Everton were unable to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League over the weekend after they tasted defeat against Manchester City.
David Moyes saw his side put in a solid showing against the reigning champions, but their quality prevailed in the end.
Premier League survival was confirmed over the weekend for Everton, with just Ipswich Town now waiting for their fate to be sealed.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 11 |  BrentfordBrentford | 33 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 56 | 50 | 6 | 46 |
| 12 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 33 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 44 |
| 13 |  EvertonEverton | 33 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 34 | 40 | -6 | 38 |
| 14 |  Man UtdManchester United | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 38 | 46 | -8 | 38 |
There could have been something in the game for the Toffees had they shown more quality going forward.
But referee Simon Hooper was slammed for a mistake he made in Everton vs Man City after Jeremy Doku ran the ball out of play in the lead up to their second goal.
Pep Guardiola hailed Everton’s set-piece quality after the game, but there was something which Jamie Carragher wasn’t too impressed by.
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Jamie Carragher critiques Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite
Despite coming undone in the final 10 minutes of the game, Jake O’Brien was praised for his defensive work in the Everton backline.
However, the same could not be said for some of his teammates.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher admitted he wasn’t overly impressed by Jarrad Branthwaite’s positioning for the first goal.
“The game turned a lot on Michael Keane coming on the pitch. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a great time with Tarkowski going off who’s been a top centre-back for Everton,” he said.
“You can look at Branthwaite as well. He’s got to fill that space [cover the cross] as centre-backs do; the John Terry position.
“Fill that space and say to the fella crossing: ‘Try to beat me’.
Moyes has informed clubs Branthwaite is not for sale, but Carragher has provided a reminder that he is not quite the finished article just yet.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a solid season for the Toffees, but he was perhaps undone without his usual partner alongside him for the final 30 minutes, in this instance.
James Tarkowski proved a huge loss for Everton
Carragher was not alone in pinpointing the moment the game turned on its head for the Toffees.
Chris Sutton also said Tarkowksi was a huge miss after he went off through injury against the Premier League champions.
It is going to be interesting to see how Moyes addresses the issue, though.
Jake O’Brien could potentially return to centre-back, with Keane leaving a lot to be desired ahead of his imminent Everton exit.
Speaking after the game, Moyes admitted there will be a concern if Everton do have to play without the 32-year-old.
“An injury to Tarkowski or to Jarrad (Branthwaite) gives me the chance to see how we are going to play and what we are going to do,” he said.
“I didn’t feel as comfortable. I feel we should have dealt with the first goal better than we did.
“You could feel [we lost his presence]. Man City could sense it too. It’s something as a club we need to consider because if we do lose him, Jarrad and the goalkeeper are an incredibly strong part of the team, and when one of them is out, you can see that it can have a big effect.”
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