Everton were back to winning ways last weekend when they defeated Chelsea at Goodison Park and Carlo Ancelotti, the Toffees chief, was determined to build some momentum tonight on the road against Leicester City. A win would have taken the Foxes at the top of the standings for the time being which, however, was wasted dreadfully. Brendan Rodgers’ men ended up losing 2-0 at the King Power Stadium.
Below are the Everton players rated in their comprehensive win against Leicester City.
Robin Olsen: 7
Was handed a surprise start ahead of Jordan Pickford and the Swedish ‘number 1’ grabbed his opportunity with a few routine saves to retain the cleansheet.
Mason Holgate: 7.5
Featured as a right fullback and was tactical with his overlapping runs and duties at the back. Struggled at times against Harvey Barnes but dealt with him well overall. Eventually doubled the lead following a goalmouth scramble around the 72nd-minute mark.
Yerry Mina: 7.5
It was not easy all the time against the pace and flair of Jamie Vardy and James Maddison. Yet the centre-half fought hard within his limitations and was focused all throughout at defending the crosses and long balls with his aerial presence.
Michael Keane: 8
Did well to contain Vardy barring a couple of occasions. His long balls lacked accuracy, but the Englishman was spot on with no-nonsense defending, recoveries and crucial clearances.
Ben Godfrey: 6.5
Struggled against James Justin and mistimed a few tackles down the left. But the ex-Norwich City prodigy settled in with time and impressed with his interceptions and balanced display despite the makeshift status.
Gylfi Sigurdsson: 6
Did not have many touches and his crosses failed to threaten the Foxes’ defence. Lost the duels, got dispossessed on one occasion and had little impact in terms of creative spark before playing his part in Everton’s insurance goal from the corner. Skied one effort from inside the box after some impressive work from Iwobi.
Allan: 7
Was excellent in breaking down Leicester’s game with timely tackles and blocks. Built-up moves from the deep with his immense work rate but was forced to leave the pitch with a hamstring injury late in the first half. Andre Gomes replaced the Brazilian in the middle of the park.
Abdoulaye Doucoure: 8.5
Had an excellent outing as he not only marshalled the defence but also stepped up his game furthermore following Allan’s early exit. One crucial tackle to deny Barnes midway through the second half should be viewed as one of the major highlights of his display tonight.
Alex Iwobi: 8
Was lively from the right-hand flank with his direct runs and link-up play in the attacking third. Often tracked back to reclaim possession and recorded an assist for Richarlison’s strike that earned the Toffees’ a first-half lead.
Richarlison: 8
Was not impressive but indeed effective as always due to his scoring traits. Poor defending from Justin followed by an underwhelming effort from Kasper Schmeichel in Leicester goal saw the Brazillian’s right-footed effort ending up into the back of the net.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 6.5
His effort hit the woodwork before falling favourably into the path of Holgate who made no mistake in making it 2-0 from a close range. The Three Lions star was not much productive otherwise and lost possession the most times in the match [fotmob]. Was taken off to be replaced by young Anthony Gordon in the closing seconds of the match.
Everton Substitutes vs Leicester City:
Andre Gomes: 7
His tackles were clumsy, but the Portuguese tried his best to win the duels, hold the ball and offer strength in the centre of the pitch. Conceded one penalty in the closing minutes which, however, was overturned by the VAR.
Anthony Gordon: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
