Manchester City defender John Stones has expressed his disgust with Everton’s style of play, claiming that they were wasting time.
Man City defender John Stones blames Everton of wasting time in a disappointing draw at the Etihad Stadium on the last day of 2022. Stones accused Everton of wasting time in order to frustrate the determined city team.
Despite the fact that the two teams shared the spoils at the Etihad Stadium, City dominated the first half, taking the lead on 24 minutes when Erling Haaland beat Jordan Pickford after being set up by Riyad Mahrez.
However, any momentum City had after the interval vanished as the game was paused for an extended period due to a technical malfunction for the assistant referee. Everton equalized when the game was restarted.
As Demarai Gray took full advantage of Rodri’s blunder and scored brilliantly. Following that, several of Frank Lampard’s men succumbed to cramp and a disappointed home crowd had to settle for a point.
Stones expressed his displeasure with the game’s delays and disturbances after the game. He said:
“I don’t really know what to say. I feel like we’ve lost two points. When the game is so disrupted, a lot of time-wasting, that was part of the plan and we had to deal with that. We did and kept creating chances but it didn’t come off. We have to take the positives.
“We had to go for it after that and go for as many players high up the pitch as possible. We definitely did that and had some great chances to win the game at the end. At the other end, it gets overshadowed how we defended.
“We conceded two shots all game but it’s overlooked because of that incredible goal. On reflection we’ll be more positive when we look back I’m sure.” He added.
The game had an overall feisty vibe to it, with a lot of confrontations and conflicts fueling the competitive fixture. The Norwegian talisman and city’s goal scorer also saw a booking for a harsh challenge and had his temper tested.
Manchester City put up a fantastic performance but did not get the intended result; they have now dropped three points behind Arsenal but will aim to regain their winning momentum in their next match.