Mason Holgate seals Everton’s precious win over lacklustre Leicester

Everton recorded a precious victory in their fight for Premier League survival and a first away from Goodison Park since August to rise to 16th, a point above the relegation zone. They also have the ammunition of a game in hand on those below them after brushing aside a lacklustre Leicester, who seemed hungover from their European exit in midweek.

A thunderbolt from Vitalii Mykolenko put them on their way before a calamitous mixup between Yerry Mina and Seamus Coleman allowed Patson Daka to level, but Everton restored their lead through Mason Holgate as Leicester’s vulnerabilities at set pieces surfaced once more, four days from Tammy Abraham’s headed winner in Rome. Brendan Rodgers’s side have conceded 23 times from set plays this season, including 18 goals from corners.

For Everton, who again had Jordan Pickford to thank for a catalogue of fine saves, successive victories for the first time since September breathes life into their hopes of staying up. Frank Lampard’s side took the lead in style through Mykolenko, the Ukraine full-back lashing a sweet left-foot volley into the top corner after meeting Alex Iwobi’s cross on the edge of Leicester’s 18-yard box. The joy proved short-lived as Leicester hit back in comical fashion five minutes later, seconds after Abdoulaye Doucoure almost doubled Everton’s advantage.

Doucoure started the move, striding forward on halfway and freeing the former Leicester winger Demarai Gray, before bursting into the box. He latched on to Gray’s teasing cross and Kasper Schmeichel just about kept his effort out of the Leicester net, requiring a helping hand from a post, before launching the ball downfield to Iheanacho, whose pass ballooned into the sky. At that point a slapstick moment