Bernardo Silva scored an early goal but Erling Haaland missed a penalty as struggling Manchester City opened a run of Boxing Day games with a 1-1 draw against Everton on Thursday.

The champions’ doldrums have left them with just one win in their last 13 games in all competitions – including one in nine league games – and currently sit sixth in the table with 28 points, 11 fewer than leaders Liverpool, who have two games left has in front of him.

Pep Guardiola’s team could fall to eighth place by the end of the day.

Everton are in 15th place, five points above the drop zone.

Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images

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The Etihad Stadium crowd breathed a sigh of relief when Silva scored in the 14th minute. Jérémy Doku played a ball behind Everton’s defense and Silva slid in and shot into the far corner from a tight angle, the ball bouncing off Jarrad Branthwaite and ricocheting inside.

The goal, which saw Guardiola clenching two fists in celebration, ended Everton’s three-game losing streak.

But City’s celebration was short-lived. Iliman Ndiaye equalized Everton in the 36th minute when Manuel Akanji failed to clear a cross and the Senegalese midfielder took a touch to clear the ball and then fired a shot from the center of the box into the top right corner.

City fans thought they had secured victory when Haaland went to the penalty spot in the second half after a Seamus Coleman tackle on Savinho, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford dived to parry the shot. The rebound was sent back and Haaland headed into the net, but it was ruled offside.

The tall Norwegian, the Premier League’s top scorer for the last two seasons, has scored just four goals in City’s last 14 league games.

City had 24 shots to Everton’s eight, including a header fired from the near post by Josko Gvardiol in the opening minutes of the game.

Midway through the first half, Silva had a brilliant chance for a second goal when he met the ball on the run from the top of the 18-yard box but sent it wide. City defender Rico Lewis missed a great chance in stoppage time when he shot the ball well over the crossbar.

While City fans quickly left after what felt like defeat, Everton fans celebrated long after the final whistle, chanting “England’s number one” over Pickford, who took off his shirt in the away game and gave it to a young fan.