Leicester City 2-1 Everton: How Kelechi Iheanacho rose from the dead

A style of win many associate with champions: behind for large portions of the game before finding the missing ingredient in the final minute of added time. That missing ingredient for Leicester City was Kelechi Iheanacho, who had not made a single appearance in the Premier League all season.

The Nigerian had been named in a total of five squads out of thirteen prior to this weekend’s meeting with Everton, and it was only the second time this season that he had been included in consecutive matchday squads – after the opening two fixtures against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea.

A couple of productive performances in Leicester’s League Cup run against Luton Town and Burton Albion had highlighted Iheanacho’s quality, which, unfortunately for the £25 million signing, we have rarely seen.

The absence of Demarai Gray gave Iheanacho the chance to get his first few league minutes of the campaign. Introduced into the game as a replacement for summer signing Ayoze Pérez in the 62nd minute, he was seemingly placed in an unnatural right-midfield position – but Brendan Rodgers had a plan.

Stylistically, Leicester’s wingers facilitate different movements and roles. With Harvey Barnes, you get a desire to push inside the pitch, staying close to Jamie Vardy and allowing Ben Chilwell to overlap.

On the opposite flank, you’ve got Ayoze Pérez, a striker who has modified his game to be a traditional right midfielder. Pérez will opt to hold the line and allow an underlap from Ricardo Pereira rather than making an inside movement himself.

Iheanacho came on to replace Pérez but didn’t maintain the Spaniard’s positional play. Instead, he offered an interior run that allowed him to play in his natural position: the second striker. This positioning was one of the main reasons why and how he combined with Vardy for the equaliser.

In the 82nd minute, Barnes was replaced by Marc Albrighton. This change allowed for a wing partnership that mirrored the positional play of the starting wingers – just on the opposite flanks. On the left you had Albrighton, a winger who holds the line and creates space for midfielders and Chilwell to underlap him.

On the right, Iheanacho was making similar movements to what Barnes was offering in the first-half. It was the interior movement from the right side that freed up Iheanacho for the deciding goal in the final minute of added time.

Everything positive stemmed from the Nigerian. It was not just his positional play but other aspects as well that allowed him to become the focal point of Leicester’s attack.

Vardy was struggling to impact the build-up passages of play as Yerry Mina and Micheal Keane had marked him out the game, while a midfield of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies stifled any advanced passing lanes. Adding a secondary focal point was the catalyst to breaking Everton’s deep block.

Rodgers’ intention was to have Iheanacho operate in the half space between Keane and Lucas Digne (the visitors’ left centre-back and left wing-back). This positioning caused confusion between the two, as neither knew whose job it was to mark him.

Leicester’s midfield constantly forced passes into Iheanacho when he found this space. He’d attract a defender or midfielder in before laying off a quick pass or flick to either an on-rushing midfielder or Vardy. The accuracy of Iheanacho’s passing around the corner was pivotal to his side’s success.

To cap it all off, Iheanacho had the decision making to win the game, too, reflected firstly when he  squared the ball to Vardy and finally, to find the bottom corner himself from the edge of the box, in the last minute of added time, after spending this season as a spectator.

This is a testament to the club and the work ethic of this current squad. Iheanacho has been highly praised for his relentless work on the training ground and he’s taken his chance really well.

Rodgers also deserves credit for the way he has managed the entirety of the squad, keeping every single player happy – and hungry for success. With Gray’s availability imminent, the question of who makes the matchday squad and starts against Watford is increasingly difficult to answer.

It would be brave to change the starting XI that’s earned Leicester a record six consecutive league but you can’t argue with the impact and output Iheanacho brought against a resolute Everton.