Haaland's penalty miss extends City's winless run as Everton hold on for a draw

Manchester City's turbulent end to the year showed no signs of easing as Erling Haaland's penalty miss proved costly in a frustrating 1-1 draw against Everton at the Etihad Stadium on 26 December.

Despite taking an early lead through Bernardo Silva, City's struggles continued with Iliman Ndiaye equalising for Everton and Jordan Pickford denying Haaland from the spot in a pivotal moment of the match.

City appeared in control early on, opening the scoring in the 14th minute when Silva latched onto Jeremy Doku's pass, weaving between defenders before firing a deflected shot past Pickford.

The goal, aided by Jarrad Branthwaite's unfortunate touch, gave City a deserved lead. However, the champions failed to capitalise on their dominance, with Silva missing a golden opportunity to double the advantage just before the half-hour mark, blasting over from close range after a neat layoff from Phil Foden.

Everton punished City's wastefulness in the 36th minute. Abdoulaye Doucoure's precise cross from the right found Ndiaye at the far post, who expertly controlled the ball and hammered it into the top corner past Stefan Ortega.

City's defensive lapses, including mistakes from Manuel Akanji and Rico Lewis, proved costly as Everton seized their moment.

City's best chance to restore their lead came early in the second half when Vitaliy Mykolenko brought down Savinho in the penalty area. Referee Simon Hooper awarded the spot-kick, and Haaland stepped up to take it.

However, his tame effort was saved by Pickford, who guessed correctly to deny the Norwegian. Haaland's attempt to redeem himself seconds later by heading in a rebound was quickly ruled out for offside.

The penalty miss marked a rare lapse for Haaland, who has now missed just two of his 17 Premier League penalties for City. It also highlighted the ongoing struggles of both player and team, with Haaland managing only two goals in his last eight league matches.

City, meanwhile, have now won just one of their last nine league games.

Guardiola's side tried to rally, with Josko Gvardiol's header glancing off the post and several promising chances created in the second half.

Yet Everton grew in confidence as the match progressed, nearly snatching a late winner when Doucoure's deflected volley and Orel Mangala's late strike both narrowly missed the target.

The result leaves City enduring their worst run in over two decades, with their title defence increasingly under threat.

Everton, on the other hand, will be buoyed by a hard-earned point, their third consecutive draw in the league.

City face a crucial test in their next fixture against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on 29 December, while Everton prepare to host Nottingham Forest on the same day.