David Moyes's excellent return to Everton continued with a third Premier League victory on the bounce when they emerged dominant 4-0 winners against relegation candidates Leicester City at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Toffees took a near-instant lead through Abdoulaye Doucoure, who scored the fastest goal the Everton faithful have ever witnessed when he was played in by Jordan Pickford with just 10 seconds on the clock.
Striker Beto - in the XI for the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin - doubled the lead with a quickfire second after six minutes when his curved run was found by another ball from deep, this time from the ever-reliable James Tarkowski.
Three goals up before half time thanks to another Beto strike, Everton were out of sight of Ruud van Nistelrooy's Foxes, and the second period became a mere formality with the visitors unable to pose any real threat to the Merseysiders.
Iliman Ndiaye added a fourth goal on the 90-minute mark to top off what was an exceptionally strong display from Moyes's side, and their fans will be going home feeling more positively about the campaign than they have all season.
Despite the loss, the visitors' win over Tottenham Hotspur last month has kept them clear of the relegation zone by a single point, while Everton are now looking to climb further up the table having moved nine clear of their opponents.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
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Moyes's comeback tour has been nothing short of fantastic for Everton, who have picked up maximum points from their three games since their loss against Aston Villa last month and have scored an impressive eight goals in the process.
To give those figures some context, the Toffees were without a win in their final five top-flight matches under Sean Dyche, and netted just one goal in that stretch against a struggling Manchester City.
With an additional nine points on the board, the table makes for much better reading at the start of February than just three weeks ago, especially given that the Merseysiders are exactly nine points clear of the drop zone and have moved above Tottenham ahead of their clash with Brentford tomorrow.
As for Leicester, their victory over Spurs proved to be a one-off in what has been a disastrous season so far, and that result represents the only time that the Foxes have avoided defeat in their last nine Premier League games following their thrashing on Saturday.
Van Nistelrooy's side remain in 17th place, and the fight for survival is increasingly looking like a three-horse race between the Foxes, Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Tractor Boys.
EVERTON VS. LEICESTER CITY HIGHLIGHTS
1st min: Everton 1-0 Leicester City (Abdoulaye Doucoure)
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Abdoulaye Doucoure puts Everton ahead after just 10 seconds!
The ball is played to goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from the kick off, and Doucoure seizes control of his pass on the edge of the 18-yard box before bursting through the Foxes' defensive line and firing beyond Mads Hermansen into the bottom-left corner.
6th min: Everton 2-0 Leicester City (Beto)
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Beto doubles the lead with only six minutes on the clock!
A fantastic ball from deep by centre-back James Tarkowski curves directly into the path of Beto, who times his run to perfection and slots into the bottom-left corner from the right-hand side of the box.
45+2 min: Everton 3-0 Leicester City (Beto)
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Beto puts the hosts three goals to the good just before half time!
Yet another through ball from behind the halfway line splits the Leicester defence, with James Garner putting just enough weight on his pass that Beto does not have to break stride or even take a touch before adjusting his feet in the middle of the penalty area and placing his shot into the bottom-right corner.
90th min: Everton 4-0 Leicester City (Iliman Ndiaye)
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Iliman Ndiaye caps off a fine display from Everton with a fourth!
The forward takes advantage of some lackadaisical defensive play by the Foxes and steals the ball on the edge of the 18-yard box before driving towards the penalty spot and slotting home from close range, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
MAN OF THE MATCH - BETO
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With a brace on his return to the starting lineup, Beto delivered yet another three points for David Moyes's side, building on Doucoure's opener and making the second period a formality by netting Everton's third in first-half stoppage time.
The striker offered a constant threat with his penetrating runs behind a Leicester defence that could not cope with the excellent though balls the Toffees played, particularly from the likes of Tarkowski and Garner, who assisted Beto's goals.
EVERTON VS. LEICESTER CITY MATCH STATS
Possession: Everton 47%-53% Leicester City
Shots: Everton 13-9 Leicester City
Shots on target: Everton 7-1 Leicester City
Corners: Everton 5-6 Leicester City
Fouls: Everton 7-13 Leicester City
BEST STATS
Abdoulaye Doucouré has scored the fastest home goal in Premier League history and the fourth fastest goal overall.
— Squawka (@Squawka) February 1, 2025
◎ 7.69s - Shane Long vs. Watford
◎ 9.11s - Philip Billing vs. Arsenal
◎ 9.92s - Ledley King vs. Bradford
◉ 10.18s - Abdoulaye Doucoure vs. Leicester
Into the... pic.twitter.com/zr5KbAKgdA
14 - Everton have scored more Premier League goals in the opening minute of games than any other side (14), with their goal after 10 seconds today their fastest in the competition's history. Unstuck. pic.twitter.com/UJ2NiLw4Mh
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 1, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
Moyes's in-form Everton are set to host Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth next Saturday in an exciting FA Cup tie, while Van Nistelrooy will make an emotional return to Old Trafford when his Leicester side travel to take on Manchester United on Friday.
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