Match ends, Everton 2, Leicester City 2.
EvertonEverton2LeicesterLeicester City2
- Upson own goal denies bottom club win
- Everton without a home win since 15 December
- Nugent scores against boyhood team
- Cambiasso hits third goal of season
Matthew Upson's late own goal denied Premier League bottom club Leicester victory as Everton drew a fifth home game in a row.
Steven Naismith's opener gave manager Roberto Martinez hope of a first home league win since December.
Sloppy defending allowed boyhood Everton fan David Nugent to equalise for Leicester, before Esteban Cambiasso put the visitors in front.
But Upson turned Christian Atsu's cross into his own net with two minutes left.
Leicester's spirited performance ended a run of four straight defeats, and will have given manager Nigel Person hope that they can avoid relegation, even though the draw leaves them four points from a position of safety.
Everton, so impressive in their 4-1 Europa League victory over BSC Young Boys on Thursday, have repeatedly failed to transfer high-quality European form to domestic competitions.
Romelu Lukaku, who scored a hat-trick in Switzerland, was unable to follow that up with a goal against Leicester, although he did get a flick to Atsu's late cross before Upson got the scoring touch.
| Draw specialists |
|---|
| Everton's point means they have drawn seven of their 13 Premier League home matches this season - winning just three |
The Belgium international had myriad chances to add to his season's tally of 13 goals, but sent the ball high over the bar from eight yards in the first half after Seamus Coleman had held off Upson to cut the ball back, lifted a clear second-half chance too high from a lovely James McCarthy flick, and had a goal-bound header blocked in the final minutes.
Everton team-mate Ross Barkley was guilty of a bad first-half miss of his own, with Aaron Lennon getting down the right to deliver a low cross, and the ball running loose to the England midfielder to clear the crossbar after Lukaku's attempt had been blocked by Wes Morgan.
Jeff Schlupp, denied by a great John Stones block at the end of the first half, blazed wide early in the second period after Tim Howard had parried a Matty James shot into his path.
Instead, it was the home side who scored first, as Lukaku held up Darron Gibson's pass for Naismith, who cut in on to his right foot and squeezed a shot past Morgan and Robert Huth, and just inside a stranded Mark Schwarzer's post.
But Everton's defensive vulnerability has hurt them time after time this season, and they conceded a soft equaliser as two Leicester substitutes combined within a minute of coming on.
Jamie Vardy got down the right to play in a low cross, and Nugent turned in the loose ball as Howard and Stones got into a mix-up at the near post.
The visitors were soon in front thanks to another Howard error, as the United States international keeper flapped at a Riyad Mahrez cross, and Vardy cut back for Cambiasso to drive in from 10 yards.
It looked as though Cambiasso would be the match winner, but Upson's own goal ensured that Everton finish the weekend six points above the relegation zone.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez: "Conceding soft goals is something we addressed in our last four performances. So it is disappointing that we were very soft in those two goals - as it is not us.
"Drawing games is frustrating but as a team we gave everything today. It's been a demanding week and we need to learn about coming back from Europe, but that is not going to happen overnight.
"Everyone is in the scrap until you get 40 points, that's the way the league works. Our focus is to get as high up the league as we can."
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson: "It feels a bit like a defeat at the moment because their equaliser came so late but we forced the issue right to the end.
"What's needed are more wins and we will get them if we perform to that standard. We have put in some good performances that have not yielded the points.
"I can't do too much about what is being speculated. I always do my job as conscientiously as I can and I will continue to do that until I am told otherwise. I'm committed to job and that's all you need to know."
Line-ups
Everton
- 24Howard
- 23Coleman
- 26Stones
- 6Jagielka
- 3Baines
- 17BesicSubstituted forAtsuat 55'minutes
- 16McCarthy
- 25Lennon
- 20BarkleySubstituted forGibsonat 55'minutes
- 14NaismithSubstituted forMirallasat 85'minutes
- 10Lukaku
Substitutes
- 1Robles
- 4Gibson
- 9Koné
- 11Mirallas
- 19Atsu
- 29Garbutt
- 30Alcaraz
Leicester
- 32Schwarzer
- 17Simpson
- 5MorganBooked at 25mins
- 14Huth
- 6Upson
- 3Konchesky
- 26MahrezSubstituted forNugentat 62'minutes
- 8James
- 19CambiassoSubstituted forKingat 87'minutes
- 15SchluppSubstituted forVardyat 62'minutes
- 40Kramaric
Substitutes
- 4Drinkwater
- 9Vardy
- 10King
- 12Hamer
- 23Ulloa
- 27Wasilewski
- 35Nugent
- Referee:
- Phil Dowd
- Attendance:
- 38,904
Match Stats
Home TeamEvertonAway TeamLeicester
- Possession
- Home58%
- Away42%
- Shots
- Home18
- Away15
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away4
- Corners
- Home4
- Away7
- Fouls
- Home7
- Away6
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Everton 2, Leicester City 2.
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Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Phil Jagielka.
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Attempt blocked. Robert Huth (Leicester City) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Matthew James with a cross.
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Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Leighton Baines.
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Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by James McCarthy.
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Foul by Leighton Baines (Everton).
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Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt blocked. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kevin Mirallas with a cross.
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Corner, Everton. Conceded by Mark Schwarzer.
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Attempt saved. Christian Atsu (Everton) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Romelu Lukaku.
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Attempt missed. Andrej Kramaric (Leicester City) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by David Nugent.
Goal!
Own Goal by Matt Upson, Leicester City. Everton 2, Leicester City 2.
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Attempt missed. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Christian Atsu with a cross.
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Seamus Coleman (Everton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by David Nugent (Leicester City).
Substitution
Substitution, Leicester City. Andy King replaces Esteban Cambiasso.
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Attempt missed. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Leighton Baines.
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Attempt missed. Leighton Baines (Everton) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Christian Atsu.
Substitution
Substitution, Everton. Kevin Mirallas replaces Steven Naismith.
