Leicester City 2 – Everton 0: Foxes off to winning start under Claude Puel
By James Lassey
Claude Puel won his first game in charge as his Leicester side dismantled a lacklustre Everton 2-0.
Goals from Jamie Vardy and Demarai Gray sent Everton home empty-handed. Leicester sparkled in a performance reminiscent of their 2015 title winning campaign.
In a showdown where the two new managers had a lot to win but more to lose, the hosts looked renovated, hungry and confident. All the characteristics that were rare to feature under the guidance of Puel’s predecessor Craig Shakespeare.
The Frenchman has got his Leicester side playing similar football to what took them to the top of the Premier League under Claudio Ranieri. The emphatic win lifts them to four points clear of today’s opponents who sit in the relegation zone. Leicester are now unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and look in good stead for their march up the table.
Speaking after the game Puel said:
"Second half, much better. The positivity and the way we wanted to play, on the front foot, was there for all to see.First half we didn’t start. Formations, tactics can go out the window if your players don’t play on the front foot. Our performance was certainly a lot better second half. At half-time I wanted an extra man in midfield. You have to tinker with your formations, and it gave the full-backs some extra space to go into.For whatever reason first half it didn’t work. You’ve got to be reactive, and you’ve got to show the players that you’re on the front foot as well.We had a couple of half-chances, but nowhere near – first half – the performance level that I would expect. We’ve just picked a team, the last two games. Fresh eyes, and what we felt was the best team to win a game of football.Today, first half unacceptable but we’ve reacted and second half we’ve dominated without getting the reward. I’ll pick teams that’ll win a game of football, it doesn’t matter about the reputation and the value of the player."
Puel prompts inspired Leicester
The Foxes started the brighter and really took the game to their visitors. Demarai Gray showed his class and gave his new boss plenty to think about over the coming weeks.
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The Foxes come up against Stoke City next time out and it was the 21-year-old’s pace, skill and impetuous decision-making that heaped further misery onto David Unsworth’s Everton.
Gray played a hand in opening Puel’s goal-scoring account . He ran the length of the pitch and executed a perfect pass to send teammate Riyad Mahrez through on goal. All the Algerian had left to do was put it on a plate for scorer Jamie Vardy.
The goal meant that Vardy has now scored the first goal for all three of Leicester’s last managers. Having scored in Craig Shakespeare’s and Ranieri’s first games in charge.
Leicester have now scored in 17 consecutive home games – a record which spans all the way back to February last year.
The Toffee’s searched for a reply, striker Wayne Rooney broke clear and his low cross just evaded the oncoming Aaron Lennon.
Lennon was involved again when he was bought down inside the Foxes box by Leicester man Christian Fuchs but his penalty claims were waved away from referee, Andre Marriner.
Everton’s day went from bad to worse when Gray jinked inside and saw his shot deflect off defender Jonjoe Kenny past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into the top corner.
Unsworth’s men came out in the second half with a point to prove. Idrissa Gueye shot from distance deflected over and Leicester’s defence held strong to clear a number of corners.
The Foxes defence remained firm and managed to suppress Everton’s late onslaught with key blocks by centre-backs Wes Morgan and Ben Chilwell. The visitor’s front three of Kevin Mirallas, Rooney and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were limited to shots from distance. Everton failed to muster any real chance and Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had little to do.
Puel will be hoping the win acts as a catalyst to kickstart the Foxes season and the Leicester faithful finally have a reason to cheer.