Leicester City beat Everton, top EPL table at Christmas

Premier League history, wage bill, transfer expenditure and the identity of their players: everything conditions outsiders to expect Leicester City to drop away. He spent the next two campaigns at Everton, helping them finish a famous fourth place in 2005, but he struggled for goals throughout his time there, finding the net just seven times in 55 league games. I mention them because they are new but everyone played very well.

Bookmaker Ladbrokes revealed that a courageous fan had backed Leicester to top the league at Christmas before a ball was kicked in anger this season, at astronomical odds of 1000/1. If [our position] today is [the same] at the end of April and we stay there, I will think of the title.

“So the father and the son wanted to know (on each possibility)”.

Aside from Chelsea’s decline, the story of the season has been the rise of the Foxes, and if they can register another win against the Toffees they will be sitting pretty on top of the tree at Christmas.

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Leicester reclaimed the lead in the 65th minute, with Mahrez netting his second from the penalty spot after Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard had brought down Jamie Vardy in the danger area. Leicester are the team in form while Everton are a good side who will have the advantage of being at home.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez believes Leicester deserve to be considered title contenders after an impressive first half of the season. Leicester’s triumph was all the more admirable as they had lost two of the spine of their side, the suspended centre-back Robert Huth and the injured midfielder Danny Drinkwater.

“The disappointment is to concede soft goals, two of them from throw-ins, one in our favour, one in Leicester’s and that is something we can not allow – an opposition with so little threat going forward to end up with three goals”. And with record breaker Jamie Vardy in their ranks, it has all the makings of a thriller at Goodison Park on Saturday.

City have had to rely on late surges to secure results a number of times this season, including in their 2-1 win over Swansea City at the weekend, and Hart said he was unhappy about their failure to dominate games from the start.

“The other aspect is managing the game and there are moments that you have to be able to get through without being punished too much and, at the moment, we’re being heavily punished”.

Despite Chelsea’s upturn in fortunes, Manchester United weren’t able to follow the London club’s lead as they continued their slump with a 2-1 loss to Norwich at Old Trafford.

The Blues have endured a frustrating spell as of late in the English top flight, with only three points claimed in their last three matches when they really should have been comfortably winning all of them.

Wayne Rooney returned to make his 500th appearance for United, but the captain was unable to inspire the shot-shy hosts, who mustered just two attempts on target – one of those being Anthony Marital’s 66th minute goal.

Nonetheless, the former Chelsea boss seemed to prefer to recall the Foxes’ superb win rather than the Premier League crown.

“It is not the time to look at the table”, Martinez said.