With one hand effectively on the Premier League trophy, Manchester City shifted focus to the FA Cup, where they faced Everton in the quarter-finals. The Cityzens had won their last three matches after the derby defeat in the league, while their winning streak prior to that included a scalp of the Toffees at Goodison Park just over a month ago.
Everton’s form had been stop-start, to say the least – they had lost their last two matches, won three in a row before that but lost another two prior. It was impossible to tell which version of Carlo Ancelotti’s side was going to turn up here, but if it had anything to do with another nine-goal cup thriller, most fans would have been quite happy.