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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Joe Thomas

Frank Lampard makes honest Everton and Leicester comparison after home defeat

Frank Lampard said Leicester City showing their quality in front of goal was the difference between the visitors and Everton.

Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes scored as Brendan Rodgers' side left Goodison Park with three points on a disappointing night for the Blues. Lampard credited his side with creating two of the "better chances" of the match and thought they competed "in lots of ways".

But he concluded: "In the end we came up a very good team with good individuals in good form who showed their quality at the top end of the pitch and we couldn't find that."

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Tielemans' stunning volley came at the end of the first half just as it appeared Everton may have weathered the threat of their opponents. While the hosts created chances they were under constant pressure from Leicester, who stopped them playing from the back and forced a number of errors as they pressed the Blues defence and Jordan Pickford.

Everton fought hard in the second half but struggled to cause Leicester problems even as Lampard made changes - making all five available substitutions by the 65th minute. One of those was the introduction of Neal Maupay, who came on for Dominic Calvert-Lewin after the striker received treatment on the pitch.

Calvert-Lewin limped down the tunnel and is now set to undergo a hamstring scan on Monday. Amadou Onana and idrissa Gueye are also facing scans after they suffered injuries.

The boss also turned to Anthony Gordon, who dropped to the bench for Dwight McNeil because, Lampard said, he wanted to freshen up the starting line-up. Asked for his verdict on the performance, he pointed to two opportunities created by his side as pivotal to the outcome of the game - Alex Iwobi shooting narrowly wide from inside the box in the opening minutes and Calvert-Lewin firing a shot at the legs of Danny Ward when played through by Iwobi.

He said: "They were a good opposition. We missed some big chances - probably two of the better chances of the game - at critical moments early in the game and then early in the second half. Possession was 50-50ish, we tried to get after them a little bit when we had moments of good pressure, and [there were] moments when we were a little bit off it in that sense but against a good footballing team.

"I didn't want to give them a sense of coming here and controlling us and pushing us back so I thought we competed in lots of ways. In the end we came up against a very good team with good individuals in good form who showed their quality at the top end of the pitch and we couldn't find that."

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