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Post by Avinalaff on Apr 9, 2017 19:31:27 GMT
Thanks rugbytoffeeFull HD match in the match room together with Post Match if anybody wants to watch it again.
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Post by Everton News. on Apr 9, 2017 21:11:34 GMT
Nobody blinked, nobody took their eyes of a dramatically fluctuating spectacle that offered up all the unique excitement of the Premier League. And, in the end, goals from Tom Davies, Romelu Lukaku, Phil Jagielka and Lukaku again - his 22nd and 23rd in the Premier League this season - secured for Everton a victory which sustains hope of a top-six finish and the certainty of European football next season. With Morgan Schneiderlin restored to the Everton midfield, heat shields might have been justified at pitchside, such was the scorching nature of the first half when five of the game's six goals were scored and the lead flipped between the team's three times. To suggest it was an open game as the action got underway would be an understatement. Three goals in the opening 10 minutes, Everton had the lead after 30 seconds and within no time at all had conceded an equaliser and then another to be 2-1 down. It was head in the hands time, but there was plenty of drama to follow as well. Kevin Mirallas initiated the early breakthrough, getting the better of Leicester's Yohan Benalounane and seeing space open up before him. When the Belgian went down there were appeals for a foul but Davies was prepared to settle for nothing less than a goal, picking up possession amid the chaos in the penalty area and coolly slotting the ball past Kasper Schmeichel. Dream starts don't come any better. But the lead did not last for long. Just as Leicester had been caught napping, Everton followed suit. Demarai Gray was allowed to send Islam Slimani through and he made made no mistake as he placed his shot through the legs of Joel Robles. Both goals had been swift counters. Everton took a hold of possession, but Leicester broke again and, incredibly, claimed the lead when Jamie Vardy won a free-kick on the left and Marc Albrighton fired in a delivery to the back post with Robles misjudging the flight and the ball ending up in the net without another touch. There have been few more fluctuating, frenetic openings to a Premier League game this season. But just as the flow and momentum in the game had swung once, so it swung again. The Blues were dominant in possession and another opening was inevitable. The quality of the equalising goal when it came was exquisite. Ross Barkley took the all on the right and his delivery would have landed on a five pence piece. As it was, the cross split right through the Leicester defenders, Robert Huth and Benalouane, and Lukaku punished them cruelly with a clinical header into the corner past Schmeichel. With this goal, his 22nd in the Premier League this season and 23rd in total, Lukaku became the first Everton player since Fred Pickering to score in eight successive home games (12 in total). Four goals in 23 minutes and still there was more to come. Happily, Everton were able to build on their momentum this time. Barkley rolled the ball to Idrissa Gana Gueye whose shot took a deflection off Huth and spun just wide of the post. From the resultant corner kick, the ball was half cleared before a crunching, perfectly-timed tackle by Davies presented Barkley with a glorious chance but Schmeichel managed to get a hand on the shot to push the ball wide. But it was coming, and this time from the corner kick it did come. A perfect delivery, flat and direct, was headed powerfully by Jagielka past Schmeichel and into the left corner of the net. A second goal in a week for the skipper and just as thrilling as the goal that had so tantalisingly almost won the game for the Blues against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Perhaps we should not have been so surprised by the frantic goings-on. Leicester have conceded the most first-half goals (28) of any team in the Premier League this season. But Everton were determined to seal the win with another goal. It came just before the hour from another corner, this time flicked on by Jagielka and at the back post Lukaku was the right man in the right place to apply the coup de grace. His 30th goal for club and country this season. With a two-goal advantage, the outstanding Schneiderlin made way and, for Leicester, Riyad Mahrez came on for Vardy. It was from Mahrez's corner kick that Leicester came closest to closing the gap with Leonardo Ulloa's bullet header blocked point-blank by Gana when it looked like it might be headed in. Davies and Mirallas were in excellent form throughout and the spectacle was truly riveting. Perhaps it was not quite revenge for the FA Cup game earlier in the season, but it felt good to the tens of thousands of Evertonians who were in thrall to the fluctuations of a gripping game. Everton FC
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Post by Everton News. on Apr 9, 2017 21:24:54 GMT
Ronald Koeman hailed an “outstanding” and “clever” team performance after Everton recorded a 4-2 victory over Leicester City at Goodison Park. In a breathtaking first half, the Blues took the lead after only 30 seconds when Tom Davies fired home his second senior goal - but the visitors hit back with two quickfire strikes of their own inside the next nine minutes to go 2-1 ahead. Romelu Lukaku’s eighth consecutive league goal at Goodison then got the Toffees back on level terms, before Phil Jagielka converted Kevin Mirallas’ corner to earn Everton a slender advantage heading into the half-time interval. Lukaku then netted his second of the afternoon - and 23rd in the league this campaign - just before the hour to ensure three points. It was Everton’s seventh consecutive home triumph in the Premier League, equalling a record set in April 2014. “It was a crazy start to the game,” said Koeman, “I thought we started well with a fast first goal but then we were maybe (affected by) the changes in our defence. In the beginning, we weren’t really comfortable defensively and found ourselves 2-1 down. “But I thought we played some great football in the first 45 minutes. We had a good reaction to going behind with some good chances and really nice goals. The early cross of Ross was a great assist for Rom. “Then in the second half, we controlled the game and made it 4-2. We played cleverly until the end of the game, we controlled it. Maybe they had one, maximum two, chances to maybe score but it was a really good team performance.” The Dutchman also reserved special praise for the link-up play between Lukaku and Barkley, with the pair combining to devastating effect, most notably for the Blues’ second goal of the afternoon. “[Barkley and Lukaku] can be the difference between us and our opponents, like they were today,” added Koeman. “I thought they played really well. “We know Rom is a great finisher and I think Ross played really good football between the lines, with a great view of the game and a nice assist. Maybe he had to score one but he played very well. That is what you like - your best players performing the way they did this afternoon, they played outstandingly but the whole team performance was outstanding as well. “You need those kind of players on the top level because they make differences.”
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Post by Everton News. on Apr 9, 2017 21:32:57 GMT
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fitzyefc
Monster Midfielder
Posts: 1,295
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Post by fitzyefc on Apr 9, 2017 22:27:12 GMT
Just when Leicester are playing like Champions again lol. Isn't it always the way? I thought it was going to go tits up after they scored but to give credit to our team they were boss today other than Joel who is starting to show cracks. Our midfield looks strong but who is going to drop out when Bolasie comes back?
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