Everton vs. Leicester City Instant Reaction: Toffees Fall After Crucial Mistakes

Everton occasionally looked like a first class club in their home fixture against Leicester, but ultimately showed the same lack of results as they fall (albeit entertainingly) to Leicester City. In the end both teams played as they did all season: Leicester took every opportunity provided to them and Everton made a handful of crucial mistakes.

Despite Everton's domination of possession, the first 45 minutes were a fairly even handed affair. Overall Everton had the better chances however, missing on Deulofeu's line drive cross in the 6th minute, a missed one timer from Ross Barkley at the 25th minute and two awkward strikes from Romelu Lukaku.

The game truly opened up at the 27th minute when Leicester's Shinji Okazaki got around Ramiro Funes Mori and the Argentine international unwisely pulled him down. Riyad Mahrez continued his tremendous season with a perfectly taken penalty kick. Tim Howard guessed correctly and still could not get a hand on the ball.

Everton didn't wait long to equalize, as Leicester finally yielded to Everton's pressure in the 32nd minute. The scoring opportunity seemed lost as Tom Cleverley nearly lost a pass from Lukaku just outside the eighteen yard box, but he was able to poke it through to Ross Barkley. Barkley calmly took not one, but two shots, but Leicester held brilliantly. Finally the rebound from the second shot fell Romelu Lukaku's way and the big Belgian leveled with a devastating strike.

The second half was as exciting as the first, and for the first 20 minutes the game could've tilted either way. That tilt happened definitively at the 64th minute as a beautifully weighted ball from Riyad Mahrez made it to the feet of Jamie Vardy. Tim Howard aggressively attacked the ball but caught a lot of Vardy as well, earning a penalty. Mahrez sank his second penalty of the afternoon with another excellent penalty strike.

Things got worse for the Toffees at the 69th minute as Seamus Coleman's pass was deflected by a hard charging Marc Albrighton. The loose ball was corralled by Jamie Vardy who sent a brilliant pass into an oncoming Shiji Okazaki. Okazaki finished the run with a well angled left footed shot. There was some question as to whether or not Albrighton should have been charged with a handball, but there can be no doubt of the skill and opportunism of Leicester.

Everton briefly regained some hope as Ross Barkley sent a beautiful backheel pass to Kevin Mirallas who rocketed a shot past Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel to pull the Blues within one. It was Mirallas's first goal in league play this season. The Toffees were unable to add the leveler however.

Table wise, things could be worse for Everton. The three teams capable of passing them all managed to lose, but it continues Everton's miserable streak against the top clubs. The talented but underachieving club will need to find some answers next week at Newcastle.