By Adam Millington
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Manchester City slipped off the pace in their bid to catch up with Premier League leaders Arsenal as they were held to a 1-1 draw by strugglers Everton in their final match of the year.
Erling Haaland made a positive start for Pep Guardiola’s men when he latched on to Riyad Mahrez’s pass to tap home his 21st league goal of the season.
After a number of stoppages early in the second half, with one taking over six minutes as the assistant referee’s communications headset was repaired, Demarai Gray levelled for the visitors.
The Everton winger surged up the left-hand flank in a rare counter-attack before cutting inside and unleashing a curling effort from the edge of the box which left City goalkeeper Ederson beaten.
The result left second-placed City four points behind Arsenal having played a game more, while Everton are 16th with 15 points. They are two points above the relegation zone.
(Reporting by Adam Millington, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
