Everton’s quest for a maiden Premier League victory this season continued to falter as they were held to a 1-1 draw by newly-promoted Leicester City on Saturday.
Iliman Ndiaye’s early strike, showcasing his skill and composure, was neutralized by a second-half effort from the Foxes’ Stephy Mavididi, leaving the Toffees still searching for their first win.
Ndiaye opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a brilliantly executed move. The Senegalese forward linked up well with Ashley Young, receiving a deft return pass before deftly navigating between two Leicester defenders and slotting the ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
The early goal gave Everton a much-needed boost, but they failed to capitalize further.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, a bright spark for Everton with two goals already this season, came close to doubling the lead when he latched onto a counter-attack.
However, his powerful effort was expertly parried away by Hermansen, keeping the Foxes in contention.
Leicester grew into the game and equalized in the 73rd minute through Stephy Mavididi, who capitalized on a chaotic sequence following Harry Winks’ corner.
As the ball pinballed around the Everton penalty area, Mavididi seized the opportunity, firing a low shot past a helpless Jordan Pickford.
The draw leaves Everton languishing in 19th place with just one point from five matches, with fans fearing yet another relegation battle. Leicester, meanwhile, are slightly better off in 15th position, having collected three points from their five games.
In a separate clash, Aston Villa secured a dramatic comeback victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, winning 3-1 in the West Midlands derby.
Wolves took an early lead, thanks to Matheus Cunha’s opportunistic strike in the 24th minute.
The Brazilian forward pounced on a loose ball after intercepting a pass from Diego Carlos and unleashed a fierce shot from outside the box that beat Emiliano Martinez.
Villa struggled to create chances in the first half, failing to register a single shot on target. However, their persistence paid off in the second half.
Ollie Watkins leveled the score with a bit of luck, as his shot took a deflection that wrong-footed the Wolves’ goalkeeper and found the back of the net in the 65th minute.
As the game wore on, Villa’s relentless pressure bore fruit. In the 88th minute, Youri Tielemans delivered a pinpoint cross to the far post, where Ezri Konsa smashed home the decisive goal, sending the Villa fans into raptures.
Wolves, desperate for a response, pushed forward but were caught out in stoppage time. Jhon Durán made sure of the victory, calmly slotting in Villa’s third goal on the break to seal a well-deserved three points for Unai Emery’s side.
