FOXES ROCKED
Brazil hitman Richarlison puts dent in Rodgers’ top-four bid
AT least without fans, you can hear the sound of bubbles bursting.
Leicester’s dreams of Champions League football are fading fast as they stumbled to a self-inflicted defeat.
With Manchester United on a roll and Chelsea showing clear signs of resurgence, this is no time to lose your nerve in the fight for the top four. Yet, at Goodison Park, Brendan Rodgers’ team looked troubled.
Goals from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson to give Everton victory, mean the visitors have taken just two points since the restart but the malaise had set in long before lockdown.
It did not help that their best player, James Maddison, was left on the bench until the second half, his inclusion at least changing the momentum for Leicester. Sadly for them, however, not the result, as the home side showed cool organisation to revive their own European hopes.
Just three wins since the turn of the year tells its own story. The Foxes have taken just 17 points from their last 15 matches, which is relegationend stuff, not that of a team who looked certain, at Christmas, to make the top three and even had an eye on the title.
The slump was evident as early as the 10th minute, when Mason Holgate and Lucas Digne teed-up impressive youngster Anthony Gordon, who created problems with his elusive running all evening. His cross found Richarlison surprisingly unmarked, to finish emphatically.
With midfielder Andre Gomes orchestrating, Everton were able to exercise control, especially in the first half, that dried the supply to Jamie Vardy to barely a trickle.
Instead, chances came at the other end and, when Digne slung in another searching cross, there seemed a stray arm from Wilfred Ndidi – which was eventually confirmed after a ridiculous wait and amid much dismay from the visiting bench – by VAR.
The penalty was casually converted by Sigurdsson (bottom), the Toffees’ first goal here from the spot since December 2017.
At half-time, Rodgers brought on Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho and they had an immediate effect, with the striker finding the net in fortunate circumstances when Holgate’s attempted clearance hit him flush in the face and went in (below).
From there though, the luck was with the Toffees, despite seeing Brazil star Richarlison limp off after the break.