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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Adam Jones

Everton analysis - Frank Lampard handed new midfield problem but two unlikely stars emerge

Fighting until the end

Supporting this club really isn't good for the health, is it? Those of a nervous disposition, you might struggle for the remaining matches of the campaign.

It's also probably best to never consider wearing a heart-rate monitor at Goodison Park for fear of it spontaneously combusting thanks to a nail-biting mistake or a euphoric last-minute goal. Thankfully for the Blues, it was the latter which prevailed in the end to earn them what could be a crucial point in this battle against relegation.

Essentially, they matched up the result that Burnley had last time out, keeping them four points clear of the Clarets having played the same amount of games. Keep that up for the remainder of the campaign, and Frank Lampard's side will more than likely have confirmed their place in the Premier League next term - barring an incredible revival from either Watford or Norwich.

MATCH VERDICT: Everton find hero who can save season despite Goodison 'moment' concern

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But it has to be said that for long period of this game, it really didn't seem like it was going to be Everton's day. After a shocking start to the match in which Leicester dominated possession amid a flat Goodison atmosphere, the hosts eventually did grow into the match and show signs of the fight and passion those in the stands desperately required.

As the match passed the 70-minute mark it seemed like it might be "one of those" for the Blues. They weren't creating many clear-cut opportunities to test Kasper Schmeichel despite their desire to press high up the pitch on occasion, and those they did manage to fashion were being missed - most notably by Richarlison.

But, in the end, the Brazilian typified a never-say-die attitude that proved absolutely vital to his side. He was the man in the right place at the right time to get onto the end of Dele Alli's low cross, dummied by Salomon Rondon into his path.

He'd missed easier opportunities to score earlier in the match, and this time his effort took a deflection which agonisingly took all of the pace out of it. The silence that fell across Goodison as that ball edged mercilessly closer to the goalline was absolutely deafening.

It was nothing compared to the roar which followed though. Those fans who had been left flat for much of the first half had been shouting themselves hoarse for the majority of the second, and the ball finally nestling into the far corner of that net in front of the Gwladys Street felt like a just reward for that.

On another day, with Richarlison perhaps having his shooting boots on earlier in the 90 minutes, Everton could have won this. There will no doubt have been supporters leaving their seats at full time disappointed that they hadn't picked up three points, despite the obvious relief that comes with at least not suffering what would have been a hugely demoralising defeat.

It might only be one point of difference, but in the grand scheme of things how crucial could that be? Everybody involved with the Blues - whether that was in the stands, on the touchline, or on the pitch - fought until the very last seconds of what ended up being a pulsating night in L4.

In those closing stages, it was Everton sensing a potential winner. The fans could smell blood, and if the game had gone on for maybe two or three minutes more, then maybe we would have been talking about a famous comeback victory.

But don't let that take away from what did happen. Everton could have very easily allowed this game to pass them by, and it would have gone down as another of *those* days in this dreary season.

Not this time, though. And that could be absolutely priceless. By hook or by crook they needed at least something from this match, and thankfully they found it.

System struggles

Perhaps Everton wouldn't have been in such a precarious position towards the end of the match if they had set up in a different manner for this game, however. You can certainly see why Lampard wanted to keep things as close as possible to some strong performances in recent weeks in terms of his system, but Leicester found it a little too easy to exploit.

Allan and Fabian Delph, who had been fantastic as a pair in front of the back four against Manchester United 11 days previously, were largely ineffective as the visitors dominated the ball in the opening exchanges this time around. Brendan Rodgers' side always seemed to have a man in the half-spaces, which Everton were not covering.

While Lampard's gameplan was to win a midfield battle and try to force their way through the middle, as had been effective against United, Leicester were clearly prepared. They played around the pair in the middle and often left them chasing shadows - with James Maddison and Harvey Barnes particularly finding a lot of joy around the edge of the box.

The hosts were 1-0 up in the first period but that didn't reflect the dominance that they had displayed in especially the opening 20 minutes of this clash. Eventually, that really came back to bite them.

Everton's change to a 4-1-4-1 in the second half initially didn't seem to have had the right effect but the introduction of Rondon (which we'll discuss in more detail very shortly) did change that. However, even then, there was potential space on counter-attack for the visitors which they did not take full advantage of.

That's what made this game such an interesting one. Looking at it objectively, both sides might have considered that they could easily have been leaving the stadium with all three points - but neither did.

For Lampard and Everton, it was fight and determination which really saved them in this match. On other occasions they might not be so lucky, and so the chinks in the armour that Leicester were able to shine a light on do need to be dealt with in the coming weeks before the end of the campaign.

Substitution influences

In the end, the changes that Lampard did make in-game to try and inspire something from his side proved to be the crucial elements of the result. Both Dele and Rondon played big roles in the build-up to Richarlison's late, late goal.

Initially it seemed that the former was struggling to get to grips with this encounter properly. In essence, that can accurately sum up his time at Goodison Park so far.

It's still very evident that the former Spurs man is going to need time to get himself anywhere near the levels which made him such an exciting player a couple of years ago. Right now, time and patience are not exactly commodities in abundance for Everton at the bottom end of the table.

In a situation such as this one, however, all that matters is the contribution to goals. He came on, chased the ball to the corner in the dying minutes of the match, and played the low cross into the area which was eventually directed into the back of the net by Richarlison.

The ball might have been meant for Rondon, but who honestly cares? That's his most effective contribution so far in an Everton shirt, and it could well be an absolutely vital one.

And, of course, special mention has to go to the striker who came off the bench as well. He's been a much-maligned figure in his time on Merseyside since his summer move to the club - and again he's been another who's needed time to properly get up to speed.

His effect on this match was very simplistic in some ways, but it was exactly what Everton needed. It might not have been perfect, with some interesting decisions in terms of backwards passes and some errant pieces of control.

But his positive impact vastly outweighed what he failed to pull together. He won a header about a minute after being introduced from a long Jordan Pickford free kick, which instantly set up Richarlison for Everton's first shot on target of the match.

He kept up those aerial battles throughout his time on the pitch, and added to that some fantastic hold-up play and crucial passes to set up his side on an attack. His flick-on at the near post was so close to finding a diving Dele at the back post, before his dummy was vital in the build-up to Richarlison's equaliser.

Did he mean to dummy it? Who honestly cares at this point.

Atmosphere warning

Lampard in the build-up to this match did mention that his players couldn't allow themselves to get complacent over their home form, and the strong Goodison atmosphere that comes with it.

However, it didn't seem that the squad took that on board quite as much as they needed to. For crucial periods of this match they looked leggy and struggled to get up to the pace of the visitors in the opening stages particularly.

That left the atmosphere inside the stadium a little bit flat. Aside from Alex Iwobi in the first period, who was excellent again, there were not many players truly committing to the press in terms of their sprinting.

Starting a game in that manner is always going to have an effect on the mood in the stands, and Everton's players must know that they have to approach every single home game in the right manner. Lampard knows this too, he mentioned after the match that his players need to "dictate" how the atmosphere is going to be.

We all know that home form is key in these closing stages of the season. The Blues can't allow that to potentially slip through their fingers, and thankfully the spirit shown in the side in the second half was key.

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