| Everton | 1-0 | Manchester City |
| (0-0) | ||
| Gibson 60 | ||
Manchester City allowed Man Utd to close the gap at the top of the Barclays Premier League 2011/12 table by falling to a January deadline day defeat at the hands of Everton at Goodison Park on the evening of Tuesday January 31st 2012.
Despite being dominated in terms of possession and shots, Everton rode their luck before scoring the eventual winner through Darren Gibson on the hour mark – a first goal for the Irish former Manchester United man since joining the Toffees on 13 January, and one which has done his former club a huge favour.
The match did not spring to life until the second half, and an uninspiring first period was highlighted by the strange actions of one fan, who handcuffed himself to Joe Hart’s post, creating a 5 minute delay to proceedings.
The result moves Everton up to 9th place in the table, while City remain top by virtue of the goal difference they accumulated what now seems like a long time ago, at the start of this season.
