Leicester City failed to take the opportunity to temporarily go to the top of the Premier League as Everton earned a 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday .
Everton, who had a slight dip in form, have now won two big games on the trot and will look to build on these fantastic results. Carlo Ancelotti would be content with the Toffees’ defensive showings in the past two games as they have managed to keep out two of the best attacking sides in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Leicester have now lost four times at home already this season. They lost the same amount of matches at the King Power Stadium in the entirety of last season. Rodgers shifted to back four after a long time and that did not quite work out for the Foxes as they looked very suspect defensively.
Richarlison and Mason Holgate found the back of the net on either side of half-time and guided Everton to an important victory. Allan and Doucoure were also standout performers for Everton as they marshalled the likes of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans expertly.
FT. UP THE FESTIVE TOFFEES! ?
? 0-2 ? #LEIEVE pic.twitter.com/jV5BR76TAO
— Everton (@Everton) December 16, 2020
Harvey Barnes was the pick of the lot from Leicester as he looked to threaten the Everton backline with his exquisite dribbling. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will see how the individuals of both teams fared in what was an enthralling match.
Leicester City
Kasper Schmeichel: 5/10
The ever so reliant Schmeichel made his first costly error of the season as Richarlison’s shot crept into the far post after taking a touch from the Dane. Schmeichel redeemed himself with a stunning double save from a set-piece only for Everton to score from the third opportunity. A bad day at the office for Leicester’s skipper.
James Justin: 6/10
Justin could have done better to block Richarlison’s shot and was skinned throughout the night by the Brazilian. However, Justin looked very good going forward and created Leicester’s best opportunity with a cross to Vardy’s head.
Wesley Fofana: 7/10
Good positioning, good distribution, and generally a classy performance, Fofana had it all versus Everton except the clean sheet. His numbers speak for themselves. Fofana made 4 interceptions, blocked 3 shots and 7 clearances. Solid performance from Leicester’s new signing
Wilfred Ndidi: 6/10
Played in a makeshift centre-back role due to Jonny Evans’s injury and did a decent job. His distribution was fantastic, playing accurate passes at 92%. Won 6 out of 6 of his ground duels.
Christian Fuchs: 5/10
Engaged in a good battle with Alex Iwobi, but offered very little going forward. Should stick to a left centre-back role in a back three.
Youri Tielemans: 6/10
Tielemans was not able to control the game as much as he would have liked to. His biggest contribution was a shot that went just past the post.
Nampalys Mendy: 4/10
Mendy, who has performed rather well in the absence of Ndidi this season, was completely outclassed by Everton’s midfield stars. Always looked for the safer pass.
Cengiz Under: 6/10
Under was not as bad as his early substitution makes it look like. His footwork was neat as he waltzed past defenders with ease. Combined well with Justin on the right.
James Maddison: 4/10
An abysmal performance from last game’s man of the match. Maddison was completely anonymous and failed to make an impact on the game. A shot from the top of the box that he skied was symbolic of his performance.
Harvey Barnes: 7/10
The only positive in this wasteful Leicester side, Barnes played with intent. His approach was direct and he always looked to create things with some good dribbling. Everton did well to contain him in the second half
“We know we can do better. We know we can be more clinical in the final third and create more chances, so it’s disappointing for us.” ?@HarveyBarnes97 on #LeiEve… pic.twitter.com/NXpV0NPCkP
— Leicester City (@LCFC) December 16, 2020
Jamie Vardy: 5/10
Failed to take his good chances in the box and looked a little tired with his link-up play. Not the best of games for Leicester’s frontman.
SUBSTITUTES
Ayoze Perez: 6/10
Looked lively and was involved in a disallowed goal and penalty. Perez would be hoping to get the nod for the next game and build on this performance.
Kelechi Iheanacho: 5/10
Played some neat passes but failed to make much of an impact.
Everton
Robin Olsen: 7/10
Replaced Pickford for this match and kept an all-important clean sheet. Made a couple of good saves from Vardy and Under.
Ben Godfrey: 7/10
Godfrey has grown into his full-back role very well and has become a key part of this Everton defence. It was another solid performance by Godfrey. Picked up a booking, though.
Michael Keane: 8/10
Everton’s best defender by a mile this season, Keane gave yet another fantastic performance at the back. Put out all the fires that Leicester looked to kindle with aplomb.
?| Michael Keane vs Leicester:
Touches – 44
Successful passes – 23
Successful forward passes – 16
Pass accuracy – 77%
Recoveries – 5
Clearances – 5
Aerial duels won – 4
Shots blocked – 3
Interceptions – 1Superb once again ?? #LEIEVE pic.twitter.com/RQdsnQI1Qb
— Everton FC News ?? (@NilSatisNews) December 16, 2020
Yerry Mina: 7/10
After earning a lot of criticism, Mina has played well in the last two games. Did well to keep Vardy in check and was composed on the ball.
Mason Holgate: 8/10
Everton defender Mason Holgate scored his first #PL goal as the Toffees enjoyed an impressive win at Leicester#LEIEVE pic.twitter.com/PfxjdUhRkR
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 17, 2020
Although Holgate endured a difficult night at right-back versus Barnes, he did well to prevent the threat from leading to a goal. Holgate’s biggest contribution was from a set-piece where he doubled Everton’s lead and gave them the needed breathing space.
Abdoulaye Doucoure: 9/10
The box-to-box midfielder played in a deeper role after Allan’s injury and played with a lot of assurance. Doucoure’s biggest contribution was his interception that prevented Vardy from going clear on goal. A very composed and hardworking performance from the Frenchman.
Abdoulaye Doucouré for Everton vs. Leicester:
◉ Most touches (60)
◉ Most passes completed (43)
◉ Most ball recoveries (13)
◉ Most interceptions (2)
◎ 100% take-ons completed
◎ 100% tackle succesHe was everywhere. ? pic.twitter.com/pZDygkiFKT
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 16, 2020
Allan: 7/10
Allan picked up an injury in the 40th minute and was substituted. However, his impact in those 40 minutes was unparalleled. Made life extremely difficult for the Leicester midfield with his tackling and played some superb passes. Everton would hope that Allan can come back very soon.
Gylfi Sigurdsson: 7/10
Sigurdsson played with a lot of responsibility and has become a key player in Everton’s system especially in the absence of James Rodriguez. Sigurdsson’s set-pieces were extremely threatening.
Richarlison: 8/10
Richarlison is truly what Everton missed when he was suspended. The Toffees are a different unit with him in the team and that showed. Richarlison produced a fantastic performance on the left flank. Worked hard and scored the goal that broke the deadlock.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 7/10
Calvert-Lewin’s off the ball movement was extremely crucial for Everton. The Premier League’s top scorer did not get much service but came close to scoring from a corner, the follow-up of which was scored by Holgate.
Alexi Iwobi: 7/10
Failed to perform as he did versus Chelsea, but Iwobi did well against the weakened Christian Fuchs. Assisted the first goal.
SUBSTITUTES
Andre Gomes: 6/10
Came on for Allan in the 40th minute. Gomes was safe in possession but did not make much of an impact. Almost gave away a silly penalty.
Anthony Gordon: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Jonjoe Kenny: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
