Nico O'Reilly continued his dream debut season with Manchester City by putting his uninspiring side on the way to a massive 2-0 victory at Everton which could prove crucial to their bid to qualify for the Champions League. The 20-year-old broke the deadlock in an often dull match in the 84th minute before substitute Mateo Kovacic clinched the victory in added time. The win took Pep Guardiola's side up to fourth in the Premier League table, albeit with their rivals to finish in the top five all still to play later this weekend.
The first half made for bleak viewing. James Tarkowski's header against the post was Everton's only attempt of note. Matheus Nunes did force a smart save from Jordan Pickford while Kevin De Bruyne thundered a shot that looked to be goal-bound before it was bravely blocked by the head of Jake O'Brien. The lack of quality was striking, best summed up when Matheus Nunes committed a foul throw.
The second half wasn't much better but Pep Guardiola looked to his bench, throwing on Kovacic and Jeremy Doku. Soon after Nunes teed O'Reilly up in the six-yard box and the youngster got the crucial touch to beat Jordan Pickford and give City a lead they barely deserved.
Kovacic then banged in a second in the 91st minute which finished off Everton once and for all. It was far from pretty, but City survived a tricky trip to Merseyside and returned with the maximum points.
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