Everton were comfortably beaten by Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side weathered the storm for over half an hour before Phil Foden’s drilled effort was deflected past Jordan Pickford by Seamus Coleman.

But the Blues equalised against the odds when a Lucas Digne volley from Coleman’s cross hit the woodwork and rebounded fortuitously off Richarlison.

The champions-elect retook the lead on 63 minutes as Riyad Mahrez hit a powerful strike before Bernardo Silva sealed the win with a close-range finish.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Ancelotti passes up free hit

 

This was as close to a ‘free hit’ as Everton could have possibly asked for in the build-up to Saturday’s Merseyside derby showdown against Liverpool.

Facing a Manchester City side swaggering its way to this season’s Premier League title offered Carlo Ancelotti a chance to look at the bigger picture.

True to character, however, the Italian refused to take a defeat lying down.

Pep Guardiola’s champions-elect were always going to be too strong for the Blues to stop and the final scoreline does not flatter them by any means.

But resolute defending allowed Ancelotti’s side to weather City’s storm for the best part before the inevitable floodgates opened late in the second half.

Integral to that approach were the commanding performance of Abdoulaye Doucoure in midfield and Michael Keane’s assured presence at the back.

A similar tactic for the short trip across Stanley Park this weekend might pay greater dividends compared to an the annual raising of the white flag.

Mina loss arrives at worst time

 

Keane’s largely imperious display at the heart of defence was offset by the loss of centre-back partner Yerry Mina early in the first half with a calf injury.

The Colombia international could not have limped out at a worse moment.

A willingness to routinely vie for aerial duels has seen the Colombian become imperative to Everton’s largely solid defensive setup throughout this season.

Ben Godfrey’s continuing emergence should alleviate the personnel issue yet Mina’s penchant for scoring goals would have been equally useful at Anfield.

Liverpool’s ailing title defence means they remain vulnerable in such areas despite a morale-boosting Champions League win at RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

Of all the games that Mina could have potentially missed, the next is one which most Evertonians would have dreaded heading into without him.

Sigurdsson phones it in again

 

A week is a long time in football, particularly if you’re Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Hailed as the difference in last Wednesday’s breathless FA Cup win over Tottenham, the Iceland international reverted to type in his next two games.

Against Fulham, he shunned the false nine role in Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s absence and did similar as a stand-in for Tom Davies following his withdrawal.

Sigurdsson did not merely fail to track his runner as Bernardo Silva extended City’s lead but also gave off the illusion that he was doing the bare minimum.

Everton needed him to step into the void left by Davies’ departure, only for their record signing to casually jog in the Portuguese playmaker’s direction.

Unfortunately regularly phoning it in has become a recurring theme during the past three-and-a-half years of Sigurdsson’s stay at Goodison Park.

Pickford returns, and so do doubts

 

Anyone who had forgotten about Jordan Pickford’s influence on Everton became clear on his first appearance after missing four games through injury.

From the outset, the England goalkeeper made himself heard with a trademark vocality that reverberated around a largely empty Goodison.

Cajoling his teammates at every possible opportunity is a significant hallmark that has been missing throughout Pickford’s recent spell on the sidelines.

Returning to the spotlight still carried all-too-familiar doubts over the 26-year-old’s shot-stopping abilities as he offered City a helping hand for their second.

Instead of collecting a routine cross in the build-up to Riyad Mahrez hitting a sumptuous strike, Pickford chose to punch the ball back into the danger zone.

Admittedly he could not have done much about the Algerian’s effort but the prelude needlessly added fresh scrutiny on his first outing back in the side.