If reaching 50 league games in charge of Leicester City feels an achievement for Claude Puel, the greater feat is the manner in which the misunderstood Frenchman reached the milestone.
After being under pressure, Puel has recorded victories over Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton in a festive period marred only by the unexpected home loss to Cardiff. In the process, he has taken to Leicester seventh place, which is the best 2016’s improbable champions can realistically hope for.
While Jamie Vardy has admitted he is not ideally suited to Puel’s style of football, he has helped shore up the manager’s position by scoring winners in successive away matches at Stamford Bridge and Goodison Park.
And although Puel’s decision-making can cause consternation, the unexpected choice of right-back Ricardo Pereira on the left wing bore fruit when the Portuguese supplied Vardy’s goal. While Puel rested James Maddison and Leicester initially missed his creativity, they improved after the half-time introduction of Marc Albrighton to increase Everton’s problems.
Marco Silva’s side broke into the top six in November. They could begin their FA Cup campaign in the bottom half of the Premier League after a run of just one win and no clean sheets in eight games. After a difficult December, Jordan Pickford was largely unoccupied and blameless this time, but another defensive error proved Everton’s undoing.
Michael Keane’s stray touch may have been an attempted pass and could have simply been a poor piece of control. Whichever, Pereira latched on to it to release Vardy. His first shot of the calendar year was so wayward it almost resulted in a throw-in for Everton. He was altogether more clinical this time.
For a while, it had seemed like the first game of 2019 would be a contender for the unwanted tag of the worst and it seemed as grey as Leicester’s away kit. Certainly, both sides started slowly and sloppily.
Even the first major opportunity stemmed from a misplaced centre. Lucas Digne missed a host of targets with a low cross and Jonjoe Kenny ran on to the loose ball and cracked a shot against the outside of the post. The England Under-20 World Cup winner was inches from a first senior goal and may be getting closer to a regular spot in the side. If Seamus Coleman was rested, the Irishman has had a troubled first half of the season and Kenny made another positive impression with a cross Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed just wide.
Yet Everton struggled to build on that or to muster much of a response when they went behind. Kasper Schmeichel twice denied the substitute Cenk Tosun, parrying a fierce shot and blocking a close-range header, but Everton struggled to create. At the other end, Harry Maguire spurned a chance to double Leicester’s lead. He was wrongly given offside but neither his wayward finish nor the officials’ faulty eyesight cost Leicester.
FT Everton 0 Leicester City 1
Goodison Park is already half empty by the time the full time whistle blows but there are still plenty of boos. It was certainly not a classic but Jamie Vardy's second half goal that has grabbed the win. Nine points from 12 points over the festive period for Claude Puel's team.
Everton meanwhile looked leggy and lacking in quality. A day at the office to forget for the home side.
87 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 1
Claude Puel is three minutes plus stoppage time away from proving his doubters wrong here. Both Maddison and Gray left on the bench (getting some valuable rest time Puel might argue) but Leicester are winning here thanks to Vardy.
Meanwhile Bernard bursts down the right for Everton and puts a low cross in but Evans is once again there to clear.
78 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 1
Chilwell on the charge! After some concerted Everton pressure, the defender comes away with the ball. And continues to come away down the pitch towards the Everton box. Vardy's dummy run opens up space but Chilwell's low right-footed shot is weak and Pickford gathers.
Digne then goes into the book for tugging back Albrighton. The sub has made an impact since coming on.
75 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 1
Chance! Everton applying some pressure in search of the equaliser. And sub Tosun nearly gets it. The previously impressive Evans cushions his defensive header straight into the path of Tosun on the edge of the box, who shoots at Schmeichel.
Evans then tries to atone for his mistake but clatters into Richarlison and concedes a freekick with a yellow card to boot. Maguire is the Leicester man to ensure the freekick comes to nothing.
60 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 1
Everton must be sick of the sight of Vardy. He's been directly involved in seven goals in his eight Premier League appearances against Everton, scoring five and assisting two.
Everton look to try and hit back when Sigurdsson ghosts into the box but his shot is high over the bar,
GOAL!!!! Everton 0 Leicester City 1 (Jamie Vardy 58 mins)
He only needs a sniff doesn't he? He's had very little to feed off all afternoon but a horrible mistake at the back from Michael Keane is punished by Vardy.
The former England international is played in by Ricardo Pereira after Keane doesn't clear on the edge of his box and coughs up possession and Vardy makes no mistake, sliding into the far corner.
And there's a cartwheel celebration to go with it too!
37 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 0
Ghezzal, who previously tried a long-range effort from 25 yards on the angle, goes for it again for Leicester. Like Vardy before him, it's also wildly off target. Leicester in need of some shooting practice. Or just a system better utilising their attacking players.
30 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 0
What a body check! It's a miracle recovery from Richarlison on the left hand side who immediately dinks the ball over Choudhury. The Leicester man just stands there and pushes his opponent down in quite comical fashion.
From the freekick, Zouma heads goalwards and Schmeichel easily claims.
It may be low on quality but at least this game has a bit of bite to it now.
28 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 0
Ouch! Richarlison goes for the ball with Evans over on the left hand side and slides into the defender in the process. Martin Atkinson waves play on and Leicester do so to start with with boos from the Goodison Park faithful. Eventually they relent and kick the ball out so the Brazilian can get treatment. He's fine to continue though.
25 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 0
You know how people do the usual thing of setting New Year's resolutions about being a better version of themselves and then normally crack a few days and weeks in? These two sides are doing it within 25 minutes. It's been scrappy and lacking in real quality so far.
19 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 0
Chance! Impressive at the back, Kenny has just nearly demonstrated his talent in attack too. Everton work the ball out well on the left, Digne sends in a low cross which looks to have evaded everyone. But storming forward was Kenny who walloped the ball against the angle of post and bar.
17 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 0
Leicester finally enjoying a bit of concerted pressure around the Everton box. But the cutting edge is lacking while local lad Jonjoe Kenny also throws in a couple of crunching tackles, much to the appreciation of his supporters.
Here's an indication of just how far off target Leicester's only effort has been so far, via Vardy.
11 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 0
Maguire guilty of coughing up possession on the edge of his own box (He's not the first to give the ball away in this match so far!) and Richarlison tries to curl and effort on target but Evans is there to block. There's faint claims for handball but nothing doing. That would have been harsh.
7 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 0
Pinball football! Loose play in midfield sees Richarlison burst forward, the ball falls to Digne but his shot ricochets off an Everton leg or two and out.
Everton almost in again as Sigurdsson tries to find Walcott on the edge of the box but there's a breakdown in communication and Calvert-Lewin actually gets in the way of his teammate.
3 mins Everton 0 Leicester City 0
Fairly quiet start to proceedings as both teams suss each other out. Goodison Park is half in shadow and half not.
When play goes into the sun-bathed part, it's actually quite tricky to tell the difference between the players with Leicester in grey and Everton their blue home shirt.