Stephy Mavididi’s equaliser means Leicester City and Everton are still waiting for their first wins of the campaign after a 1-1 draw in torrential rain at the King Power Stadium.
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After losing their opening four matches in the Premier League, Sean Dyche’s side are off the mark for the season but will have to wait for their first three points.
Iliman Ndiaye gave Everton the lead in the 11th minute as he turned to create space in the box before slotting the ball into the net with such precision it ricocheted in off the left post.
Leicester’s response came with 17 minutes left as Mavididi reacted first to sweep home from a corner.
Everton are off the bottom into 19th in the table on goal difference, while the Foxes sit in 15th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
11 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
11 | +9 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
11 | +6 | 19 |
| 5 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
11 | +5 | 19 |
How the match unfolded
Everton passed on a strong chance just five minutes in as Ndiaye fired a pinpoint cross to the far post, but Jesper Lindstrom could not get his volley on target.
Ndiaye would get the job done himself just seven minutes later though – Ashley Young threaded an incisive pass into the box and the winger cut inside to fire low into the bottom corner.
The torrential rain in Leicester nearly helped the hosts to a goal a minute later as Mavididi unintentionally tested Jordan Pickford with a wayward cross, but the goalkeeper kept it out.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was played in down the right of the box by Dwight McNeil in the 65th minute, but he saw his shot across goal palmed away at full stretch by Mads Hermansen.
Mavididi eventually found the equaliser for Leicester after Everton failed to clear Harry Winks’ corner, and the winger pounced first to direct the loose ball into the net on 73 minutes.
The goal refreshed the home side’s impetus in the closing stages as both Mavididi and Facundo Buonanotte saw shots blocked by a desperate Everton defence in the last five minutes.
Rain soaks Leicester’s chances
Playing at home is meant to provide an advantage for the home side, but Leicester could not find a way to use the adverse weather conditions in the East Midlands to aid them to all three points, despite causing problems for Pickford.
Mavididi almost took advantage of the wet conditions in the 35th minute through an attempted cross that flew dangerously close to the near post.
While Pickford stopped the delivery, he could not hold onto the slick ball, allowing it to bounce before reclaiming it. The goalkeeper appeared off-balance, causing premature celebrations among the home fans as they thought it was in, but his blushes were spared.
The conditions showed no improvement as referee Darren England delayed the second half by five minutes due to nearby lightning, with the torrential rain continuing to provide a torrid test for both defences as shots skidded off the wet turf with awkward bounces.
In the end, Mavididi’s breakthrough came through inattentive defending from Everton rather than any rain-assisted play.
Dyche’s men hold on to a vital point
Everton had taken the lead in their last two matches before falling to defeat. Against both AFC Bournemouth and Aston Villa, the Toffees had led 2-0 before going on to lose 3-2.
Once more they went ahead and were perhaps reluctant to go two goals to the good for fear of repeating their tendency to collapse.
Their defence fared better against the experience of Leicester’s attack, led by Jamie Vardy, but eventually conceded a seemingly inevitable equaliser on 73 minutes.
It was a lapse in concentration from a struggling Everton defence as James Tarkowski and Michael Keane both attempted to clear Winks’ corner before it dropped into the melee and Mavididi pounced.
The visitors, however, managed to hold off the onslaught of a rejuvenated Leicester attack in the closing stages to stop a losing run.
While it was not a win, it is a significant point for Dyche’s side, as they finally gain something from a match in which they led.
Club reports
Leicester report | Everton report
What the managers said
Sean Dyche: "I thought that from us it was a positive display. There have been question marks around us not winning, but we have got our nose in front and I thought we delivered a good performance."
Steve Cooper: "After our first-half performance then we'll have to take a point. It was not what we wanted, we intended to attack the game and take the game to Everton but we were no where near the level in the first half."
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Key facts
Leicester have failed to win any of their first five games of a top-flight league campaign for just the seventh time in their history (D3 L2), while the previous time they failed to do so was in 2022/23 when they were relegated from the Premier League (D1 L4).
Everton also remain winless in the Premier League this season, picking up just one point through their first five matches (L4). Only in 1926/27 and 1958/59 have they won fewer points after five games of league campaign in the club’s history (0 in each).
Everton’s Ashley Young (39y 74d) is one of only five players aged 39+ to assist a Premier League goal, along with Teddy Sheringham, Edwin van der Sar, Ryan Giggs and Thiago Silva.