James Maddison missed a penalty as Everton produced one of the close football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. The clubs started the game that night in the relegation zone, but any notion that nerves could make it a cagey affair was quickly dispelled as they traded blows at the King Power Stadium. Tim Castagne’s elbow on Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the back earned him a penalty, which he scored to give Everton the lead after dominating the early exchanges. Caglar Soyuncu’s deft finish and Jamie Vardy’s first league goal at home this year gave Leicester the lead at halftime. The striker capitalized on Alex Iwobi’s oversight and Maddison’s deft through pass.
After a less-than-impressive second notable contribution from Maddison—the playmaker saw Pickford save his soft penalty in first-half stoppage time—the playmaker was made to pay shortly after the break when Iwobi scored a half-volley while unmarked at the far post. As a consequence, Leicester goes up to 16th place and escapes the relegation zone on goal differential, while Everton stays in 19th place and is one point away from safety.
This critical match between two teams fighting for their Premier League lives got underway in the East Midlands amid a noisy atmosphere, with the Leicester fans appreciating the significance of Everton’s visit. But Sean Dyche’s team, who had just been destroyed 4-1 at home by Newcastle, started off strong and quickly silenced the home crowd. If not for Iversen’s incredible save, they would have taken the lead after just eight minutes. However, Calvert-Lewin was able to punish Castagne for his careless foul, and the Everton striker stroked his penalty into the goal, leaving the Leicester custodian helpless to stop it.
However, the Foxes displayed impressive fortitude to steal the initiative from the Toffees. Soyuncu scored on a half-volley, and Vardy then maneuvered around Pickford after Iwobi gave his opponents the ball. Vardy came close to scoring again when his clipped attempt hit the crossbar just seconds after Calvert-Lewin made one of the worst errors of the year by having Iversen knock away his shot despite just being a yard away. Following a last-second tackle by Boubakary Soumare, Sean Dyche admitted that Seamus Coleman had been carried off after appearing to sustain a “serious” knee injury.
After Michael Keane was given a penalty for using his arm to block Harvey Barnes’ cross, Maddison made his own painful miss. Pickford stood tall and parried the penalty away after the Leicester midfielder chose to strike down the middle, as suggested by the instructions on the goalkeeper’s water bottle. Iversen more than held his own against his opponent, making a succession of superb stops, but the Leicester custodian was helpless to stop Iwobi’s shot just after the interval. Vardy’s goal-bound shot was stopped by James Tarkowski on the line before Vardy struck the side of the net with the goal gaping from outside the area after Pickford lost control near the touchline. The frantic second half inexplicably failed to yield any further goals.
“It’s a bit of a wasted chance because we didn’t convert the penalty at 2-1, but also because for large stretches in the first half, we were outmatched and didn’t win enough second balls,” Leicester City boss Dean Smith said. “It turned into a basketball game, which benefited them rather than us. We didn’t have control of the game for the first 25 minutes of the second half, which is what I intended. At Manchester City, Kelechi Iheanacho took a penalty shot against Wolves. We observed Madders working hard and practicing.”
“It significantly improves. There was greater consistency in the performance, albeit there were still certain errors that we need to get rid of,” Everton boss Sean Dyche said. “But after 23 attempts away from home, I believe we submitted close to 50 entries into their box. It demonstrates the team’s efforts to advance as well as a significantly improved overall and consistent performance, which I requested. We were at least passable against Newcastle for 70 minutes before succumbing too soon. We didn’t [on Monday]. We maintained our composure and persisted in attempting to generate opportunities and things. Dominic Calvert-Lewin appears more alert, fitter, and stronger than before. In the next four games, he will thus be a weapon for us.”
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