
<p>Leicester City and Everton both picked up a point in a pivotal game in the relegation race in the Premier League. Both clubs held a lead at the King Power, but the score settled at two games a piece. </p>



<p>In truth, a draw is a fair result. Both clubs had stints of pressure. Leicester may have held more of the ball, but Everton tested the Leicester goalkeeper, Daniel Iversen, more. The result leaves Everton in 19th, a lone point out of safety. In fact, it is just a point behind Leicester City, which leaped over Leeds and Nottingham Forest into 16th. However, the Foxes have the best goal differential of the five clubs in the relegation battle.</p>



<h5>Foxes fight through frantic first half</h5>



<p>The desperation on both sides was clear early on. With just four games left after this game at the King Power, both Everton and Leicester wanted to jump on their opponent. It was Everton to find the breakthrough just 15 minutes in. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who won the penalty to begin with, <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1653117569149050885" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">blasted beyond Iversen</a> in the Leicester net. It was just Calvert-Lewin’s second goal of the previous campaign, as the striker battles through injuries.</p>



<p>However, Leicester held the lead at the half courtesy of two goals in 12 minutes. The first came from an unlikely source. Çağlar Söyüncü, the center back who is leaving for Atletico Madrid in the summer, <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1653119373249224715" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pounced on a loose ball</a> to level the scoreline. Then, not long after, Jamie Vardy found a lead for Leicester. In classic Vardy fashion, the Englishman’s speed got in behind the Everton defense. He made a simple move around a helpless Jordan Pickford and cozied the ball into the net.</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jamie Vardy gives Leicester City the lead! <br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/USANetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USANetwork</a> <a href="https://t.co/huTTjFH2vX">pic.twitter.com/huTTjFH2vX</a></p>— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1653122563063554048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Even though three goals in one half is a good return for goals in 45 minutes, there was potential for many more. For example, in one frantic minute. Calvert-Lewin somehow missed a tap-in, as he played the ball into Iversen after Dwight McNeil set up Calvert-Lewin. On the ensuing clearance, Vardy was one-on-one against Michael Keane. Vardy created enough space to dink it over Pickford. The ball clipped the top of the crossbar, though, and went out of play.</p>



<p>Culminating the first half was another glorious chance. After a handball in his own box by Keane, Jordan Pickford saved a tame shot from James Maddison. </p>



<h5>Everton finds a way back</h5>



<p>Leicester would rue that penalty miss almost instantly. Just ten minutes into the second half, Everton leveled the game. McNeil played a high cross in toward Calvert-Lewin, the centerpiece of Everton’s advances. Wout Faes and Söyüncü challenged Calvert-Lewin in the air. However, the deflection ballooned over to Alex Iwobi. Iwobi calmly played the ball into the bottom left corner of the net on his first touch. It had to be a perfectly placed shot, too, as Iversen was near-unbeatable for much of the game.</p>



<p>For example, in the 75th minute, a defensive misplay by Söyüncü yielded a race to the ball between Iversen and Calvert-Lewin. The Danish shot-stopper put his body on the line to block Calvert-Lewin’s attempt and keep the game knotted at two.</p>



<p>With four minutes left in the 90, Iversen pulled off one more great save. Abdoulaye Doucoure let fly from just outside the 18-yard box to the lower right side of Iversen. A strong hand met the shot and repelled it wide.</p>



<h2>Leicester City and Everton both firmly in relegation battle</h2>



<p>The clubs at the bottom of the table now have just four games remaining. Both Leicester City and Everton have some challenging games on the way in. Leicester City has games against Fulham, Liverpool, Newcastle and West Ham. Everton, on the other hand, has Brighton, Manchester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth. Comparatively, Leeds has a harder way home. Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham and Tottenham are the last four games for Leeds, which could <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/leeds-considers-sacking-javi-gracia-after-another-blowout-loss-20230501-WST-431058.html">sack its manager soon</a>.</p>



<p>It should be an exciting couple of weeks as the Premier League season comes to a close.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images</em></p>


A game with immeasurable importance in the relegation battle between Leicester City and Everton yielded an exciting 2-2 draw.

Leicester City and Everton settle for draw in relegation scrap


<p>New Everton manager Sean Dyche has revealed that the club will be going to interesting lengths to study Dominic Calvert-Lewin and his injury crisis. The Toffees boss told reporters on Thursday that the striker’s car, mattress and sleep patterns are currently under investigation.</p>



<p>Calvert-Lewin has missed 13 total matches during the current campaign due to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/08/04/everton-lose-calvert-lewin-to-injury-for-six-weeks/">various injury setbacks</a>. This comes after the forward was sidelined for 23 games last season, as well. He has suffered two somewhat serious injuries to his toe and knee during this stretch; however, Calvert-Lewin has also missed matches due to other issues.</p>



<h5>Dyche covering all bases in attempt to keep forward fit</h5>



<p>“I’ve got to learn about his history, his physiological history. I’ve got to learn what his body will and won’t take, which is what we are trying to do now,” Dyche <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/16/everton-assess-dominic-calvert-lewins-physiological-history-after-latest-injury" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>. “We’re speaking to him, the medics, the sports scientists, looking at the stats, training programs, distance covered, high-speed running, how many [kilometers] in a week, what’s his diet like, what’s his lifestyle like, what car does he drive, what mattress does he use, how many hours does he sleep a night?”</p>



<p>“That’s learning about people,” continued the coach. “The biggest learning is what is in here [points to his head] and that’s the hard part. I’ll get all the information I can and then share it with him. That’s the process for every player, by the way, not just him.”</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sean Dyche confirms Dominic Calvert-Lewin is unavailable for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EVELEE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EVELEE</a>.<br><br>Watch live: <a href="https://t.co/PvRvjZ1Qpy">https://t.co/PvRvjZ1Qpy</a> <a href="https://t.co/QGCiaGCpiZ">pic.twitter.com/QGCiaGCpiZ</a></p>— Everton (@Everton) <a href="https://twitter.com/Everton/status/1626217055711281152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>Calvert-Lewin injury rules striker out of key game</h2>



<p>Calvert-Lewin injured his hamstring during Dyche’s first match in charge of the club. Despite the victory against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Arsenal</a>, Everton are still currently in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> relegation zone. The Merseyside club will now have to soldier on without their star striker for the near future. Calvert-Lewin has been ruled out of the team’s massive match with Leeds at the weekend.</p>



<p>Leeds are currently just one point ahead of Everton in the standings. A loss by the Toffees would be a devastating blow to their survival hopes.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Sportimage</em></p>


New Everton manager Sean Dyche will be thoroughly examining Dominic Calvert-Lewin in attempts to answer the forward's injury woes.

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