Five things we learnt from Everton v Leicester

Claudio Ranieri's Leicester are top of the Premier League at Christmas

 

NEWS NEWS BLOG SPORT brings you five things we learnt from Leicester's 3-2 away win against Everton.

 

Claudio Ranieri is top at Christmas

Another impressive counter-attacking display means Leicester are top at Christmas and deserve to be. Leicester fans savour that sentence. One defeat in 17 league games is a remarkable achievement for which Ranieri deserves tremendous credit.

His side could have buckled when Romelu Lukaku cancelled out Riyad Mahrez’s early goal, but broke forward to claim victory. Leicester’s approach is not complicated. They get the ball forward quickly and are not averse to relying on set pieces, but they are proving hugely effective.

Leicester have strength in depth

Robert Huth and Danny Drinkwater, whose work has gone unheralded behind the eye-catching Mahrez and Vardy, were both absent here and the expectation was this was the afternoon the bubble would burst. Yet Andy King was excellent in stepping into Drinkwater’s shoes and Marcin Wasilewski slotted in well alongside captain Wes Morgan.

If either Mahrez or Vardy were absent for any length of time questions would be posed again (although Shinji Okazaki was a handful even without his goal) but Leicester keep on coming up with an answer.

 

Romelu Lukaku could equal or even better Jamie Vardy's goalscoring record

 

Morgan the Premier League’s most improved?

There were times last season when Wes Morgan seemed like an accident waiting to happen. When Leicester lost 3-1 to Liverpool at home a year ago, he was particularly culpable and appeared out of his depth. Yet he has been outstanding this term, a real leader and deserves his share of the plaudits.

Lukaku can rival Vardy

Romelu Lukaku’s poacher’s finish which briefly restored parity means he has scored in his last seven Premier League games. Given his confidence levels, will begin thinking he can reach Jamie Vardy’s record of 11 successive matches.

Next up for Everton is Newcastle on Boxing Day followed by Stoke, Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea. There would be no little irony if the Everton striker set a new standard at Stamford Bridge against the club who let him leave.

Everton need Phil Jagielka back

For all the talk of Everton being one of the Premier League’s entertainers, they have now won just twice in their last 10 top flight matches. Easy on the eye is one thing, soft at the back quite another and Martinez will be counting down the days until Phil Jagielka is back from injury.

Jagielka is Everton’s most important player despite Lukaku’s goalscoring run and his influence is sorely missed in a fragile backline. Ramiro Funes-Mori gave away the penalty for Mahrez’s first goal and endured an uncomfortable afternoon throughout.