A look at how Everton's draw with Manchester City was covered elsewhere
Thierno Barry celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall James Garner and Iliman Ndiaye during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester City at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Lee Parker - CameraSport via Getty Images
Thierno Barry celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall James Garner and Iliman Ndiaye. Photo by Lee Parker - CameraSport via Getty Images
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A stunning second half assault on Pep Guardiola's title challengers brought Everton to the cusp of a famous victory only for the dream of three points to be shattered deep into stoppage time.
Goals from Thierno Barry either side of a Jake O'Brien header put the Blues into a 3-1 lead as they pummelled Manchester City. Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku rescued a point that left both sides disappointed with a draw that, at various points in a turbulent game, they each looked destined to win.
The national media focused on how Everton had potentially landed a decisive blow in the race to be crowned Premier League champions and, while some familiar frustrations crept in to haul City level, there was plenty of praise for the way David Moyes' side crashed through their glory-seeking opponents.
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For Shamoon Hafez, of BBC Sport, Iliman Ndiaye was a standout despite his missed chances. He wrote: "The Scot's side were all over City in the second half and with better finishing could have been out of sight, before they conceded to Doku's stunning last-gasp equaliser.
"Iliman Ndiaye ran the City backline ragged and forced Donnarumma into a full-stretch save low down - then the Senegal winger had an even better chance four minutes later when Guehi and Matheus Nunes got in each other's way, but he was denied by the Italy keeper again. Barry's equaliser was awarded as the offside had been reset by Guehi deemed to be in controlled possession of the ball with no pressure from the Everton striker, who took full advantage of the error to equalise.
"The Frenchman scored again after O'Brien's thumping header and Everton looked set for all three points until they conceded a goal past the 90th minute for a third consecutive game."
In The Times, Paul Joyce described events at Hill Dickinson Stadium as "enthralling" and wrote: "It is advantage Arsenal, who would have found interrupting preparations for Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid hugely rewarding. Not simply by virtue of witnessing a remarkable spectacle that pummelled the senses as it swung this way and then that, but also because by the time it was over, their lead at the summit of the Premier League stood at a gaping five points.
"City have only themselves to blame for that. From a position of ascendancy at half-time, they unravelled alarmingly under pressure from what Guardiola described as an 'incredibly, incredibly aggressive' Everton side, who were totally transformed by David Moyes’s half-time team talk."
Ian Ladyman, in the Daily Mail said City's title hopes appeared to have been "washed away on a tide of cacophonous Evertonian noise".
He added: "Everton left Goodison Park last May but maybe this was the night they well and truly said hello to their new stadium at Bramley-Moore. Trailing at half-time to a Jeremy Doku goal after 45 minutes of City pressure, David Moyes’ Everton team almost sank City’s season with a second half display of attacking fire and brimstone that earned them three quick goals and brought Pep Guardiola’s players to their knees.
"Only Doku’s second goal in the 97th minute – a carbon copy of his first - gave City a point that saved them from complete and utter disaster. Should the teams even have been playing when Doku curled in a simply superb equaliser from the angle of the penalty area? Referee Michael Oliver had signalled six minutes of added time and they had already been played. Twice City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had ventured forward for corners and twice nothing had come of it."
Ladyman was not the only reporter to question the officiating, with Andy Hunter stating in The Guardian: "City were in command and in the lead after a dominant first half. By the 81st minute they trailed 3-1, the Everton substitute Thierno Barry scoring twice, either side of a Jake O’Brien header.
"It could have been worse had the video assistant referee penalised Bernardo Silva for a blatant foul on Merlin Röhl inside the City penalty area. City, however, confirmed they will not be going anywhere without a fight. Erling Haaland reduced the arrears immediately after Everton’s third before Doku curled his second sublime finish of the night around Jordan Pickford from the edge of the area.
"Six minutes of stoppage time had been signalled, but the referee, Michael Oliver, added an extra minute for the introduction of Harrison Armstrong for Tim Iroegbunam. Iroegbunam was off the pitch injured at the time so, according to David Moyes, 'there was no need to add the extra 30 seconds on'."
The ECHO, meanwhile, also led on fury over key decisions on a night Everton swung between brilliance and calamity: "There were boos at the start and there were boos at the end. All with the same target in mind. When Manchester City attacked in the seventh minute of the six added on, the whole stadium was prepared for Michael Oliver’s whistle. It did not come.
"Instead, one more attack was allowed to develop. One more corner. And one more moment of brilliance from Jeremy Doku. The away side needed it. It was a goal that just about keeps their Premier League title hopes alive. It was a valuable point for Everton’s European dreams too.
"But it could have been so much more. It should have been so much more. There is an argument they deserved for it to be so much more. Yet this match ended in anger and frustration, not celebration. After maintaining the loud boos for the league’s handshake at the start of the game the home supporters raised the decibels at the end as a chorus of ‘Premier League, corrupt as f***’ echoed around a stadium that was built for the atmosphere those in Royal Blue created in a stunning second half."