The perfect counterpunches on Boxing Day by Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku secured a significant victory for Everton as Leicester City, the champions, suffered only their second Premier League defeat of the season at the King Power Stadium.
Six minutes into the second half, with Leicester having inflicted two quick assaults in succession on the Blues’ goal, Mirallas provided the destructive finish to a long right lead by goalkeeper Joel Robles to catapult Everton back to seventh in the Premier League table behind Manchester United. For Mirallas, it was his third goal in as many games against the Foxes but this one had telling impact, salving some of the wounds suffered in the dying moments of the Merseyside derby.
And when Lukaku’s goal came in similar circumstances in stoppage time, the three points were unanimous in heading back to L4.
Ronald Koeman made four changes to the team that had started seven days ago against Liverpool at Goodison. Joel Robles, Mason Holgate, Gareth Barry and Mirallas came into the side, while the injured duo Maarten Stekelenburg and James McCarthy made way, along with Ross Barkley and Phil Jagielka. Leicester had plenty of change, too, with Jamie Vardy, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs all suspended while Riyad Mahrez and Danny Drinkwater were on the bench.
Prior to kick-off, Koeman warned: “Everybody knows that at home they like to start the game aggressively and want to score early goals. What we have to do from the beginning is to control the game and have good possession of the ball. The difference is always stopping the threat of your opponents. In the spaces, where you can create, you need to be at a good level.”
The Foxes created the early opportunities, their first shot on goal arriving almost 11 minutes in when Demarai Gray set up Daniel Amartey who struck the ball well from around 25 yards from goal and Robles gathered safely. Gray combined with Marc Albrighton minutes later from a quick clearance by Kasper Schmeichel to streak through the centre and fired off an early shot which went wide of Robles’ left post. Leicester had the bit between their teeth and another strong run by Ben Chilwell yielded a corner. Ashley Williams had to be strong in the tackle to deny Islam Slimani from going through.
Good work on the left flank by Gray and Andy King freed up space for Albrighton to swing in another cross as Williams headed away for a corner. The champions had got to grips with the game almost immediately while the Toffees were struggling to hit the required level in the spaces that Koeman had spoken about before kick-off. Gareth Barry’s quick ball through to Lukaku threatened briefly to unsettle Leicester on the edge of the area but Wes Morgan and Chilwell managed to allay the danger. Service to the Belgian striker had been scarce. Possession was being lost too easily, by both sets of players and the quality overall was akin to a Christmas hangover.
With time winding down in the half, Aaron Lennon fired in a cross from the left which was headed clear and Leighton Baines progressed towards the byline, with King putting in a necessary tackle to stop him. More of that kind of urgency was needed and Mirallas accelerated into the box to win a corner off Chilwell. The corner kick, taken by Mirallas, came straight back at him and he hoisted in a dangerous cross to the back post where Ramiro Funes Miro rose but could not make good enough contact to direct his header on goal.
Then the best chance arrived in the dying seconds before the interval. Idrissa Gana Gueye played a one-two with Lukaku on the edge of the penalty area, the ball came to Baines on the left and his low shot across the face of goal evaded Mirallas by inches, a touch which would surely have beaten Schmeichel from point-blank range. It would have been academic in any case with the assistant referee raising his flag even though Mirallas was onside.
With Drinkwater replacing Shinji Oakazaki, Leicester began more brightly and Slimani and Gray both had shots from range which went wide before Everton struck decisively.
Robles cleared the ball long and Mirallas read the situation perfectly, slipping inside Morgan and Marcin Wasilewski and finding his shooting angle inside the area before firing past Schmeichel, Wasilewski’s despairing touch failing to divert the ball from the bottom right corner of the Leicester net. Those helpful statisticians from Opta immediately pointed out that Robles has as many assists this season in the Premier League as Manchester United’s Juan Mata - one.
Mahrez came on for King and Leandro Ulloa for Gray as Claudio Ranieri sought to change the momentum. Danny Simpson whipped in a cross from the right over the head of Holgate on the back post and Ulloa’s solid header went straight into the hands of Robles. Tom Davies came off the bench, replacing Barry, and the game maintained a much sharper edge with Leicester desperate not to fall further in the Premier League fight for survival.
But Everton were retaining possession and created a sterling chance for Gana when Lukaku tore through on the right and squared the ball, perhaps with a little too much purchase, and Gana was stretching as he made a desperate connection with the ball but failed to keep his effort below the bar from four yards. As it happened, it did not matter. Robles did all he was asked to do, as did the Everton rearguard and when Funes Mori’s clearance found Lukaku, the forward brushed away his marker, charged at goal, beat a second man and finished with aplomb to put the contest to bed.
Everton FC