For 73 minutes, Everton held firm.
With the rain pounding down, thunder and lightning enveloping the King Power Stadium, a makeshift defence, and just 14 senior outfield players available, they just about kept their heads above water.
Then, as it often has in recent weeks, the strain told. Abdoulaye Doucoure sliced a clearance, James Garner and Jordan Pickford hesitated and, from the ensuing corner, Stephy Mavididi bundled the ball in. For the fourth successive game, three of them in the league, an Everton lead evaporated.
They have now dropped eight points from winning positions this season and 18 in the calendar year — both are the most among Premier League clubs. Sean Dyche, for so long the manager whose sides held onto leads, has seen his record flipped.
Cards on the table, Saturday’s 1-1 away draw against Leicester City was a difficult game to make sense of.
It could and probably should have been better for Dyche’s side, who took the lead and delivered one of their best halves of the season before the break. But it so easily could have been worse after Mavididi’s equaliser. Leicester pushed, Everton fans waited for the seemingly inevitable gut-punch winner for the opposition, but this time it did not come.
What went well for Everton
“You know the definition of madness, so I’ve got to look as well,” Dyche said. “We’ve changed it more than people think. Dwight (McNeil) as the 10, three at the back, five at the back, 4-4-1-1, 4-1-4-1. For someone who was told I never change anything, I must have more changes than Pep (Guardiola, his Manchester City counterpart).
“We spoke about how we could bring that feel and correct it… to win a game.”
Dyche has seen some of his decisions criticised in recent weeks, but most of the changes he made to his starting line-up at Leicester paid off. Jesper Lindstrom added extra dynamism to the attack, albeit without finding the finishing touch, while Garner mostly fared well in a makeshift right-back role. The biggest difference, though, was in midfield, with the duo of Doucoure and Orel Mangala bringing new-found composure to Everton’s play.
“Tim (Iroegbunam) has done great but he’s still young (21),” Dyche said. “People forget he’s been thrust into a situation where he probably wouldn’t have played as much as he has done. So we’ve got to be careful but he will do great and keep developing.
“Mango (Mangala) is slightly more rounded and experienced. He did very well. Douc, too, with his energy and legs.”
Dyche’s side were improved on both sides of the ball with that pair in the team. They brought a calmness in possession, both finished with passing accuracies just shy of 92 per cent, and allowed Everton to build attacks better and control more of the play. There was more security, too, in front of the defence, with Doucoure making several vital interceptions around the box in his favoured role.
Everton, notably, have won just three of the 37 Premier League games he has missed since being signed from Watford in summer 2020.
“I had a couple of hard weeks,” Doucoure said. “I didn’t find my best level and was dropped. That’s always a good reminder that there’s healthy competition. Tim wasn’t playing (on Saturday) and he was one of the best in the team so far.
“Iliman (Ndiaye, Everton’s new forward) is a top player. He can play left, No 10. Some people try to compare us but we are so different, so I don’t understand that. I want to keep playing with him. He’s a top player and is going to give us a lot this season.
“I probably need a couple of games to be more comfortable in this position but showed great character and desire.”
The belief at Everton is that performances like this one show the players are still fighting for results under their manager.
Dyche was again forced to patch a team together on the eve of the game and credit is due for their collective response.
The attack, spearheaded by goalscorer Ndiaye from the left wing, is showing signs of growth. But the clinical edge still eludes them.
What didn’t go well…
For the third league game on the spin, Dyche and his side couldn’t stem the turning tide.
Momentum shifted in the second half, with Everton increasingly passive. A carelessness crept into their play as they retreated. Their share of the ball dropped from 46 per cent to 37 and their passing accuracy slumped from 85 per cent to 75. Leicester doubled their first-half shot count from four to eight, Everton almost halved theirs (11 to six).
Whether by accident or design, they kept inviting pressure, and Mavididi finally got more success against Garner.
Both Dyche and Doucoure rejected the notion that fatigue had played a role.
“We had numerous occasions where we haven’t killed the game,” Dyche said in response to The Athletic.
“The thing about defending is that when you score goals, it changes the mentality. I was a defender and we’re the first to question defenders. We’re the first to question things like set pieces, as you are doing. But what about the chances at the other end? It has to be a dual responsibility and I mentioned that to the players.”
Dyche did look to his bench for fresh legs, bringing on Jack Harrison for Lindstrom shortly after the hour. Iroegbunam later replaced Ndiaye, with Doucoure shifting to play as the No 10. But the changes did nothing to disrupt the momentum. If anything, they left Everton struggling for an out-ball and more exposed in central midfield. Moving Doucoure seemed to disrupt their defensive balance.
Unsurprisingly, Dyche chose to put a more positive spin on the game after his side’s first point of the new season, calling it a “mini-step” forward.
“(There has been) lots of noise and negativity, which is difficult, but there was real confidence and belief in our performance,” he said. “I have never lost sight of the fact we have to win a game. We have not won, but it is a mini-step. We told the group we need to look after ourselves and have come through situations many times in my 20 months. Now we’ve got to do it again.”
That chance will come on Saturday when Crystal Palace, who are also yet to win this season but have drawn three of their five matches, come to Goodison Park.
(Top photo: Ndiaye celebrates his goal against Leicester; by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
