Why was Everton v Man City postponed? And what happens next? | OneFootball

On Monday, Premier League fans were shocked by the news that Everton’s enticing clash with Manchester City had been postponed approximately four hours before kick-off.

The postponement was due to an outbreak of Covid-19 in the City camp, with the club confirming the Premier League had agreed to call the game off based on “strong medical advice”.

City duo Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus both missed their side’s Boxing Day victory over Newcastle United after testing positive for the virus, and further tests conducted prior to the Everton game revealed further positive cases.

According to The Athletic, a total of five City players along with at least two club staff members have tested positive, and they will now self-isolate for at least 10 days as per medical guidelines.

Later in the evening, Everton released a statement of their own in which they requested “full disclosure” of the precise reasons for the postponement.

“Our players were prepared for the game, as were both the team staff and everyone at Goodison,” read the statement.

“Matchday is the most important date in our calendar. And this was a big one.

“Whilst Everton will always have public safety uppermost, we will be requesting full disclosure of all the information that Manchester City provided to the Premier League so the Club can be clear on why this decision was taken.”

What happens next?

City announced on Monday that their training facility will now be closed for an “indeterminate period” and their players and staff all underwent further Covid-19 tests on Tuesday, the results of which have not been released at the time of writing.

However, the Premier League confirmed on Tuesday that the latest round of testing revealed 18 positive cases across the whole league, which is the highest number since the first round of testing back in August.

Nine EFL matches scheduled to take place on Tuesday evening have also now been postponed following positive Covid-19 cases but as things stand, Tuesday’s Premier League fixtures are all expected to proceed as planned.

When Everton’s rearranged fixture with City is likely to take place is anybody’s guess.

If City were to make it to the final of the three cup competitions they are currently involved in, they would likely have to play three matches per week until the end of the season.

If more of their fixtures had to be postponed, their schedule could quickly become unmanageable.

Pep Guardiola’s side are due to face Chelsea in the Premier League on 3 November before travelling to face Manchester United in the Carabao Cup semi-final three days later.

It is not yet known whether those fixtures will go ahead as planned, but the Carabao Cup final being moved to April means there should feasibly be a way for the semi-final to be rearranged for a later date.

Why weren’t City made to play without their infected players?

This was a question being asked by many on social media on Monday, with many citing a report from the Daily Mail earlier this year which stated that clubs had been informed by the Premier League that games would have to go ahead if they could provide 14 fit players.

However, The Times report on Tuesday that the 14 fit players rule is not cast iron, and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Earlier in December, Newcastle’s Premier League fixture with Aston Villa was also postponed after five Newcastle players and two staff members tested positive.

As things stand, there is no precedent in the Premier League of a club being made to play with 14 players, but it remains to be seen whether that will happen in the future.