Premier League, 5 things learned - Wayne Rooney stars as Everton hold Manchester City

Manchester: Pep Guardiola’s ten-man Manchester City put on a valiant show to salvage a point when they hosted Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

Wayne Rooney put the visitors ahead with his 200th goal in the Premier League just before Kyle Walker was given his marching orders by the referee.

However, despite frustrating the home side for long periods, Koeman’s men were denied the three points with an exquisite equaliser from substitute Raheem Sterling. More drama was witnessed in the dying minutes, with Morgan Schneiderlin being shown a second yellow.

Here are five things we learnt from last night's thrilling encounter:

1) Wayne Rooney rejuvenated at Everton

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Wayne Rooney made an emotional return back to his boyhood club, for which he received a massive pay cut despite lucrative offers from other clubs. And with 2 goals in 2 games, Rooney is back discovering his mojo where he first made his name.

A well-capped header in their opener against Stoke, gave his side the three points last week. And on Monday, the Englishman was livelier despite a difficult opposition.

The former Manchester United forward made a fine run into the City box while he was unmarked to put the Toffees upfront and linked up well with support striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Driving the ball forward, Rooney was an influential figure in the final third.

2) Dominic Calvert-Lewin proves his worth

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With the likes of Davy Klassen, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Sandro Ramirez out of the starting XI, against a genuine title contender away from home, kept the Everton faithful biting their nails.

But what was not expected was youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin coming to the party once again. The 20-year-old impressed in a wing back role against Stoke (providing an assist) last time and took his chances this time when deployed in his favourite striker role.

The English forward held the ball up well going forward and was the vital link between the forwards and the midfielders. His astute pressing was what bagged the visitors the goal and his pace and trickery proved to be a menace for the opposition defenders.

3) System conundrum for Pep Guardiola

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With a fruitful summer transfer business, Manchester City made a statement of intent in their pursuit of the Premier League title. But as they unarguably boast of the strongest squad depth in the league, the recipe to blend the perfect set of players in his preferred system has left Pep Guardiola scratching his head.

Definitely, the brand of football has improved the way the players manipulate the ball and keep the game flowing but a fixed and balanced formation still needs to be decided by the Catalan boss.

Last season, during the latter stages, the Sky Blues thrived in a 4-2-3-1 formation but at the cost of Sergio Aguero on the bench. This time, the need to pair the Argentine with Gabriel Jesus forced Pep to stick with a defensive 3-5-2 that wasn’t as buoyant despite the presence of the duo.

Pep surely can’t have all the cake but needs better planning ahead if he wishes to win any sort of silverware.

4) Everton are here for a challenge

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With a three-at-the-back system, a trend among Premier League managers, Everton boss Ronald Koeman used it to full effectiveness to contain the hosts. The Citizens were left frustrated as both their attacking orchestrators David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne were closely man-marked in midfield by Everton's Idrissa Gueye and Morgan Schneiderlin.

Whenever the Everton duo followed their markers, Ashley Williams drove higher up the pitch to provide cover.

The tactic successfully paid off as Everton nullified the threat and thrived on the counter.

5) Does the Premier League need VAR?

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We're already into the second Game week of the Premier League, but despite all the beguiling action, refereeing decisions once again proved to be shoddy.

Kyle Walker was shown two yellows despite minimum impact with the opposition player on both occasions. The decision to give a red to the former Spurs man was harsh as both, Calvert-Levin and Walker vied for a long ball, despite a small bump from Walker.

Everton also got a taste of the same medicine as Morgan Schneiderlin went into the referee’s book for the second, with Frenchman committing to a 50-50 challenge with Aguero. Once again, the decision was questionable but the referee was quick to show a card.

With changes in modern football being made through the use of VAR(Video Assistant Referee), it feels like it’s time for the Premier League to give it a thought.