Win relief

EVERTON 2 - 1 LEICESTER CITY

In the middle of a sluggish week, I couldn't get out of work quick enough come 5.30pm and was grateful for the lift to the game from Gaz. We picked up Dan and Ste on the way, congregating in the pub on what promised to be a chilly old night at Goodison Park. It was good fun in the pub, as we put the world to rights on all things wrong with deadline day and modern football.

The team news surprised us all with Seamus Coleman beginning at right back following 10 months out with his horrific injury. Though we all felt it was too soon a return, we were all delighted to see the Irishman back in the team. Elsewhere Oumar Niasse, also surprisingly, began alone up front, with Wayne Rooney playing in midfield alongside Idrissa Gueye and Tom Davies seemingly the link between midfield and attack. With three right banks in the squad, I was disappointed not to see Luke Garbutt not included in the XI.

As we headed on towards Goodison Park in the cold, Dan broke the news that Ademola Lookman had been loaned out to Red Bull Leipzig for the remainder of the season. Safe to say nobody saw that one coming. Also safe to say that nobody was impressed with this.

Attentions were soon drawn towards the pitch and we were soon wondering how long a night this might be as we started sluggishly as ever and the alarm bells were really ringing when Wilfred Ndidi hit the crossbar with his header from a corner kick. We really needed to get going and other than a speculative Theo Walcott effort that was well saved by Kasper Schmeichel.

Off the pitch, at this stage, I was disappointed in the Everton stewards who removed one or two supporters for standing. Where we are situated in the Lower Gwladys we are just on the cusp of a section where people tend to stand. Stand or sit, I take it or leave it. If people ahead of me stand, I'll get up on my feet, sit down ahead of me, and I'll also sit. It's been like that for some time where we are placed, so I was surprised to see the stewards take this action now, especially as the end result was everyone standing up anyway in some sort of protest.

After a poor start we began to get into our stride, get up the pitch and get into the opposition a little bit more. As happens, and its a wonder Big Sam hasn't enforced this intensity so far, if the team get into the opposition, the crowd react and get behind the team. It's a two way thing and now, for sudden, the crowd and team seemed as one, and until the 71st minute at least, it felt there was no looking back. From defending a corner kick Cuco Martina broke forward down his favoured right side. I forget how, but the ball was won back off Ben Chilwell by Cuco, and he fed the supporting Gylfi Sigurdsson who looked up and fed Theo Walcott who had made a good run at the back post and finished well. Everton ahead and huge relief all round.

We really took the game to Leicester City from here and Oumar Niasse will have been the most relieved man in the stadium when Theo Walcott volleyed in his second goal, given he had just missed a golden opportunity to double our money when he thrashed wide from six yards out. Thankfully we didn't stay at just 1-0 for long, but had Oumar not have touched the ball so far ahead of himself when he robbed Harry Maguire from the restart, 2-0 could easily well have become 3-0. Still, come the break, we had to be pleased. We had a two goal lead and had grown into the game.

Up until Jamie Vardy's penalty at least, the second half was as well as we have played this season and when Leicester City got their penalty they were barely in the game. It's a shame we couldn't convert our dominance into another goal, but when Wayne Rooney apparently fouled Wilfred Ndidi in the penalty area, and Vardy converted, you just knew this was going to be a nailbitter from here on in. Even the weather then changed to even fiercer winds and hail.

Though very entertaining, it was as nervy as it gets, none more so than when substitute Kelechi Iheanacho twice hit the woodwork in quick succession following a needlessly conceded corner from Rooney. Sam Allardyce's substitutions bought us some time but the heart attack threat continued. Cuco Martina cleared one away inside his six yard box which looked goalbound from the Gwladys Street at least, and Jordan Pickford dealt with the incoming crosses. At the other end Seamus Coleman, almost as if he hadn't been out injured for so long, kept getting himself forward, and Theo Walcott had one cleared not far from the goal by Aleksandar Dragovic.

Eventually we were able to see the game out and claim a vital, and ultimately deserved three points. Though we were up against it in the final 20 minutes, for the best part of an hour of this game we were the better team. It's a relief to win again, particularly with Saturday's trip to the Emirates.

I may just have dried off by then. At full time, for some reason as we normally hang around for a little while at least, we shot off quickly, only to wait on the island for Dan to make his way down from the Top Balcony. We all got soaked right through.

You laugh these things off when you win.

Player ratings:

Pickford: Helpless with the goal but dealt with the rest competently. 6

Martina: Did very well and will keep on giving his all as long as he has to play there. He had a big hand in our first goal and seemed to grow in confidence with that, and also made some important defensive contributions throughout. Did well. 7

Jagielka: He and Michael Keane at the back at least offer two calm heads and he helped lead us through the game, particularly when under intense pressure in the closing stages. A good effort. 7

Keane: I thought he was impressive, and feel there is a lot more to come from Michael Keane. 7

Coleman: What a contribution from Seamus. Over the years I've seen several players come back from a long-term injury and none have come back as impressively as Seamus. It was as if he'd never been away. Mikel Artera, Phil Jagielka, Yakubu and more recently Yannick Bolasie to name a few off the top of my head, have returned and needed plenty of games to get rid of that rustiness, but you have to be very impressed with Seamus, and he really showed what we've been missing. We could be on to a great partnership there between he and Theo Walcott as well. Well done Seamus. You've got to be proud of the lad. 8

Gueye: Quietly effective. Chipped in with a lot of tackles and kept things ticking over nicely. Had a good game. 7

Rooney: Very Jekyll & Hyde. On the one hand he's the brightest player out there, and sees things that others don't. On the other, he does plenty of misplaced passes, somehow gave away a penalty and gave away an insane corner kick which so nearly lead to a Leicester City equaliser. Still we're better with him in the team than without. 6

Sigurdsson: A good contribution for our first goal but like last week, he started well then faded badly in the second half. 5

Walcott: He's made a much quicker impact than I expected and offers excellent discipline with his tracking of players and does a good honest job for the team. That aside, his contribution in the final third so far has been terrific. Two goals and an assist in two games. If he can keep up this form, and build a partnerhsip with Seamus, we will all be happy. Well done Theo. A great start. My man of the match. 8

Davies: Worked hard. I'm still mystified on how a young player completing his first full season can get so much grief from some of the guys near me but what can you do? The lad tries hard and is learning all the time. A good effort. 6

Niasse: Should have scored at least one of his two opportunities but he spurned them both. Regardless, he put in quite the shift and gave them something to worry about throughout. If I was to rate him on effort alone, he'd be 10 out of 10. 6

Schneiderlin (for Rooney): Got stuck in. 6

Calvert-Lewin (for Sigurdsson): We were all a bit surprised as we thought this would be a straight swap for Niasse, but he made enough of a nuisance of himself on the wing. 6

Williams (for Niasse): Not on long, can't judge.

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