Leicester City 0-2 Everton
Everton struck a blow to Leicester City’s slim title hopes tonight with a 2-0 win, which also improved Carlo Ancelotti’s chances of bringing European football to Goodison Park.
Following Chelsea’s surprise defeat to Wolves last night, Leicester had the chance to go top of the Premier League table, if only for a couple of hours, while Everton started the night in seventh place. But a goal in each half gave the visitors a deserved victory.
The latest Premier League 2020 betting odds, though they are tighter this season than they have been for years, have been placing the Foxes outside the Champions League places, around sixth. On this performance that looks about right, and Everton could well be in the picture too.
Highlights of the game
In a lively opening the Foxes were on the front foot from the start. Harvey Barnes turned Mason Holgate inside out and drove towards the Everton penalty area, and when the ball broke for Youri Tielemans he fired a low skidding shot just wide of the left hand post.
Despite missing some key players, the Toffees ended Chelsea’s 17 match unbeaten run last week, thanks to a Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty and they were ahead again, against the run of play when Richarlison fired home from 20 yards. The Foxes defence gave the Brazilian too much space to move the ball onto his right foot, and he took advantage to fire low into the corner. Kasper Schmeichel got a strong hand to it and should really have kept it out.
Schmeichel is a vocal keeper at the best of times, and a leader on the pitch. And now he had the job of lifting his team. And they were almost level immediately when Jamie Vardy was left totally unmarked to meet a James Justin cross but he headed straight into the hands of Robin Olsen when he should have scored.
Carlo Ancelotti had Everton set up well to frustrate Leicester and they kept the creative Foxes quiet for much of the rest of the half. But James Maddison bagged a brace as Leicester swept aside Brighton at the weekend and he was in the mood for more. He met a low cross from Cengiz Under and fired powerfully at Olsen but the keeper held on again.
The Toffees had a blow just before the break when Brazilian midfielder Allan pulled a hamstring and was stretchered off as his side went into half time with a lead.
But the second half began as the first had. The Foxes dominated and pressed for a goal and then Everton, playing on the counter attack, hit them again. The Toffees won a corner which Sigurdsson swung over and Schmeichel made a brilliant double save to keep out Yerry Mina and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but Holgate slammed in the third attempt to double the lead and score his first Premier League goal.
The Foxes thought they had a chance to get back into the game, with ten minutes remaining when Andre Gomes seemed to trip Ayoze Perez, but VAR did the right job this time and spotted that Gomes had played the ball and not the man.
Key statistics
Here at SBOTOP we offered Everton at 3.00 to win, and that proved to be excellent value as the Toffees did a professional job on their hosts, conceding 60 per cent possession to Leicester but firing six shots on target and limiting the Foxes to two.
It was Leicester’s fourth home defeat of the season and a result which nudges Everton in front in the head to heads, with ten victories to nine.
None of the last 11 meetings have ended in a draw, while Ancelotti remains unbeaten as a head coach against Brendan Rodgers in four games, twice as Real Madrid boss against Liverpool and twice with Everton against Leicester.
This was only the second clean sheet in Everton’s last 16 Premier League games as they moved up to fifth in the table.
What’s next?
With plenty more Premier League 2020 results to come this week, later tonight and tomorrow, Leicester and Everton can reflect on their own performances and keep track of their rivals.
Brendan Rodgers says he believes the title race will go down to the wire this season and his own side’s title credentials will come under more scrutiny over the next week. On Sunday the Foxes have a huge match away to Spurs before hosting Manchester United on Boxing Day. Those two games will give a good indication as to just how strong a contender Leicester is.
The Toffees also have two big games coming up within a week, when they host Arsenal and then Manchester United at Goodison Park, and then on the 26th they take a trip to South Yorkshire to face bottom club Sheffield United.
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