Man City had to share the spoils with the Toffees in a feisty Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland’s 21st Premier League goal could only earn Manchester City a point against Everton at home.
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City ‘played really well” and he feel “optimistic” despite playing out a 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday evening.
The Cityzens failed to seal three points against Frank Lampard’s Toffees as the gap between City and Arsenal extended to seven points following the Gunners’ win over Brighton and Hove later on.
Striker Erling Haaland continued his scoring habits as he finished off a Riyad Mahrez assist to break the deadlock in the 24th minute.
However, in the second half, Demarai Gray turned up for the away side and scored a fantastic equaliser after midfielder Rodri misplaced the ball.
City created plenty of chances to win the game but Everton were resilient and ensured both sides shared the spoils.
'We played really good'
"Great game. We played really good in the last three games and it makes me feel optimistic," Guardiola to BBC Sport.
"Dropping points at home is always tough but I'm always trying to make our game good and we have continued to do it.
"I would say they had eight in the back. In that situation, it's movement and attacking at the right moment. In general, we did it. We didn't allow them transitions. They made a fantastic goal and when that happens you say congratulations but in general, we did really well."
When asked about defender Aymeric Laporte's absence, he replied: "He had a problem with his back."
"Two points dropped"
City defender John Stones had a different view of the game as he admitted it was two points dropped on the day.
"I feel like we've lost two points. It's difficult to take," Stones said. "We controlled the game for the majority of the time and had a lot of chances. It was a bit of a scrappy game."
Second-placed City are now seven points behind leaders Arsenal, who beat Brighton 4-2 at the Amex Stadium.
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