Premier League: Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini disappointed with Everton draw

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini believes his side should have been out of sight after missing a host of first-half chances in their 1-1 draw at Everton.

It took City until the 74th minute to break the deadlock at Goodison Park thanks to Fernandinho’s header but Steven Naismith hit straight back for the hosts minutes later to seal a point.

And Pellegrini revealed his disappointment at his side’s wastefulness in front of goal as they dropped two points in the title race.

“We are not happy with a point because I think we have three or four clear chances in the first 20 to 25 minutes where we can decide the game,” the Chilean told Sky Sports.

“But we didn’t. We didn’t finish well and after that it was more of a close game in the second half. Everton improved their performance and took their chance at the set piece.

“It’s important to score one of those chances that we had at the beginning of the game because it can give you more time to prepare for the second half. Everton were in a bad moment and were nervous so getting a 1-0 lead was important for our team but we didn’t score.”

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City are now unbeaten in 12 Premier League matches but are two points adrift of Chelsea in top spot after what was a tough day at the office for the champions on Merseyside.

But Pellegrini, who expected a hard fought match with Everton, believes the draw was a fair result in the end.

“We knew that the most dangerous thing at Everton was set pieces because they have tall players,” he added.

“The referee saw it was a foul and they took advantage of that to score a good goal.

“I expected them to be strong from the beginning. I expected a tough game because they are a very good team with very good players.

“If you ask me about what I saw in the second half then the draw is a fair result.”