Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas and youngsters Tom Davies and Ademola Lookman all found the net for the hosts, as they saw off Pep Guardiola's side
Manchester City's title hopes are all but over after being swept aside by Everton at Goodison Park.
Pep Guardiola's side were simply taken apart by a rampart Everton , who weathered an early storm, before taking a grip on the game through a brilliant goal from Romelu Lukaku after a slick passing move.
Then Kevin Mirallas struck again just a minute after the break to totally deflate City – who seemed to give up after that blow.
And their inept second half display, where they looked shattered and totally lacking in ideas, was put into context with a third goal for the Blues late on, when youngster Tom Davies capped a fine display by steering the ball home.
Substitute Ademola Lookman capped a fine performance when he also netted his first goal for the club.
Defence was City's fatal flaw. For all their attacking in this game, they were undone just after half time by an Everton side who were largely clinging on up to that point. Why? Because they didn't have to do anything much to score, and when you concede goals so cheaply, you will not win titles.
Pep Guardiola's side have, sometimes, vivacious attacking instinct. The combinations between De Bruyne, Silva and Sterling were often breathtaking, and it was a real mystery not only how they didn't score in the first half, but how they didn't put the game safe.
Whether it was a long ball or a short pass, De Bruyne did it with élan. He was the only from this debacle who could not be faulted, trying his hardest to get City into a position where their territorial dominance would lead to the goals they craved.
They were inches away from making it count. One cross from De Bruyne zipped across the greasy surface and eluded Sergio Aguero, who had slid into the six-yard area, by a fraction. The way he clamped his hands to face confirmed how close he was to giving Manchester City the lead.
There were other moments too. Raheem Sterling had strong calls for a penalty waved away after he was felled by a combination of Leighton Baines and Joel Robles. He was furious but it was only after seeing TV replays you appreciated how much of a case he had.
Bacary Sagna also came within a whisker of finding a way through when De Bruyne – who else? – jinked down the left flank, exchanged passes and fired in a cross but his header was cleared off the line by Davies. It was to be one of many standout moments from the 18-year-old.
By that point, City had conceded. Everton hadn’t been overly dynamic but they had shown enough to suggest that applying the right kind of pressure, pressing and intensity would bear fruit. So it proved.
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