Leicester City 1-2 Everton; The Toffees out-fox the Foxes to move out of the relegation zone

Back-to-back wins in the Premier League means Frank Lampard’s Everton have moved out of the relegation zone, with Leeds dropping in after their loss to Arsenal. The toffees produced a blistering performance away from home as superhero Jordan Pickford delivered another heroic performance to keep Everton’s survival hopes alive.

With Norwich and Watford already relegated, the Toffees are in a rumble with Leeds United and Burnley for survival, and Frank Lampard’s men could not have picked a better time to be in form. First-half goals from Vitaly Mykolenko and Mason Holgate were enough for Everton to slip away with the three points. Patson Daka scored in-between Everton’s two goals, but Jordan Pickford, who was sensational in the win against Chelsea, was at it again to ensure his team secured maximum points.

FIRST HALF

A frantic start to the game saw Yerry Mina prevent Patson Daka from opening the scoring for the Foxes with a stunning block before the visitors drew first blood with their first attack in the game. Wing-back Vitaly Mykolenko rifled home a thunderous volley into the bottom corner from 20 yards out in the sixth minute. He could not have picked a better time to score his first goal of the season. Abdoulaye Doucoure came close to doubling the lead minutes later when he forced Kasper Schmeichel into a desperate save.

Five minutes after opening the scoring, Everton were left to rue that missed chance as Leicester pounced down the other end and leveled the scores. Patson Daka capitalized on a calamitous mix-up in the Blues’ defense and coolly slotted home. 

In a show of strength and resilience, the visitors were back in front before the break through Mason Holgate. The Englishman headed home a rebound from close range after Richarlison had his header saved by Schmeichel.

SECOND HALF

Both sides looked to pick up where they left off in the first half, but their end-to-end football produced fewer chances. Ex-Leicester forward Demarai Gray lashed his shot wildly over the bar before Pickford produced a sensational save to deny Nampalys Mendy and Leicester an equalizer. The England international became pivotal as the final whistle approached, making a pair of terrific saves down to his left to deny Harvey Barnes.

The third time’s supposed to be a charm, but Barnes again failed to capitalize and wasted another glorious chance late on, heading wide from close range. Leicester City continues to plummet. They were knocked out of the Conference league by Jose Mourinho’s Roma courtesy of a Tammy Abraham goal. Today’s loss means they have gone five Premier League games without a win, and Brendan Rodgers has it to do. Everton, on the other hand, have ended an unimpressive run of eight successive away defeats. They have now moved out of the relegation zone after Leeds’ loss at Arsenal.