This season's race for the Premier League's four Champions League spots for the 2021-22 season has to be considered one of the most hotly-contested ever. As of this post, the top seven teams in the league are separated by just eight points with barely over half the season played. One of the teams which needed points desperately in order to maintain their pursuit of a top-four spot just missed out on an opportunity to not only do so, but also put a dent in one of their direct rivals' chances.
Everton and Leicester City played to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park during this matchday. James Rodríguez opened the scoring for Everton in the 30th minute, but a second-half error by Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford allowed Youri Tielemans to equalize for Leicester. Had Everton won, they would have climbed to fourth in the league and overtaken crosstown rivals Liverpool, albeit temporarily with Liverpool due to play against Tottenham next. However, Everton's failure to pick up maximum points saw them remain in seventh. With how tight the league is at the moment, Pickford's error and the two dropped points because of it could prove costly at season's end.
The very fact that it was Liverpool who Carlo Ancelotti's team would have overtaken certainly could have played a role in Everton's failure to beat Leicester. This is a club which, for virtually the entirety of their existence, have been in the shadow of the more storied, illustrious Merseyside club. Over the past 30 years, only twice have Everton finished ahead of the Reds in the league. Just to rub it in for Everton, one of the seasons in which they did so was in 2004-05. That year, despite Everton placing ahead of Liverpool in the league, Liverpool's iconic come-from-behind Champions League victory ensured that the blue half of Merseyside would once again be overlooked.
Further evidence of this inferiority complex can be seen in these statistics: the last time Everton won a Merseyside derby was in 2010, while the last time Everton won an away derby match without being aided by a Liverpool red card was in 1995. These facts clearly point to an inferiority complex which has permeated Goodison Park for decades.
This season was supposed to have been so different for Everton. The off-season acquisition of Rodríguez from Real Madrid as well as the continued expected improvement of players such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, and Yerry Mina were expected to provide a significant boost to Everton's top four chances. In addition, this season was to be Ancelotti's first full campaign at the helm; surely, one of the greatest coaches in football history could work his magic and make things happen.
Unfortunately, it hasn't quite panned out thus far. After a hot start to the season which saw them briefly lead the Premier League, they have since struggled for consistency. One reason for this can be seen in the relative weakness of their supporting cast. Players such as Pickford, Alex Iwobi, and Gylfi Sigurðsson have clearly underperformed this season. In addition, although his play apart from his goalscoring has been otherwise solid, Richarlison is currently in the midst of an alarming slump in front of the net. With around half the season over, Richarlison has scored just two league goals thus far; he had managed 13 in both of the past two seasons.
Everton will also definitely be ruing their decision to send Moise Kean on loan to Paris Saint-Germain. The young Italian striker is having a breakout season in the French capital. He has already scored nine league goals; more than any Everton player other than Calvert-Lewin has managed to date. Of course, it must be said that Ligue 1 is a far easier league in comparison to the Premier League. That being said, it can't be denied that Everton could really use Kean's input as they push for a first top-four league finish in 16 years.
Going back to the prior point about Everton's inferiority complex, it is somewhat ironic but probably true that if Liverpool were not underperforming themselves this season, Everton would be doing better than they are right now. They know that they have a slight chance to at last emerge from Liverpool's shadow; this in turn might be heaping additional pressure on Everton.
It isn't impossible for them to make the top four; however, their odds are becoming increasingly slim.
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