Leicester City (h) It’s the Same old song
When or if we ever win this competition is anyone’s guess, it’s just plain horrible to us. However hard we try or however well we play, it just doesn’t like us.
The toll of the last 12 days was really showing in the first half of this game, just Baines for Digne being the only change from Sunday. Misplaced passes, missed tackles and poor marking for 30 minutes and your 2-0 down to the second best team in the league. In contrast to Everton’s patched up starting eleven, Leicester were at pretty much full strength, with the exception of Morgan for Syuncu and Albrighton for Tielemans.
Maddison’s opener was created by sharp wing play and a square ball to the penalty spot, Holgate was close, but not close enough. Three minutes later, Michael Keane unforgivably loses Johnny Evans and it’s 2-0. When I say unforgivably, I mean he let’s Evans run past him into 6 yards of space inside the 6 yard box. Unforgivable. Not for the first time this season.
Keane was bullied all game by Jamie Vardy, bullied to the extent of being shoulder barged to the floor at least 3 times. Don’t get me wrong, Vardy is a handful, but to be as big as Keane and get knocked around like that is criminal. Along with Iwobi, who didn’t play well at all from the right, it was a bad 45 minutes for all concerned. Don’t underestimate Leicester though, they are a very good team.
Behind all the smarm and the cheese, Brendan Rogers is a top class coach. He took over Leicester the night we beat Cardiff City 3-0 and went on that great run to the end of the season. Leicester also went on a great run, and are still on it.
Bernard off Moise Kean on for the second half! I was really expecting Michael Keane to be off with Holgate dropping into the back four and Iwobi from the left, Richarlison from the right, DCL and Kean up top. Not quite! Iwobi thankfully moved more central and a marked improvement, but still probably his worse game for us.
There was a renewed energy about the team, a collective second wind was evident and despite being countered every now and again, Everton occupied the Leicester half. Eventually a break down the right saw the ball crossed to the middle of the D, Tom Davies breaking from deep caught the ball sweetly with the middle of his instep and it angled perfectly into the corner of the goal. 1-2. The noise went up decidedly, and like a boxer biting down on his gum-shield to push through pain and tiredness, they went again.
Holgate anchored a one man midfield as Tom Davies scurried around behind Kean, Richarlison pushing up, DCL pushing up. Into injury time and Leighton Baines picks up the ball midway in the Leicester half. I love Leighton Baines, he’s the model professional, he’s the opposite of whatever your perception of a modern day footballer is. But, what he has got is a left foot that can do extraordinary things. He took two corners that Mina should have scored from, he played measured balls down the touchline, and he hit an absolute rocket past Casper Schmeichel that was a reminder of how lucky we’ve been to have the privilege of watching this man for the past 12 years. Magnificent.
You know what happened next. It is what it is, and it sums up our luck in this competition. It’s been historically cruel to us and shows zero signs of that every changing.
The cynic in me says that we didn’t lose the game, we lost the penalty shoot out, so the progress, momentum, fight, pride and passion that this group of players have found under Ferguson continues. Like I said in the Chelsea post match, where has this come from? Sometimes if you can’t change the people you have to change the people, and in footballing terms thats the manager and coaching staff. Clearly Silva couldn’t had lost the ability to get a reaction out of his players, Ferguson has found a way to tap into them. Quite what Don Carlo will make of it all, we’ll find out soon enough.
So onto Saturday and what is likely to be Duncan’s last hurrah in the big seat. He’s worked miracles in the past two weeks and whether or not he ever gets the chance again, he’s shown that he isn’t just at the club to put the cones out.
By Matthew Barry
Find me on
TwitterUTFT COYB 💙
