Beto’s Brace sets up Everton for third consecutive win

Everton 4 – 0 Leicester City

Everton take on fellow strugglers Leicester City at Goodison Park, with David Moyes forced to make changes to the side that started at Brighton due to injuries to two more first-choice players.

Beto comes in to lead the line in place of Dominic Calvert-Lewin while James Garner makes his first start following a long lay-off with a back problem.

James Garner kicked it back to Pickford whose hoof upfield fell nicely as Beto played decoy for a steaming Doucoure who chested it neatly into his path before belting it past Hermansen into the far left corner to open the scoring inside 10 seconds — Everton’s fastest ever goal!

And a great ball forward from James Tarkowski unleashed Beto in a similar position,  he struck a lovely finish in the same left corner of Hermansen’s goal with just 7 minutes gone! Two shots, two goals.  

Everton lived a little dangerously in defence before finally getting it clear, Garner then forced a great turnover and the team advanced before Garner won a corner off a blocked cross. Tarkowski got too far underneath his header.

Doucoure then fed Lindstrom who was unlucky not to get another corner. After a spell of possession foo The Foxes, Mykolenko got down the left wing and picked out Doucoure with his fine cross but it was headed wide.

A great corner delivery was headed forward by Branthwaite but O’Brien was well offside when he banging it home for what would not be Everton’s third goal.

Some dangerous play off a Foxes corner saw two clear chances spurned as Ayew completely miskicked and Kristiansen blazed his shot just over Pickford’s bar.

Branthwaite needed treatment after clashing heads with Ayew. Beto was a bit naive to expect a penalty when he let a great ball from Garner run past him before Vestergaard powered into him. Beto had failed to contact the ball when he obviously should have done, and that’s why it wasn’t worthy of a penalty call.

Doucoure and Ndiaye worked the ball out well to Garner whose cross was put behind buy Hermansen. Mykolenko’s corner did not beat the first defender and his next two crosses went straight to Leicester players. Lidstrom showed his physical lack of strength on the other wing when easily fended off by the more substantial Kristiansen.

Branthwaite started a lovely move down the left with a chipped pass forward to Mykolenko who crossed smartly to Doucoure who was leaning back as he scooped the half-volley just over the angle.

Then, just an exquisite ball forward to Beto who seemed again to have let it run past him but he stretched his long legs and timed his shot perfectly past Hermansen and into the corner — an excellent striker’s finish to give Everton a commanding 3-0 lead at the break.

Tarkowski had to give away an early corner after the break that was defended clear. Mykolenko then did well to win a free-kick wide left but it came to nothing. Beto was released by Lindstrom down the right but his cross was straight to a defender.  Beto got another chance to break the line but was so narrow he could only drive it at Hermansen.

Ndiaye tried to break through but his pass went behind off a defender, Branthwaite jumping a fraction later as the ball flew over the goal. Garner tried to drive through and was sandwiched by Soumare and Kristiansen.

El Khannouss failed to get around Branthwaite but won a corner that was defended clear. Lindstrom fouled Soumare outside the Everton penalty area, Ayew firing into the wall. But The Foxes worked it around an Daka had a chance to shoot straight at Pickford. He launched the ball up the other end where Doucoure chased it wide and laid it back on a platter for Lindstrom, his shot careening wide off Hemansen’s foot.

Ndiaye drove forward, his shot spinning off Faes’s leg and wide but no corner given. At the other end, Mavadidi forced a corner that Pickford took.

And Iliman Ndiaye rounded off the scoring with another lovely finish after Harrison had come on and fired in a shot from 20 yards that Hermansen saved, with Everton playing out the final minutes to a rapturous celebration of three wins on the trot.

Everton: Pickford, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner (82’ Iroegbunam), Doucouré, Lindstrøm (72’ Young), Ndiaye, Beto (89’ Harrison).

Subs: Virginia, Begovic, Patterson, Keane, Armstrong, Sherif

Leicester City: Hermansen, Justin (75’ Coulibaly), Vestergaard (60’ Okoli), Faes, Kristiansen, Winks, Soumare, El Khannouss, De Cordova-Reid (75’ Mavididi), Ayew, Vardy  (60’ Daka).

Subs: Stolarczyk, Coady, Skipp, McAteer, Buonanotte.

Attendance: 39,376

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