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Attendance: 38,390

Premier League

Jan 31, 2018 at 7.45pm UK

Everton
2-1
Leicester Leicester City

Walcott (25', 39')

FT(HT: 2-0)

Vardy (71' pen.)

Theo Walcott scores brace as Everton beat Leicester City

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 31 January 2018

Walcott bags brace as Everton beat Leicester

Theo Walcott's brace helps Everton record a 2-1 win over Leicester City in Wednesday night's Premier League meeting at Goodison Park.

Theo Walcott's brace has helped Everton record a 2-1 win over Leicester City in Wednesday night's Premier League meeting at Goodison Park.

The Foxes began brightly as Jamie Vardy's overhead kick was hooked behind by Phil Jagielka just two minutes in and Harry Maguire headed over from the ensuing corner.

Three minutes later the Toffees enjoyed a bright chance of their own, Walcott making the most of Wilfred Ndidi's misplaced pass to sting Kasper Schmeichel's palms from 25 yards out.

Ndidi nearly made amends on the quarter-hour mark, connecting with a header following a short corner and hitting the top of the Everton crossbar.

Leicester would come to rue their missed opportunities as the hosts went ahead on 25 minutes, Gylfi Sigurdsson dispossessing Ben Chilwell crossing low for the unmarked Walcott to rifle home.

Sam Allardyce's charges took the game by the scruff of the neck after taking the lead and doubled their advantage shortly before half time.

Wayne Rooney lofted the ball into the box for Michael Keane to flick on towards the far post, where Walcott was waiting to prod beyond Schmeichel for a healthy half-time lead.

The restart saw Everton pick up from where they left off, continuing to dominate the game, but found their deficit halved midway through the second half.

Ndidi was hauled down inside the Toffees' box by Rooney, prompting the referee to award a penalty, and Vardy made no mistake with his spot kick, calmly dispatching past Jordan Pickford.

Leicester's equaliser prompted a frantic period of pressure, with Kelechi Iheanacho twice hitting the woodwork and Matty James's effort being cleared off the line by Cuco Martina.

Walcott then had a chance to seal a hat-trick, but his 85th-minute effort from Schmeichel's poor punch was cleared off the line by Maguire as the final whistle eventually blew on a narrow Everton win.

EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Coleman, Jagielka, Keane, Martina; Davies, Gueye; Walcott, Rooney (Schneiderlin 81'), Sigurdsson (Calvert-Lewin 82'); Niasse (Williams 88')

LEICESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel; Amartey (Fuchs 74'), Dragovic, Maguire, Chilwell; Ndidi, James; Gray (Iheanacho 75'), Okazaki (Diabate 58'), Albrighton; Vardy