It is a little more than two years since Pep Guardiola suffered one of the lowest moments of his Manchester City reign as his side were thrashed 4-0 by Everton at Goodison Park.
The two clubs look poles apart this season, with City battling for glory on four fronts while Everton are out of both domestic cup competitions and sitting mid-table in the the Premier League.
As City prepare to go to Everton on Wednesday night, Press Association Sport looks back to their memorable meeting at Goodison Park in January 2017.
Everton 4 Manchester City 0 – January 15, 2017, Goodison Park
Guardiola had been at the Etihad for only a few months but, instead of a title race, finishing in the top four became more of a priority after the heaviest defeat of his tenure left them 10 points behind league leaders Chelsea.
Despite having 71 per cent possession, City lacked penetration in the final third and they were left to rue that as Everton scored four times across their six attempts on goal.
FT | Everton 4-0 City Ugh. pic.twitter.com/HICCqdj8Os — Manchester City (@ManCity) January 15, 2017
They took the lead in the 34th minute as Tom Davies seized on a Gael Clichy error and released Kevin Mirallas down the right. The Belgian played the perfect ball into the centre for his countryman Romelu Lukaku to side-foot home.
Two minutes into the second half, John Stones – booed intermittently following his £50million transfer to City the previous summer – could only deflect a pass before the ball was worked to Mirallas, who fired home.
Everton wrapped up the win through the influential Davies' superb strike in the 79th minute before £11million debutant Ademola Lookman finished calmly deep into stoppage time.
What has happened to both clubs since?
The response from City was not immediately emphatic, with a 2-2 draw to Tottenham six days later, but they went on to lose only once more in the league – at eventual champions Chelsea – that season.
That laid the foundations for an all-out assault in the following campaign, during which City breached the 100-point and 100-goal barrier as they breezed to the Premier League title and won the Carabao Cup for good measure.
It has not been such smooth sailing for Guardiola this term as Everton's neighbours Liverpool lead the way in the title race, although their recent wobble means City could go top with victory over the Toffees.
Everton, meanwhile, despite their best attempts, have failed to break into the top six and have dispensed with several managers in the last couple of years.
That comprehensive win over City was arguably the highlight of Ronald Koeman's time on Merseyside – which came to an end in October 2017 – with David Unsworth taking caretaker charge ahead of Sam Allardyce's often maligned six-month appointment.
Everton have bankrolled Marco Silva since his arrival last summer but the Portuguese, too, is struggling with the weight of expectation as the club sit ninth in the standings – 14 points behind sixth-placed Arsenal.
The unfortunate truth is that they have not improved their situation on the pitch, which could be impacted by a proposed move to a new stadium in the coming years.
