart.

As always, football matches are not won on aesthetics, and Man City’s grip loosened the moment Marc Guehi’s back-pass invited trouble. Substitute Thierno Barry pounced, and suddenly the entire tone of the night shifted. Everton sensed vulnerability, the crowd sensed possibility and City started to panic.

Jake O’Brien’s header moments later confirmed it — City had lost control, they were there for the taking.

Everton’s surge exposes Man City’s soft spots

David Moyes’ side have been stung repeatedly by late goals in recent weeks, yet they took the game to City, on the front foot — Everton being aggressive and the fans fully behind the team.

Merlin Rohl, who was excellent throughout the second half, drove the counter-attacks that City couldn’t handle. Barry’s second goal came from exactly that pattern. Man City were stretched, Everton went direct at speed and with that the former champions were rattled.

City’s defending was loose. Their midfield spacing was ragged and their decisionmaking frantic. This was not a tactical issue; it was emotional. They unravelled under pressure, and Everton, a team still chasing European qualification, punished them.

Had Iliman Ndiaye been more clinical, the scoreline could have been even more damaging.

Haaland responds, Dokurescues, but the damage is done

Erling Haaland’s finish to make it 3-2 offered a lifeline, but City still looked short of conviction. The usual late surge felt forced rather than inevitable. Everton, for all their fatigue, held firm until the final seconds.

Then Doku struck again, a clean, low finish with virtually the last kick. A point had been salvaged, a would-be total collapse partially repaired, but the table does not care about drama; it cares about numbers, and the numbers do not lie. They do, however, favour Arsenal.

Arsenal’s advantage is real and earned

Man City’s draw means Arsenal’s mission is brutally simple: win their next three games and the title is theirs. There is no need for scoreboard watching and no what ifs.

Thierry Henry summed it up on Sky Sports. Man City “imploded”. That’s the word that will sting Guardiola most. His team have built their dynasty on control, on emotional clarity, on never blinking. Here, they blinked repeatedly.

City still have the quality to fight till the end. They still have the experience, but they no longer have the cushion or the psychological edge.

Everton’s mixed emotions

For Everton, this was both a statement and a frustration. They have now dropped points in stoppage time in three straight league games, four points lost that would have put them in the thick of the European race.

Yet the second-half performance was everything Moyes wants from this group — intensity, bravery, clarity. Rohl was outstanding. Thierno Barry was electric. The stadium was alive in a way that has been missing for long stretches of the season.

There will be regret, but also pride and perhaps a sense that something is building.

Man City’s warning signs are now impossible to ignore

It was about fragility, the kind Man City thought they had eradicated in February. Yet the old frailties were on show at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

They will look at the costliest errors from this match and address how they will need to fix them before their next game. Guehi’s error was unforced and the defensive line lost its shape repeatedly. The transitions were repeatedly handled poorly. As the game went on, all composure evaporated under pressure. These are just a few, but there were more.

Yes, City made mistakes, but credit must go to David Moyes’ men as they ran riot to trigger the second half collapse.

These are not characteristics of a champion in full flow. They are characteristics of a champion under strain.

The run-in just got real

Man City insist the title race is not over. Technically they are right, but the dynamic has changed. Arsenal now controls the narrative. City must chase, and chase perfectly.

Doku’s late equaliser barely keeps the race alive, yet the story of the night is not the goal he scored, it is the lead City lost.

The reality is unless Man City rediscover their steel, this may be the moment we look back on as the night the title slipped from their grasp.

Featured image via Reuters/ Scott Heppell

By Faz Ali

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