Everton W vs Leicester City WFC: High-Stakes Relegation Battle

Goodison Park stages a high‑stakes relegation battle in the FA WSL on 16 May 2026 as 8th‑placed Everton W host bottom side Leicester City WFC. With one round left in the regular season (Round 22), the table context is stark: Everton sit on 20 points with a goal difference of -13, while Leicester are 12th on 9 points and -40, currently marked for the relegation playoffs. Both sides have endured long losing runs, but this is Leicester’s last chance to claw back momentum and potentially avoid the worst‑case scenario.

Form and momentum

Across all phases, Everton’s form line reads “WLLLDLDLLWLLLWWWWLLLL” – a season of streaks, including a four‑game winning run but also a current tail of four straight defeats in the league. In the league table, their last five are “LLLLW”, underlining how quickly their mid‑season revival has evaporated.

Leicester’s season has been even more brutal. Their overall form string “LWLLDDLDLLWLLLLLLLLLL” shows just two wins in 21 league matches and a long, ongoing losing run. In the league table, their last five are “LLLLL”, and they have taken only 9 points all season. They have not managed an away win in the campaign.

In pure momentum terms, neither side arrives in good shape, but Everton at least have a higher performance ceiling and more points on the board. Leicester come into this effectively in freefall.

Tactical trends and team profiles

Everton W: Home fragility, but higher attacking ceiling

In the league, Everton are 8th with 6 wins, 2 draws and 13 defeats from 21 matches. Across all phases, their statistical profile is clear:

Played 21 (home 10, away 11)
Wins: 6 (home 2, away 4)
Draws: 2 (home 0, away 2)
Losses: 13 (home 8, away 5)
Goals for: 24 (home 10, away 14) – 1.1 per game overall
Goals against: 37 (home 22, away 15) – 1.8 per game overall
Clean sheets: 3 (home 1, away 2)
Failed to score: 5 (home 2, away 3)

The biggest home win this season is 2-1, while the heaviest home defeat is 1-4. That tells a story: at Goodison, Everton rarely blow teams away, but when they lose, they can lose heavily. Their home record in the league (2 wins, 0 draws, 8 defeats, 10 scored, 22 conceded) is one of the poorest in the division.

Tactically, Everton have been most stable in a back‑four structure. Their most used formation is 4‑4‑2 (8 matches), with 4‑2‑3‑1 and 4‑1‑4‑1 both appearing 3 times. That suggests a preference for either a two‑striker system or a single pivot with advanced midfielders, trying to balance defensive cover with enough presence in the final third.

Discipline is generally manageable: yellow cards are spread across the match, with a slight spike from 16–30 and then from 46 minutes onwards, but no red cards recorded. They have also been reliable from the spot: team penalties read 1 taken, 1 scored, 0 missed, so there is no blemish on their penalty record this season.

The key attacking figure is midfielder Honoka Hayashi. She leads Everton’s scoring in the league with:

4 goals in 17 appearances (14 starts)
879 minutes played
8 shots, 4 on target
335 passes at 86% accuracy
3 key passes
11 tackles, 4 blocks, 11 interceptions

Hayashi’s numbers underline how much Everton rely on midfield runners rather than a traditional centre‑forward for goals. Her contribution out of possession is also important in a side that often spends long periods without the ball.

Leicester City WFC: Defensive crisis and blunt attack

Leicester are 12th with 2 wins, 3 draws and 16 defeats from 21 league matches. Their season stats across all phases:

Played 21 (home 11, away 10)
Wins: 2 (home 2, away 0)
Draws: 3 (home 1, away 2)
Losses: 16 (home 8, away 8)
Goals for: 11 (home 8, away 3) – 0.5 per game overall
Goals against: 51 (home 20, away 31) – 2.4 per game overall
Clean sheets: 3 (home 2, away 1)
Failed to score: 10 (home 3, away 7)

The away figures are particularly alarming: 0 wins, 2 draws, 8 defeats, 3 goals scored and 31 conceded in 10 matches. That is an average away scoreline of roughly 0.3‑3.1. Their heaviest away defeat this season has been 7-0, and their biggest home loss 1-4.

Tactically, Leicester have rotated heavily, perhaps a symptom of searching for solutions:

5‑4‑1 used 4 times
3‑4‑3 used 2 times
4‑2‑3‑1 used 2 times
3‑4‑1‑2, 3‑4‑2‑1, 4‑4‑2, 4‑1‑4‑1, 3‑5‑2 each used once

The frequent shifts between back‑five and back‑three systems, plus variations of four‑at‑the‑back, suggest a team still unsure of its best shape. The 5‑4‑1 points to a low block and damage limitation, especially away from home, but the numbers show that even that has not stemmed the flow of goals against.

Discipline has been more of an issue than for Everton. Leicester’s yellow cards cluster late in games, particularly between 76–90 minutes (29.03% of their yellows), which could indicate fatigue or desperation in closing stages. They have also received a red card in the 46–60 minute window once this season. From the spot, they have neither won nor taken a penalty in the league (0 total penalties).

Offensively, the team’s lack of data in the top scorers list reinforces the impression of a blunt attack: 11 league goals in 21 games, with only 3 on the road. Seven away matches without scoring underline how often they leave themselves needing a clean sheet to get anything, which is not realistic given their defensive record.

Head‑to‑head: Leicester edge the recent rivalry

There have been five recent competitive meetings between Everton W and Leicester City WFC across FA WSL and WSL Cup (friendlies excluded). The record:

05 October 2025, King Power Stadium (FA WSL, Regular Season - 5): Leicester City WFC 1-1 Everton W – draw.
02 February 2025, Walton Hall Park (FA WSL, Regular Season - 13): Everton W 4-1 Leicester City WFC – Everton win.
20 October 2024, King Power Stadium (FA WSL, Regular Season - 5): Leicester City WFC 1-0 Everton W – Leicester win.
28 January 2024, Walton Hall Park (FA WSL, Regular Season - 12): Everton W 0-1 Leicester City WFC – Leicester win.
24 January 2024, Pirelli Stadium (WSL Cup, Group Stage - 5): Leicester City WFC 5-1 Everton W – Leicester win.

Across these last five competitive meetings, Leicester have 3 wins, Everton have 1, and there has been 1 draw. Notably, Leicester have taken two league victories at Walton Hall Park and recorded a heavy 5-1 WSL Cup win at Pirelli Stadium, while Everton’s lone win in this sequence was a 4-1 home league success in February 2025.

Key battles and tactical expectations

Given Leicester’s away record, Everton will expect to dominate territory and chances. The home side’s main challenge is turning that into goals while protecting a defence that concedes 2.2 per game at home.

Everton’s likely back‑four structure (most commonly 4‑4‑2) should allow them to press Leicester’s build‑up and pin the visitors deep. Hayashi’s late runs from midfield and ability to combine high passing accuracy with goal threat make her central to breaking down what is likely to be a low block from Leicester, especially if they revert to 5‑4‑1.

Leicester’s route to a result lies in compactness and counter‑attacks. Their best defensive performances have come at home, but away from home they will probably sit very deep, try to congest central areas and hope to exploit Everton’s vulnerability to transitions, especially given the Toffees’ poor home defensive record. However, with only 3 away goals all season and 7 away blanks, their ability to punish Everton on the break is questionable.

Set‑pieces could be decisive. Everton’s single successful penalty this season underlines their composure from the spot, while Leicester have not had that weapon. In a tight, nervy relegation‑zone fixture, any dead‑ball opportunity in the box may be crucial.

Team news

There is no injury or suspension information available in the data, so both managers are assumed to have their usual squads at their disposal.

The verdict

On paper, Everton should be strong favourites. They are higher in the table, have scored more than twice as many goals as Leicester in the league (24 vs 11), and face a side that has not won away and concedes over three goals per away match on average.

However, Everton’s home record is poor, and Leicester’s recent head‑to‑head record is surprisingly positive, with 3 wins from the last 5 competitive meetings. That history, plus the pressure of a relegation‑tinged occasion, suggests this may not be straightforward for the hosts.

Logic points to Everton’s greater attacking quality, Hayashi’s influence from midfield and Leicester’s extreme away frailty combining to tilt the match in the home side’s favour. If Everton score first, Leicester’s limited firepower and fragile defence make a comeback unlikely. A low‑to‑medium scoring Everton win, with the hosts finally capitalising on their superior league position, appears the most plausible outcome.