21 September 2024
Leicester City 1 Everton 1
The Foxes welcomed Sean Dyche’s Everton to the King Power Stadium. Neither side had managed to register a first win of the season so far, although The Toffees had made sure of that in the most dramatic style. In their last two games they had let two-goal leads slip to lose matches in the worst way possible. Something needed to change.
A new addition seems to be a bugle player before kick-off for Steve Cooper’s side. It almost seems like the anthem played up and down the country on Remembrance Day. For Leicester fans, we hope this is not a sombre gesture to think of the fallen in their attempts to stay in the Premier League at the end of the season.
Everton made a good start to the game and Ndiaye was causing problems down the left. He got himself into space before putting a brilliant cross, which picked out Lindstrom at the back post. Completely unmarked, six yards from goal, he sliced his effort wide of the goal. You cannot afford to miss chances like that at this level.
Fortunately for the travelling fans, they did not have to wait long before they had something to celebrate. The impressive Ndiaye ran at The Foxes defence, before checking onto his right foot and getting a shot away from the edge of the box. It struck the inside of the post and nestled into the back of the net to give Sean Dyche’s side the perfect start.
The visitors dominated the opening exchanges of the game. A sublime pass picked out Lindstrom out wide. He held the ball up before passing it into the feet of Calvert-Lewin in the box. His attempted shot was well blocked but it broke to The Toffees winger. He struck a venomous shot which was well saved by Hermansen in the Leicester goal.
As the rain beat down at the King Power Stadium, it summed up the mood of the Leicester City fans. Mavididi then looked to cross into the box and Pickford almost gifted them an equaliser. As he looked to catch the ball, he patted onto the inside of the post and struggled to keep it out of the goal. Thankfully for Toffees’ fans the technology agreed it had not crossed the line.
The rain turned into hailstones and both sides were kept in the tunnel before play was to resume after the interval. Everton continued to turn the screw and Ndiaye was at the heart of the action again. He tried to beat Hermansen from a tight angle but his shot flew over the target, failing to trouble the Leicester City keeper.
He was the one bright spark in this Everton team. Whenever he got the ball, he looked capable of hurting The Foxes. Calvert-Lewin then flicked the ball to Lindstrom. As he skipped past his marker, Ndiaye was screaming for the ball, completely unmarked in the middle. Only a last-ditch challenge could prevent him from providing the pass to his teammate.
As an attack broke down for the hosts, Everton countered with real pace. The Toffees had a three on two situation as McNeil fed it into the path of Calvert-Lewin in the box. He drilled a shot towards the far corner but Hermansen got down well to deny him. Another big chance went begging for the visitors to double their lead.
The Foxes continued to throw players forward in search of a goal. Dyche’s side were looking very questionable at the back. Pickford this season looks less England’s number one but more like someone not guaranteed of remaining in that position for Everton. Cooper’s side were starting to ask serious questions of their opponents.
Leicester forced a corner and as the ball came into the box, Everton struggled to clear their lines. As the ball dropped in the six-yard box, Mavididi spun to turn the ball home, much to the delight of the Foxes’ fans. Once again The Toffees failed to see a game out and dropped more points. As they trudged off the pitch their players could be seen arguing with one another.
The points were shared at the King Power Stadium, which seemed a far better result for Leicester City. The Foxes battled well to grab a point after being behind for such a large portion of the game. Immediately after the full time whistle, Crufts announced that anyone associated to Everton football club had lifetime bans from entering the competition due to their inability to hold onto leads. It doesn’t rain, it pours at Goodison Park right now.
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