Sundays Premier Football

[bennythedip2]

Everton 4-2 Leicester City: Romelu Lukaku stars - (April 09 2017)

Romelu Lukaku's Goodison goal glut continued with a double as Everton's 4-2 victory over Leicester ended Foxes boss Craig Shakespeare's six-game winning run.

Lukaku maintained his run of scoring in every home match in 2017, a streak he extended to eight games as he took his Premier League tally to 23 goals, one more than Middlesbrough's entire total.

It was already 2-1 to Leicester by the time he registered here after a pulsating opening 10 minutes when Tom Davies, Islam Slimani and Marc Albrighton all netted, with Lukaku then levelling and later grabbing the Toffees' fourth after Phil Jagielka restored their lead before half-time.

This was the first time Leicester had failed to win since Shakespeare took over from Claudio Ranieri in February, though in making five changes to his starting XI he showed he was clearly prioritising Wednesday's trip to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.

With parts of the country enjoying the warmest day of the year, there may have been fears for this becoming a Sunday afternoon stroll, yet all of that was dispelled inside a frantic opening spell.

Thirty seconds in and Everton were ahead through Davies, who owed a debt of gratitude to referee Robert Madley. He held off blowing his whistle when Daniel Amartey pulled down Kevin Mirallas, allowing Davies the advantage to side-step Robert Huth and fire the Toffees ahead.

Yet Leicester were soon in front. They levelled via a classic Foxes counter-attack, Demarai Gray striding from one penalty box to the other on a three-on-two break and slipping in Slimani to put through Joel Robles' legs.

Confusion between unfamiliar central defensive partners Jagielka and Matthew Pennington made Gray's choice easy and the latter's clumsy foul on Jamie Vardy then earned the Foxes a 10th-minute free-kick. From there the blame could only lie with Robles as he was deceived by Albrighton's delivery from the side of the box which bent into the top corner.

The pace barely slowed and the hosts had levelled before the half's midway point. Ross Barkley, so often guilty of taking an extra touch, for once whipped in an early cross that Lukaku nodded in for his customary Goodison Park goal.

A score of 2-2 never looked like being the eventual outcome and Ronald Koeman's side were in front again prior to the interval.

It looked like it would be Barkley who grabbed their third when the ball rolled into his path following Davies' tackle on Vardy, yet Kasper Schmeichel managed to deny the midfielder as he rounded him. It mattered little, though, as from Mirallas' corner Jagielka rose highest to head home.

Unsurprisingly the pace slowed somewhat, although the visitors almost levelled when Slimani's cross was deflected into the side-netting.

But the second half was only 12 minutes old when Everton scored again through Lukaku.

It was another Mirallas corner directed towards Jagielka, and when his header rebounded off Andy King, it came to Lukaku to slam in. His goals tally is now four better than nearest golden boot pursuer Harry Kane.

That was the sign for Shakespeare to bring on Riyad Mahrez as part of a double change, but in doing so he withdrew Vardy in an indication matters in Madrid were still occupying his thoughts.

He even gave Leonardo Ulloa a first league outing since January 2 and was almost rewarded when he nearly scored with his first touch from a header that hit Idrissa Gueye in the face.

Ulloa seemed intent on marking his rare outing with a goal as Robles saved another of his headers, but he was unable to prevent Leicester from sliding to their first loss under Shakespeare, whose attention now turns to the club's first Champions League last-eight tie.

[bennythedip2]

Sunderland 0-3 Manchester United: Red Devils claim win - (April 09 2017)

Manchester United eased to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

A lot was riding on Sunday's Stadium of Light encounter, with United needing to kick-start their top-four hopes against a side for whom anything but victory would only push them closer to the precipice.

Manager David Moyes may well feel aggrieved by Seb Larsson's first-half red card but Sunderland were already behind to a ferocious Zlatan Ibrahimovic strike by that point, with second-half Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford goals seeing United cruise to a win.

It appears a case of when rather than if the Black Cats' decade-long Premier League stay comes to an end, having failed to score in a seventh straight match.

Sunderland have seven matches to make up a 10-point deficit after Moyes - whose threat to 'slap' a female reporter is being looked at by the Football Association - saw his former club go ahead through a fine Ibrahimovic strike.

The hosts may well feel hard done by after Eric Bailly avoided giving away a penalty shortly before Larsson's harsh-looking sending off, with a frustrating end to the first half compounded within seconds of the restart.

Mkhitaryan put the game to bed with a low strike before Rashford's first Premier League goal since September 24 wrapped up a win that moves United within four points of a Champions League berth.

Maroaune Fellaini captained Jose Mourinho's side on Wearside in the absence of seven first-team regulars, but strength in depth meant such absentees were not problematic against the league's bottom side.

Jesse Lingard was denied early on by Jordan Pickford as Sunderland sat off, giving United space the recalled Luke Shaw gobbled up as he made a bright start.

Dead balls looked Sunderland's best hope so Bryan Oviedo's tame free-kick from a decent position was wasteful, with the first real test for Sergio Romero - filling in for the injured David De Gea - when Lee Cattermole took aim from distance.

Jermain Defoe, unaware he had strayed offside, turned wide as Sunderland fans started to believe - hope snatched away in the 30th minute.

Having done well to stop Lingard shortly before, Pickford could not prevent Ibrahimovic's fierce effort finding the net after the veteran collected a pass and turned all too easily.

Fellaini almost bundled in a driven Shaw cross as United pushed for another, with Sunderland's chances of a shock comeback ended by an action-packed end to the first half.

Having regrouped after Oviedo's game-ending injury, Victor Anichebe nearly levelled after turning to get away a close-range shot impressively blocked by Romero.

Bailly was fortunate not to give away a penalty for kicking out at the Sunderland striker and referee Craig Pawson irked the hosts further just before the break.

Larsson's high tackle on Herrera deservedly brought a free-kick but the straight red card puzzled onlookers and infuriated the midfielder, leaving Moyes as perplexed as he was frustrated.

Half-time brought a chance to regroup, but within seconds of the restart United were further ahead.

Mkhitaryan controlled a pass from Shaw and was allowed time and space to get away a low, driven strike out of Pickford's reach from an acute angle.

United took their foot off the gas with the match all but won and Thursday's Europa League quarter-final at Anderlecht looming large, with Defoe leading the hosts' attempts to reduce the deficit.

The veteran saw a free-kick saved and effort fly over either side of a wild Paul Pogba attempt, before substitute Anthony Martial clipped over.

Pogba came close with a free-kick and Defoe faltered at the near post as the home support streamed out, missing Rashford's return to the scoresheet.

The 19-year-old made such an astonishing England debut at the Stadium of Light and scored here again, striking low past Pickford late on.