Everton 0 – 2 Chelsea
Everton host Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday for the early kickoff, with David Moyes’s side still unbeaten in the Premier League this season. The match is live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK at 12:30 pm BST.
But it turned into an absolutely criminal performance by the home side, full of mistakes and a terrifying lack of conviction going forward as they allowed Chelsea to steal two goals and all the points, bringing to an abrupt end the proud unbeaten record Moyes and his acolytes have been crowing about.
Despite a stunning victory in this fixture last season, which abruptly heralded the end of Everton’s campaign to qualify for Europe as Moyes failed to use his full squad to relieve the supposedly tiring players in subsequent games, the challenge seems more daunting with Chelsea’s front players this season a real threat so far.
Team News
To counter that threat, David Moyes has gone with an even more with his more defensive line-up, than last week, leaving George, Dibbling, Johnson and Hackney on the bench as Merlin Rohl starts in midfield. Mykolenko is fit again and at left-back while Maitland-Niles stays at right-back despite his errors that led to two goals conceded last week. Michael Keane is not in the squad.
First Half
A beautiful sunny autumn day on the Merseyside waterfront, with Hill Dickinson Stadium sparkling in the sunshine, and a perfect opportunity for Everton to extend their uneaten start to the season. Dewsbury-Hall kicked off for Everton with his up-and-under that went straight through to Martinez. And it was slow going from there with Garner getting a tongue lashing from the referee.
Dewsbury-Hall released Grealish but he stalled and messed up the return ball. Still the Everton crowd responded to more good early aggression, especially toward ex-Red Henderson. But Chelsea slowed it down to utterly impotent standing football. When Everton forced a turnover, they immediately lost it again.
With 12 minutes of essentially nonsense football, Caceido then needlessly wrestled Dewsbury-Hall down but Garner’s delivery was shockingly poor for a supposed England international, who should be doing a lot better with dead-ball opportunities.
It continued to be incredibly scrapy, Palmer taking a long-distance shot for Pickford to easily collect. Tarkowski played a nice crossfield ball to Grealish but he was easily dispossessed but somehow Rohl’s battling won a corner. Dewsbury-Hall with the delivery but headed clear, Grealish shamefully pumping his cross over everyone, the quality well below what’s required of an Everton team.
Tarkowski blocked the next Chelsea advance but Everton just kept giving the ball back to the men in white. A more lively Chelsea attack needed AMN to stop it. But back came Chelsea, Pedro Neto getting behind the lines and Branthwaite blocking Henderson’s shot. Tarkowski needled Neto into a foul.
A fantastic challenge by Armstrong stole the ball perfectly from Achempong. Straight yellow card from the idiotic referee!!! That should get the crowd’s backs up!
Garner looked to make space wide left but Grealish ran offside for the pass and nothing came of that. But Merlin Rohl chased down a good ball and at least had a weak shot at Martinez.
But the referee redeemed himself, caling Martinez for taking to long, gifting Everton a corner, a superb ball back in by Grealish onto Barry’s head! What does he do? Straight at Martinez with the whole goal to aim at.
Tarkowski ran forward into nose-bleed territory and then fell down in front of Palmer, much to the Chelsea player’s annoyance. Dewsbury-Hall got the ball across and Grealish had a chance to shoot, whichh he did… into the ground, the huge bounce not enugh to fool Martinez.
Chelsea tried to work it upfield again, Pedro trying to buy a penalty off Tarkowski. But Everton countered and Grealish tricked Acheampong into a foul and a yellow card. Caceido and Tarkowski then got into it, wrestling and then body-checking and a good flashpoint for the referee to sort out… more yellow cards.
A hospital pass by Tarkowski to AMN could have been exploited by the visitors but wasn’t.
Some better Everton play — finally! — almost got them into the Chelsea penalty area but Grelaish’s cross was headed clear. A brilliant move by Mykolenko got the ball into Barry who struggled to turn and shoot, with Rohl in front of him only able to help the ball reach Martinez, with Barry getting treatment before going off for 1 minute.
Palmer won a corner that was a brilliant set-up for Caicedo ghosting around who smashed a fantastic volley off the top of the bar!
There was a horrible crunching tackle, Morgan diving in on Garner, who came off worst. Far worse than Armstrong’s but no card for Rogers. Garner was livid. Neto pulled out a decent shot that Pickford palmed over, Mykolenko heading the corners over twice into 3 minutes of added time.
The third corner almost did it, Armstrong well positioned to clear it off the line as Chelsea wanted a penalty that was checked and cleared. Hardly any football played, but a good result for David Moyes: no goals conceded.
Second Half
Chelsea didn’t need long after the restart, Pedro Neto scoring from their first attack, through Mykolenko’s legs, and perhaps Pickford might have saved it… but he didn’t. Moyes acted to get Tyrique George ready to replace AMN, who had been skinned by Rogers.
Chelsea now had what they wanted and immediately looked more confident, winning a corner off Armstrong. But that was defended back into midfield. George finally came on 7 minutes later.
It looked like Chelsea would walk in the second but a miraculous block by Rohl savied Pickford’s goal at the expense of a corner that was cleared. Palmer tried an audacious chipped shot that flew just over Pickford’s bar.
Everton tried to make an attack but ended too easily with realish crossing to Martinez. Next attack, he was offside, George on the other side seeing little of the ball. Pedro had a run and shot that flew wide.
Caiceido was finally booked after fouling Armstrong. Or was it Psalmer for dissent? Dewsbury-Hall swung the ball in, Martinez and Branthwaite crashing into eachother and both needing treatment for a head-on-head collision, with no replays for the squeamish.
Branthwaite recovered quickly but Martinez was in a bad way as Chelsea’s sub keeper readied himself during the very long break before Martinez was loaded onto a stretcher by the large team of medics, strangely to a chorus of boos mixed in with applause.
George and Grealish switched sides, which briefly gave Everton a bit more life… but little came of it. George lacked intensity and was too easily stripped in the press.
Rogers backed into Tarkowski on the edge of the area but Chelsea of course demanded a penalty. It was only a corner, coming out finally to Palmer, who lauched a laser guided missle that flew wide of Pickford’s post.
George won a corner and Everton finally seemed to threaten but Penders came out to the endge of is area to punch away. Time for a debut from Christian Norgaard, with Brennan Johnson coming on.
Norgaard’s first involvement was to be bamboozled shamelessly by Palmer who looked like he would go on to score, Pickford saving with his thigh.
Mykolenko tried a long throw that Penders initially missed but was back in position to claim the next cross.
Palmer went at Norgaard again and his only recourse was to grab an arm and earn a yellow card, giving Chelsea a great position for a set-piece. The wall stopped initially but Pedro Neto was the only one awake and he slotted it home. Absolutely horrific defending by Everton.
In the 11 minutes of added time, George played in Dewsbury-Hall who sent a great low cross in front of Penders but Barry of course could not convert it. A great cross from Dewsbury-Hall was put behind by Pedro for a corner that Garner delivered well but again, no one could convert it.
And so ended a hopelessly poor effort from Everton, an all too easy win for Chelsea, and a horrific debut for Christian Norgaard.
Lineups
Everton: Pickford; Maitland-Niles (55′ George), Tarkowski [Y:34′], Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Armstrong [Y:23′] (85′ Norgaard), Garner, Dewsbury-Hall; Rohl, Grealish (85′ Johnson), Barry
Subs not Used: Travers, O’Brien, Hackney, Dibling, Alcaraz, Graham.
Chelsea: Martínez (75′ Penders), Acheampong [Y:32′], Lacroix, Colwill, Neto [Y:27′] (90+12′ Quenda), Caicedo (90+2′ Lavia), Henderson, Hato (90+2′ Palestra), Palmer [Y:65′], Rogers [Y:34′], Pedro (90+2′ Welbeck).
Subs not Used: Fofana, Barco, Nicoll-Jazuli, Estêvão.
Follow the game on the new ToffeeWeb Live Forum
Match Officials
Referee: Paul Tierney
Video Assistant Referee: Nicholas Hopton
Assistant Referee 1: Wade Smith
Assistant Referee 2: Steven Meredith
Fourth Official: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Lee Bet