End-To-End Game Ends 2-2…

Leicester V Everton Match report by Tom Shapland

SPLIT STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE

A colossal game between two historic clubs in the English Premier League as Leicester hosted Everton to a 2-2 draw filled with drama. Leicester went into the game with 29 points whilst the visitors came with 28, a point difference with a place in England’s finest division potentially on the line. A draw was enough to scrape Leicester out of the relegation zone but would not have been the result they wanted to walk away with on Monday night at the King Power.

Everton came into the game losing four out their last five League away games taken place on a Monday (D1), failing to score on 4 occasions in that run. However, this didn’t stop Dyche’s team from making an energetic start to the game. In the 9^th minute Iversen was called into action after Iwobi’s first time effort into the top-left corner was tremendously stopped by Leicester’s number 31 as he parried it over the bar.

Just 5 minutes later, Everton were awarded a penalty after Castagne pushed Calvert-Lewin in the box, with the striker taking full advantage to go down. The Everton striker then slotted his penalty straight down the middle with Iversen diving to his right. 1-0 to the toffees, a nightmare start for the Foxes.

It wasn’t long after when Leicester struck back, in the 22^nd second minute a Barnes cross was headed back into the box by Faes, with a sliding strike from Soyuncu being what bettered Jordan Pickford as the ball snuck under him. 1-1, game on!

In the 33^rd minute an incisive through ball from James Maddison split open Everton’s defence leaving Jamie Vardy one on one with Pickford and with Vardy doing the most Vardy thing possible, he took it round the keeper before finding the back of the net. 2-1 Leicester and Smith’s side had turned the game on its head.

A horrible Seamus Coleman injury saw a substantial amount of added time at the end of the first half. In this time, a Barnes cross hit the arm of Keane in the box, with Michael Oliver pointing straight to the spot. James Maddison took the ball off Tielemans and struck it straight down the middle with Pickford comfortably stopping the effort. The Everton keeper celebrated like he had just won the Champions League with a last-minute penalty save. The teams went in at the break with Leicester winning 2-1 but with a cloud looming over them after that late penalty miss.

Everton came out in the second half in the same manor they started the first. Calvert-Lewin and Iversen’s thrilling duel had been rekindled just minutes into the second half when the Leicester keeper was called upon to make a tremendous save yet again. A low right-footed shot into the bottom left was denied by the boot of Iversen.

However, Everton’s momentum was rewarded in the 54^th minute when Mcneil’s left wing cross was cleared by Faes, but only as far as Iwobi who drilled the ball passed Iversen to level the game once again, 2-2 and the Toffees were back in the game.

Leicester kept battling and in the 59^th minute Maddison crossed to the back post, with Barnes heading back across goal to find Vardy, whose header beats Pickford but not Tarkowski who headed clear off the line.

The chances continued for the home team, as Pickford came racing out of his goal to deal with a long ball but was intercepted by Vardy, the Leicester striker then turned and shot without looking, narrowly missing and hitting the outside netting. A big scare for Everton as Jordan Pickford survived an embarrassing error.

Once again Iversen was called to duty when Doucoure smacked a left footed strike that seemed destined for the bottom left-hand corner. The Leicester keeper once again parrying behind after a heroic performance all game.

The game finished 2-2 between the two relegation battling sides, with Everton sitting in a dangerous 19^th place and Leicester escaping up the table to 16^th. As relegation clashes go, this one delivered far more than could have been expected. Nail biting stuff as both teams were fighting for their lives with a roaring crowd throughout the 90. Survival remains in the hands of the Foxes as they travel to Fulham next. With everything on the line, every game needs a result for the Foxes and it’s up to Dean Smith and his team to deliver that to the fans. Monday 8^th May, 3PM, Craven Cottage. Come on Leicester!