Frank Lampard hailed Mason Holgate for climbing off his sick bed to hand Everton a massive survival lifeline.
The defender’s header earned a vital 2-1 win at Leicester City to propel the Toffees out of the Premier League relegation zone after a first away win since August.
They are a point above Leeds and Burnley with a game in hand having been five points behind the Clarets before last week’s 1-0 win over Chelsea.
Vitalii Mykolenko’s brilliant volley had given them the lead only for comical defending to gift Patson Daka a leveller.
Holgate restored their lead before the break and Everton boss Lampard praised the defender as well as recognising the importance of the victory.
He said: “He was sick yesterday, he couldn’t train with us, couldn’t travel with us and arrived at the hotel separately and then woke up this morning and said ‘I’m playing this game.’ That is the attitude which will get us through.
“We’re still in a relegation fight, if we want to get out of it, it has to be together as a club and we’ve seen that in recent weeks.
“[It is defining] only if we make it defining but it’s a huge result for confidence. We haven’t got back-to-back wins for a while so the players should take huge confidence.
“A week ago on Saturday we were five points from safety and now we’re a point safe but there is more to do. We can buy into it but we have to make sure we protect against over confidence.”
Leicester v Everton ratings
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LEICESTER RATINGS: Kasper Schmeichel – 5. Beaten by Mykolenko’s superb strike, Schmeichel was pivotal in ensuring Everton didn’t double their lead when Doucoure’s ball rattled the woodwork. Then, his quick distribution enabled Leicester to equalise on the break. Needed to do better when he parried away Richarlison’s header into Holgate’s path. Reuters -
Daniel Amartey – 6. He had a shot from distance that finished narrowly over the crossbar, while at the other end he denied Richarlison a scoring opportunity. Booked. AFP -
Wesley Fofana – 6. The young Frenchman’s positioning needed to be better for the corner for Holgate’s goal. Later, he was instructed to move play forward and he showed attacking intent, good in defence too. Reuters -
Jonny Evans – 5. Seemingly part of a back three for Leicester, Evans was perhaps lucky to survive the game without a single booking, after having put tackles left, right and centre. PA -
Timothy Castagne – 6. More involved in the second half, Castagne sent in a terrific ball into the box with 10 minutes left, which Barnes could only head wide. Getty -
Nampalys Mendy – 5. Could have added a spectacular first Premier League goal to his name in his last action of the game, when he tried his luck from distance, forcing Pickford into an exquisite save. Booked. Getty -
Youri Tielemans – 5 The Belgium midfielder looked far from his best and would have expected to do better when the ball came to him after some Leicester pressure after the break. AP -
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 5. Able to shake off an injury concern from the first half, Dewsbury-Hall was hardworking but largely unimpactful. Getty -
Ayoze Perez – 5. Beaten from the throw-in in the lead up to Mykolenko’s opener, Perez was sacrificed at half-time as Leicester looked for a way back into the game. PA -
Kelechi Iheanacho – 6. Threatening during Leicester’s early pressure, Iheanacho struggled to trouble Pickford’a goal. AP -
Patson Daka – 7. Unlucky when he beat Pickford only to see Mina’s last-ditch clearance stop him from scoring. Put his side on equal terms when he took advantage of a mix-up at Everton’s defence to run free on goal. AP -
SUBS: Harvey Barnes (Perez 46’) – 6. Could have given Leicester their second, if not for a terrific low save by Pickford. Saw a header go wide of the post in the closing stages. Getty -
Jamie Vardy (Mendy 65’) – 5. As Brendan Rodgers pushed to find an equaliser by putting on three strikers, Vardy was unable to make an impact. Ademola Lookman (Daka 80’) – N/A. Reuters -
EVERTON RATINGS: Jordan Pickford – 8. Was left exposed and facing a one-on-one after a mix-up from his backline, but he was comfortable when called into action in the first half. Put in a spectacular save to deny Mendy finding the top corner, before denying Barnes twice. PA -
Vitalii Mykolenko – 7. Despite early Leicester pressure, a superb volley by the Ukrainian handed Everton an early lead and the defender his first Premier League goal. Reuters -
Seamus Coleman – 5. Catastrophic error by the defender in the lead up to Daka’s equaliser as both he and Mina failed to communicate. Improved thereafter. AP -
Yerry Mina – 5. Helped to keep the scoreline at 0-0 with a crucial intervention to deny Daka, but was at fault during a mix-up, which allowed Daka to run free on goal for Leicester’s equaliser. Forced off in the 18th minute with an injury. PA -
Mason Holgate – 7. Put his side ahead for the second time when Schmeichel failed to push the ball away from danger. PA -
Fabian Delph – 6. He quietly went about his business and was solid in midfield. AP -
Abdoulaye Doucoure – 6. Could have made it 2-0 for his side, just seconds before Leicester’s equaliser, when his effort hit the woodwork before Schmeichel was able to claim. AP -
Demarai Gray – 7. The former Leicester man would have been disappointed to see Doucoure’s effort bounce off the post, before seeing his old team scoring on the counter attack. AP -
Anthony Gordon – 7. The Toffees youth graduate continued to be a key influence in Everton’s attacking intent. He was vital in winning free-kicks, and winning the corner for Holgate’s goal. AFP -
Alex Iwobi – 7. Kickstarted the move for Mykolenko’s volley from the throw-in, with Iwobi spotting the Ukrainian free on the left wing. He later showed a fighting attitude when Barnes attacked on the wing to put the ball out for a throw-in. AP -
Richarlison – 7. Given a free header, which saw Schmeichel only able to push into Holgate’s path for Everton’s second goal of the game. Blocked twice when Gordon fed the ball to him. AFP -
SUBS: Michael Keane (Mina 18’) – 6. Continued where Mina left off with miscommunication in the backline as Leicester hunted for a second equaliser. Otherwise, settled. PA -
Jonjoe Kenny (Mykolenko 66’) - 6. Seemed to settle in on his cameo, with Mykolenko forced off having picked up an injury. Getty -
Salomon Rondon (Gray 74’) – 6. Booked during his appearance from the bench, Rondon was put to work holding up play and showing his strength. AFP
Leicester remain 14th to end a disappointing week after they were knocked out of the Europa Conference League semi-finals by Roma on Thursday.
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers said: “We had an open honest conversation [post match] and that is the best way to go forward.
“We need some honest feedback to allow us to go forward. What we have done in three years is to go from a team possibly happy to stay in the Premier League to one disappointed not to win a trophy.
“We need to keep improving and developing and if we finished in that position, even with the injuries, it would be very disappointing.
“I still hoped to finish in the top 10, we have played 19 cup games – half a season more than a lot of teams – and throw in the injuries it’s been a real challenge.”
