Jeremy Doku did what Manchester City needed him to do. Four minutes into stoppage time at Goodison Park, with Everton three goals to two ahead and the Premier League title slipping away, the Belgian winger picked up the ball on the left and drove into the box before firing an equaliser that sent the travelling City fans into delirium. The final score read 3-3, and it felt like a draw that could end up mattering enormously.
City had led through a first-half goal from Erling Haaland, but Everton stunned them with a chaotic 13-minute spell in the second half that produced three goals — one of which came from a Marc Guehi own goal that sent pundits scrambling for explanations. For a team that still harbours genuine title ambitions, that collapse was hard to watch. Haaland pulled one back on 83 minutes before Doku's equaliser rescued a point that might not be enough.
The collapse that could cost City everything
Between the 68th and 81st minutes at Goodison, Manchester City looked like a side that had run out of ideas, energy, and defensive organisation all at once. Thierno Barry scored twice for Everton, with a Jake O'Brien header sandwiched in between. The crowd was loud, City were rattled, and Pep Guardiola's face on the touchline told the full story. His side had been three goals clear on aggregate until that point. Then they weren't. The manner of the collapse — particularly the Guehi error that gifted Everton their equaliser — was the sort of thing that haunts a title campaign.
For Everton, the three goals came from a combination of set-piece quality and City's inability to deal with direct play when they were pushed deep. Barry was the standout performer, finishing clinically on both occasions and showing exactly why he has been one of the more underrated forwards in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal now firmly in control
The maths of it are clear. Arsenal, who beat Fulham comfortably on Monday with Myles Lewis-Skelly among the standout performers, will go into their match against West Ham knowing that a win would confirm them as Premier League champions. Jamie Carragher said it plainly on Sky Sports: beat West Ham, and Arsenal win the league. That is not an exaggeration. That is the table.
City cannot rely on Arsenal slipping up. They still have games to play, and Doku's late equaliser at least keeps them mathematically in it, but the initiative has shifted. A team that was widely expected to mount a genuine title challenge has now drawn at Everton and handed Arsenal what looks like a decisive advantage. Whether Guardiola can find answers before the final whistle of the season is another question entirely.
Doku the spark, but questions remain
Doku's rescue act masked some deeper concerns. City were sloppy in possession, struggled to press high effectively, and looked short of the intensity that has defined their best performances over the past three seasons. Haaland remains dangerous — his goal on 83 minutes showed he can still make things happen from very little — but the supply to him has been patchy. Whether City can sustain their intensity heading into the final weeks of the season is genuinely uncertain.
The next few days will go a long way to deciding where this title ends up. Arsenal play West Ham. City need to be flawless. Right now, only one of those things looks likely.
Match facts: Everton 3-3 Manchester City | Premier League | Goodison Park, 4 May 2026 | Goals: Haaland (pen, 34'), Barry (68', 73'), O'Brien (77'), Haaland (83'), Doku (90'+4)
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