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Doucoure scores fastest goal of season as Everton thrash Leicester

football01 February 2025 17:35| © Reuters
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Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure scored the fastest goal of the season in a 4-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday as the Merseyside club continued their resurgence under David Moyes with their third straight victory in the Premier League.

Timed at 10.18 seconds, Doucoure's strike was the fastest goal Everton had ever scored in the Premier League and the fourth-fastest in league history.

The early goal laid the foundation for a dominant victory at Goodison Park as Moyes registered three wins in his first four games since taking over from Sean Dyche.

The victory moved Everton up to 15th with 26 points while Leicester remain 17th, one point above the relegation zone after eight defeats in their last nine matches.

Everton had a lightning start from kickoff when goalkeeper Jordan Pickford launched a long ball forward and Doucoure latched on to it on the run, slipped through the defence and fired into the far bottom corner.

The goal put a spring in Everton's step and before Leicester could recover from the early blow, the visitors found themselves 2-0 down just five minutes later.

Everton centre back James Tarkowski spotted Beto making a run and the defender's ball in behind was perfect for the Portuguese forward to score a carbon copy of Doucoure's goal with another low shot slotted into the bottom corner.

Everton punished Leicester's high line once again just before halftime when James Garner threaded a ball through to Beto and the 27-year-old curled his shot past the keeper for his third goal of the season.

"I was just running free and saw the space. My teammates know me, I like to run behind. They know," Beto told BBC Sport.

"I knew it was the best moments for me. It wasn't easy, we made it easy."

Everton came off at the break to a standing ovation while the fans chanted Beto's name and the home side continued to probe Leicester's defence in the second half.

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy was largely isolated and manager Ruud van Nistelrooy hooked him off at the hour-mark after the 38-year-old failed to have a shot on goal and made only nine touches.

But it was the defence that failed Leicester and their sorry afternoon only got worse when a mix-up at the back allowed Iliman Ndiaye to steal the ball near the edge of the box and fire past a hapless Mads Hermansen in goal to make it 4-0.

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