Bernardo Silva hails Jeremy Doku after the Belgian’s brace earned City a point at Everton
Man City captain describes the 3-3 draw as a “frustrating night” after a second-half collapse
City remain five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand & four games left to play
Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva praised Jeremy Doku after the Belgian’s injury-time equaliser salvaged a 3-3 draw at Everton on Monday night
Doku opened the scoring at the Hill Dickinson Stadium before Everton remarkably scored three times in succession to go 3-1 up with seven minutes of normal time remaining.
Erling Haaland pulled one back before Doku curled a stunning effort into the far corner in the 97th minute to snatch a point that keeps City’s title hopes alive, if only barely.
Manchester City remain five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, though the Gunners’ comfortable recent wins over Newcastle United and Fulham have restored a healthy cushion at the summit heading into the final weeks of the campaign.
Bernardo: Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough today
Speaking to official club media after full-time in Merseyside, Silva showered praise on Doku while making no attempt to dress up what had been a deeply disappointing second-half performance.
“He’s been very, very good and he’s helping us a lot,” Silva said of the Belgian winger. “He improves a lot, works every day and demands a lot from himself, which is very good.
“And he’s getting the fruits from that work and I’m happy for him, I’m happy he’s here to help. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough today but enough to get a draw.”
On the game itself, Silva was blunt. “Two different halves; first-half where we controlled quite well, second-half where we lost completely the control,” the Portugal international added.
“We went 3-1 down, happily we still managed to score two – which gives us a bit more hope. But, definitely a frustrating night.”
What does the draw mean for City’s title chances?
The point leaves City with a mountain to climb. With Arsenal facing Crystal Palace, Burnley and West Ham in their final Premier League fixtures, Guardiola will be hoping for the kind of favour from elsewhere in the division that no title-chasing team ever wants to rely on.
City face Brentford, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Aston Villa in their final four Premier League games – alongside the FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley – in what is shaping up to be a defining May for the Blues.
Doku himself admitted that losing two points “feels painful” but vowed City owe it to themselves and their fans to keep fighting until the very end.