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Fulltime Thoughts - This game had the look of the last time the Blues played the Foxes. The difference was that time Everton played flawlessly in defence and took their chances to get the win. Today they were almost perfect in defence bar Pickford’s gaffe (how many times a season do we say that??), and had chances to grab the winner late on that they wasted.

Premier League

WhoScored

90+3’ - There’s the final whistle, first draw between these two opponents in the last eleven games.

90+2’ - Blues have won a corner through Coleman. Digne to take it in the driving rain, falls to Gomes and it bounces off him and agonizingly away. Ooof.

90’ - Barnes with a run, Maddison can shoot and Keane blocks! The corner is eventually cleared, whew. Three more minutes of this.

89’ - Chance! Awful ball from Fofana cut out by Richarlison. He sets off and finds Sigurdsson and then Digne can cross into the box, perfect ball for DCL and he heads it just wide! That was it right there. It’s his last contribution too as Seamus Coleman is on for the #9.

87’ - Under runs down the right and cuts in to shoot, headed away by Mina.

85’ - The second change will be Gylfi Sigurdsson on for James Rodriguez.
Mina finds Richy running down the left, and it’s a corner that Richarlison gets a head to, but over.

81’ - James looking for Iwobi in the box, Justin clears for a corner. Partly cleared, Maddison blocks Digne’s shot. Digne crosses again, and James has a chance to shoot with his left foot from outside the box, curls it wide.

79’ - Under charges forward through the backline, deflected attempt that could have gone anywhere, out for a corner. Goes out wide for a goalkick.
Alex Iwobi is coming on now, and it’s Mason Holgate coming off.

76’ - Maddison’s shot deflects through Godfrey, Pickford parries it away for a corner. Taken short and cleared.
Still no subs from Ancelotti, strange this, considering how we’re being overrun.

72’ - Gomes with a nifty steal that allows James to get the ball into the box, and Richarlison and DCL get in each other’s way and nothing comes of it. Frustrating.

70’ - Everton chance as a ball finally makes it into the Foxes’ box, but it’s cleared and Maddison tries to go on a break before he is hauled down by Holgate.

66’ - Albrighton’s low cross in is almost met by Justin but Pickford smothers it. Incredible that the fullback is the furthest Leicester man forward.
Tielemans finds Maddison steaming in, Keane does well to slide in and clear for a corner.
Partly cleared, Barnes’ cross is parried out for a corner by Pickford ball was going wide. Poorly cleared again, shot from Tielemans goes through a forest of legs, it’s close to Pickford who throws a hand at it but can’t keep it out. 1-1, and it was coming. Poor from the England man.

63’ - James takes down Maddison, gets a yellow card. The Colombian is very aggravated, looks like it’s at himself. Freekick is low and blocked, then James flying in to prevent Maddison from getting the ball back into the box.

61’ - Godfrey blocks out Castane, gives away a corner. Taken short, and eventually cleared. Leicester trying the trick plays to get the ball into the box.

60’ - Davide Ancelotti is in his father’s ear there, what is he seeing?

57’ - It’s all Leicester right now, as Brendan Rodgers’ side are pushing further and further forward, with no out balls for the Blues.
Davies and Richarlison block out Perez, and a freekick is given right at the top of the box, central position. Maddison lined up.. into the wall again and cleared. Caught Richy in the face looked like.

56’ - Holgate blocks a Barnes cross and gives away a corner. Richarlison and Digne combine to clear but give it right back to the Foxes who are keeping a high line now.

55’ - Youri Tielemans flighted cross into the box is very good, Pickford bravely comes out and punches clear.

53’ - Justin does well to find Perez in the box. Forward rides Mina’s challenge but his cross is blocked and cleared.

50’ - Danger. Davies cuts out a low cross for a corner. Taken short and Barnes is free by the goalline, his center is parried away by Pickford, falls to Justin outside the box and his shot goes wide.

47’ - Godfrey barges Maddison off the ball and lets it go out for a goalkick. Foxes are asking for a penalty while Godfrey slipped after treading on Maddison and landed heavily on his left shoulder. Play goes on.

46’ - Right away Richarlison concedes a freekick. Maddison curls it into the box and DCL heads out for a corner, which the striker then clears again.

Halftime Thoughts - The Foxes started the stronger side, and have ruled the midfield but Everton’s disciplined defence sitting deep is cutting out the short, quick passes the visitors are trying to play.

Premier League

WhoScored

45’ - James Justin has been tidy so far, but now fouls Richy on the break and goes into the book for his efforts.
Three minutes of time added on but nothing comes from it, and Everton go into the break leading 1-0.

40’ - Play has been held up here as Ndidi is down on the ground now. He’s going off, Nampalys Mendy coming on.

36’ - Digne concedes a corner as he prevents a break. Maddison to take, low and cleared. Richarlison looks to break but Ndidi cuts it out well. Ndidi has done well to become a N’Golo Kante replacement.

31’ - Everton lead! James with a stunning shot to put the Blues ahead out of nowhere!!
The Blues did well to play out of the back and Andre Gomes found Digne free with a raking ball. The Frenchman set up James on his left foot, his initial cross was blocked and he ran at the defender, set up a right-footed shot and curled it in at the far post with his weaker foot, Schmeichel no chance.

29’ - Everton relieve the pressure with DCL drawing a foul on an outlet ball. It’s been mostly Leicester this game so far.

22’ - Michael Keane looks a bit bloodied after that corner, a cut above his nose from a flailing arm.. Wilfried Ndidi’s?
Now Davies wins a freekick off Ayoze Perez’s high boot. James into the box, and Mike Dean blows the whistle, Keane had an arm on Castagne maybe? Didn’t see much there.

19’ - Timothy Castagne gives away a corner with a poor backpass. Digne’s corner is cleared away. Ball comes back into the box and cleared again.

16’ - The Blues finally mount an attack after Ben Godfrey sets off on a run. Tom Davies finds Digne free, his cross is met by Richarlison and he wins a corner on the right.
James’ short corner comes into the box and Kasper Schmeichel punches clear, falls to Davies whose shot is wayward.

14’ - Everton have barely had a sniff in the Leicester half and the visitors break at pace, and Maddison has a crack at goal from outside the box, just over the bar and dips onto the roof of the net.

11’ - An interesting quirk of this 4-3-3 is James is in the central position of the front three, Richarlison on the right and Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the left.

9’ - Barnes is causing all sorts of problems running at the Blues defence, and wins another freekick after running into Yerry Mina. Maddison will take this from a promising position, low and driven into the wall.

5’ - Richarlison concedes a needless freekick fouling Harvey Barnes near the Everton goalline on the right. James Maddison’s freekick is cleared by the Brazilian.

3’ - Looking like a 4-3-3 really with all four CBs lined up in the back, and Lucas Digne in at left midfield.

1’ - Underway at Goodison! COYB!

The lineups are out, and looks like Carlo Ancelotti has all four centrehalves in the starting XI. Now how they will lineup remains a mystery - a back three/five? 4-3-3? I guess we’ll see.

Preview

Everton’s last league game was over two weeks ago with a win at Wolves, and in the meantime they’ve seen every other side around them play and make moves up the table. Now with two games in hand on most sides, the Blues will need to start cashing in on those to make their own move up the standings.

Today’s clash against Leicester City will mark their second game at Goodison Park with Newcastle the visitors on Saturday for a three game homestand. The Foxes have done well this season to retain their spot in the top four of the league, and will be looking to pick up three points that could draw them level with Manchester City at the top. However, their title hopes have been struck a blow with Jamie Vardy undergoing hernia surgery, and is expected to miss about a fortnight.

While Carlo Ancelotti does not have any new injury concerns, he will be missing the tireless Abdoulaye Doucoure in the middle who is suspended after picking up five bookings. With Allan still injured as are Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin, how the Italian manager chooses to fill that defensive midfielder hole could determine how this game goes.

Match Details

Competition: Premier League Matchday 18

Date and start time: Wednesday, January 27th at 12:15 p.m. PT / 3:15 p.m ET / 8:15 p.m. BST

Stadium: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 39,572 [Behind closed doors]

Weather: 44°F/7°C, cloudy, 24% chance of precipitation, 8 mph winds

How to Watch/Listen

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Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Lineups

Everton

Pickford, Holgate, Godfrey, Mina, Keane, Digne, Davies, Gomes, Rodriguez, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Olsen, Lossl, Coleman, Kenny, Sigurdsson, Bernard, Iwobi, Gordon, Onyango

Leicester City

Schmeichel, Castagne, Fofana, Evans, Justin, Ndidi, Tielemans, Albrighton, Maddison, Barnes, Perez.

Subs: Ward, Amartey, Thomas, Soyuncu, Ricardo Pereira, Under, Mendy, Choudhury, Iheanacho

Last Meeting

The Blues played at the Foxes in the middle of December, that clash sandwiched between two higher profile games against Chelsea and Arsenal, and the Blues came away with a 2-0 win after goals from Richarlison and Mason Holgate in a strong defensive performance.

The last time Leicester came to Goodison Park was in July soon after Project Restart commenced towards the end of last season, with the Blues triumphing 2-1 with goals from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson converting a spotkick.