•Manchester City forward Erling Haaland (left) and midfielder Nico Gonzalez (second-left) react after conceding a goal from Everton, yesterday
Jeremy Doku’s stoppage-time strike salvaged a 3-3 draw for Manchester City at Everton, but a second-half collapse handed the destiny of the Premier League title back to Arsenal on Monday.
The Gunners now just need to win their final three games to end a 22-year wait to become the champions of England, reports AFP.
City remain five points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s team, with a game in hand, and will struggle to recover from the manner of their implosion at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s side appeared to be cruising to victory when Doku opened the scoring at the end of a dominant first half.
However, an error-strewn second period was punished as Thierno Barry scored twice for the Toffees, either side of Jake O’Brien’s header.
Erling Haaland and then a sensational effort from Doku in the 96th minute did, however, rescue a point which could ultimately keep City in the race.
Arsenal visit relegation-threatened West Ham on Sunday before hosting Burnley and visiting Crystal Palace on the final day of the campaign.
Two Arsenal victories since City last played in the league had ramped up the pressure on Guardiola’s side.
City’s first team had gone the best part of two weeks without a proper outing after Guardiola heavily rotated for last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final win over Southampton.
The visitors looked fresh rather than rusty as Everton were penned back inside their own box for practically the entire first half.
City’s pressure finally found its reward two minutes before half-time when Rayan Cherki found Doku, who curled a shot into Jordan Pickford’s top right-hand corner.
Things could have been even worse for the Toffees before the break as Michael Keane escaped with just a yellow card for a wild lunge on Doku.
That decision proved to be vital as City paid a heavy price for a series of basic defensive errors.
Twice, Guardiola’s men did not heed a warning that an Everton equaliser was coming.
Gianluigi Donnarumma parried Iliman Ndiaye’s effort back into the danger area, but Merlin Rohl was not alive to the rebound.
Ndiaye then had a glorious chance after an error from Matheus Nunes, but again could not beat the giant Italian in the City goal.
When the equaliser finally arrived, City were again architects of their own downfall.
Marc Guehi’s underhit passback handed Barry the simple task of slotting past the stranded Donnarumma.
Another casual City mistake moments later led to Everton’s second.
This time, Abdukodir Khusanov was caught in possession by Ndiaye and bailed out by a last-ditch challenge from Guehi.
But from the resulting corner, O’Brien rose highest to power home a header.
Barry prodded home a third for Everton from Rohl’s deflected cross with City all at sea from a rapid counter-attack.
Within seconds, they had a lifeline, though, as straight from kick-off, Mateo Kovacic played in Haaland to halve the arrears.
Doku delivered a dagger to Everton’s hopes of European football next season right at the death.
But it may have come too little, too late to rescue City’s chances of a seventh title in nine years.
