Leicester 1-1 Everton: Three Foxes Talking Points

A Genuine six-pointer

In reality, the Premier League is not a unitary competition. These days, there are three, or maybe four, separate groups. The big six are in one of them. Their financial muscle ensures they will almost always finish at the top end of the table and will certainly never be in danger of relegation. Below them is the second group involving clubs such as Villa, Newcastle and Brighton who can expect to finish in the top half challenging for European places. Then there are the also-rans, those clubs who will desperately hope to avoid being dragged into the relegation battle. If last season and the start of this is anything to go by, there may be a fourth group consisting of last season’s promoted clubs whose financial disadvantage is such that they are odds-on to finish in the bottom three.

Games between those in the third and fourth groups are six-pointers. These contests are opportunities to win points. The game at the King Power on Saturday was one of these. Everton have been towards the bottom of the table for several seasons now and their poor start suggests another season of struggle. The Foxes, meanwhile, have also had a stuttering start picking up only two points from their four outings. Something had to give. 

In the event, the spoils were shared, a result which didn’t really help either club. Everton dominated the first half and could have scored more than the solitary goal knocked in by Iliman Ndiaye after 12 minutes. For a large part of the game - in the second half of the first half and the first half of the second - the players (and the supporters) had to grapple with a major thunderstorm (see what it was like on this Sky Sports clip). We had the lot, lightning, thunder, rain and even hail. I think it spoilt the game somewhat. Not much happened on the pitch when the weather was at its worse. In the second half, Leicester improved and equalised with sharp turn and shot by Stephy Mavididi following a corner.