Everton 3-3 Man City: Jeremy Doku salvages point in six-goal thriller

​Jeremy Doku’s 97th-minute equaliser rescued a point for Manchester City in a chaotic 3-3 draw against Everton, but a night of defensive frailty at the Hill Dickinson Stadium may have handed the Premier League title to Arsenal.

​Pep Guardiola’s side appeared to be cruising toward a vital three points after Doku’s sublime first-half opener, but they were stunned by a 13-minute second-half collapse that saw the Toffees score three times to turn the game on its head. The result leaves City five points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand, meaning the Gunners now have their destiny in their own hands with just three games remaining. ​For much of the first half, City looked every bit the champions-in-waiting. Despite the unfamiliar surface at the Hill Dickinson Stadium causing early slips, the visitors pinned Everton back. Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo both went close before Doku broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute, cutting inside on his left foot to lash a magnificent strike into Jordan Pickford’s top corner. ​

However, the match was transformed after the interval as Everton, led by the tactical bravery of Sean Dyche, found a second wind. The equaliser arrived in the 68th minute through substitute Thierno Barry, who capitalised on a horrendous defensive error from Marc Guéhi to poke the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

​Goodison Park—or rather, its temporary 2026 home—erupted five minutes later when Jake O’Brien rose highest to glance James Garner’s corner into the far corner. City were visibly rattled, and the situation worsened in the 81st minute when Merlin Röhl’s scuffed shot fell kindly for Barry to notch his second of the night, sparking scenes of pandemonium. ​

Guardiola’s men showed the grit of champions to respond immediately. Erling Haaland, largely peripheral for an hour, clinicaly chipped Pickford just two minutes after Barry’s second to give City hope. In a frantic finale, the visitors threw everything forward, and with almost the final kick of the match, Doku mirrored his first-half heroics by cutting inside and smashing a right-footed effort into the net to salvage a point.

​While the late show prevented a total disaster, the mood in the City camp was one of missed opportunity. Everton move to 10th and remain in the hunt for European football, but the biggest cheers of the night were likely heard in North London, where Arsenal are now the firm favourites to end their 22-year wait for a league title.