Everton held on against Leicester City to record back-to-back league wins.

Richarlison rounded off a well-worked move from the Blues in the 10th minute to drill the ball home from Anthony Gordon’s left-hand side cross.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side took a further lead when Wilfred Ndidi handled the ball in the penalty area, allowing Gylfi Sigurdsson to convert from 12 yards out.

Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho reduced the deficit after the interval when Mason Holgate’s headed clearance ricocheted off him and into the net.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Carlo goes tactical

 

Weathering the storm has become par for the course with recent Everton managers and Carlo Ancelotti appears to be no exception to the rule.

But the Italian’s ability to drill players to hold their nerve shone through against a Leicester City team still chasing Champions League qualification.

As the Foxes upped the ante after the interval, Ancelotti opted to consolidate a slender lead with a struggling Richarlison replaced by midfielder Tom Davies.

He went further on the defensive by swapping out Alex Iwobi for a returning Yerry Mina in efforts to shore up his side for the remainder of the game.

Critics will label the triple European Cup-winning coach’s tactics as defeatist yet as Brendan Rodgers himself knows, stats can only count for so much.

The one-time Liverpool boss was regularly derided across Stanley Park for how his team ‘won the passing’ during the formative months of his tenure.

A similar pattern occurred on Rodgers’ return to Merseyside but there can be no dispute that Ancelotti’s game plan set out to achieve what it ultimately did.

Gordon no longer an acquired taste

 

Evertonians did not see the best of Anthony Gordon against Liverpool.

Understandably, the teenager struggled to assert himself in taking on the now Premier League champions and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s attacking threat.

Gordon’s latest Goodison Park outing was a much happier affair as he appeared noticeably more confident as Leicester faced an early onslaught.

The midfielder’s assist which allowed Richarlison to break the deadlock completed an impressive team move with a cross from the left-hand side.

Ancelotti continues to exercise caution over Gordon’s first-team prospects, withdrawing him 11 minutes from time in favour of Bernard’s fresh legs.

Harnessing the expectations surrounding the local boy made good are going to become more difficult if he delivers performances like this consistently.

Wise up or watch out, Pickford

 

Everton are expected to clear the deck in the summer, with accumulated deadwood from previous managers already earmarked for departure.

Jordan Pickford, however, should also be looking over his shoulder after another haphazard display which posed more questions than answers.

Rarely did the England goalkeeper appear comfortable as Leicester peppered his area with a succession of snapshots and deep crosses in the second half.

The latter exposed Pickford’s shakiness as he appeared uncomfortable reaching for the series of floated balls delivered by Marc Albrighton.

No one can dispute his shot-stopping abilities, but the Blues need their last line of defence to be a complete package rather than a one-track specialty.

In the short-term, Joe Hart’s recent availability as a free agent may potentially offer a wake-up call of the standards Pickford needs to uphold.

End of penalty woe worth the wait

Penalties had become something of a collector’s item in the last year or so, with Everton failing to win one since overcoming Chelsea in March 2019.

Some 38 games and 16 months on, the previously unthinkable happened as referee David Coote pointed to the spot for a handball by Wilfred Ndidi.

The wait dragged on for even longer than expected as the match official extensively consulted VAR for clarity of the Leicester midfielder’s misdeed.

Several minutes elapsed before Stockley Park belatedly confirmed that the appeals of Ancelotti’s players were justified and Gylfi Sigurdsson stepped up.

From 12 yards, the Icelandic playmaker wrong-footed Kasper Schmeichel to reaffirm both a cruising first-half lead as well as the hosts’ eventual victory.

Good things really do come to those who wait.