Match Preview

It's tempting to just write this one off given our recent record against Chelsea.  The Londoners have won the last six games against Everton in all competitions; with their rapid — and, frankly, unfair — expansion to include a galaxy of stars over the past two years, they look as invincible to David Moyes's shoe-string outfit as ever.

However, with the handsome win over Tottenham and an impressive 20-minute spell at Leeds United in their last two outings, Everton have amply illustrated what they're capable of.  If they can raise their game sufficiently, they can certainly come away with a point or three from Stamford Bridge. Abramovich's billions or no, Claudio Ranieri's side still retain that Chelsean propensity to shoot themselves in the foot.

Fortunately, Moyes's selection headache has eased somewhat but will still be sweating on the fitness of a few players before he can name his starting line-up.  Wayne Rooney picked up a couple of bruises at Leeds on his goalscoring return from suspension but has recovered; Gary Naysmith is set to play through a persistent groin problem before undergoing any necessary surgery in the summer.  Tobias Linderoth has also been passed fit after picking up a knock at Leeds.

However, Steve Watson (leg) and David Unsworth (foot) are doubts and Alan Stubbs is almost certainly ruled out as he slowly recovers from a groin problem.

Duncan Ferguson, who together with Kevin Campbell looks more and more anachronistic following young James McFadden's impressive display against Spurs and Rooney's current rich scoring form, is still suspended.  Campbell himself is in fact available following a bout of flu and, again, don't be surprised if Moyes starts with him in the boss's favoured "big man" role if Rooney isn't passed fit.  Or could he pull a fast one with Jeffers now back in the fold?

In midfield, while Thomas Gravesen had a 'mare at Elland Road and had to be pulled in the second half, he will surely start, probably alongside Linderorth if the Swede recovers in time.  Whichever pairing is selected will have to be at the top of their game against Chelsea's talented midfield.  If Ranieri's men are allowed to rampage through like Leeds on Tuesday, it could again be a baseball score.

Which also means the defence will have to be on top form.  If Unsworth gets over his injury, he will likely retain his place alongside Joseph Yobo.  If not, David Weir is waiting in the wings having come through a Reserves game midweek following suspension.

With each Premiership place apparently worth £650,000 — a figure that is enormous to a club in Everton's financial position — we have far more to play for than just pride, preventing Chelsea from doing another "double" over us.  Every game from here until mid-May is must-win for financial reasons and what better way to start our run-in with a surprise win in West London?

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Stats

This will be the 142nd meeting between Everton and Chelsea in all competitions, and the 73rd at Stamford Bridge.  This match will be the 24th meeting in the Premier League.

Everton's full record against Chelsea is:

Our record at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea is:

hgThe last match between the two sides was earlier this season on 1 November when Chelsea left Goodison Park with all three points thanks to a 1-0 victory.  The last match between the sides at Stamford Bridge was on 21 April 2003 when Chelsea inflicted a second 4-1 defeat of Everton, following their victory in the League Cup earlier in the season.

Evrton’s biggest victory at Chelsea is shared between a 3-1 victory on 15 March 1903 and two 2-0 victories on 8 April 1939 and 18 September 1954.  Since then, Everton’s seven victories have been by the odd goal.  Chelsea’s biggest victory at home to Everton was 6-0 on 11 September 1948.

The most common victory for Everton is 1-0, which has happened eight times in Everton's 14 wins at Stamford Bridge.  Chelsea's most common victory is shared between 2-0 and 3-1, both of which have happened seven times each in Chelsea’s 38 home victories.  The most common draw between the teams is 1-1 which has happened 10 times in the 20 draws.

Everton's record for 17 April is:

This will be the second meeting between the two sides on this date.  The first was in 1973 when Everton left Goodison Park with a 1-0 victory.  The other Premier League matches on this date were in 1993, when Everton and Southampton drew 0-0 at The Dell.  This was followed by another 0-0 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in 1995, and four years after this, in 1999, Everton got a rare win at St James’ Park, when they defeated Newcastle United 3-1.

Milestone's that can be reached in this game:

• If Gary Naysmith plays any part of the match, it will be his 100th League appearance for Everton.
• If Lee Carsley starts the match, it will be his 50th start for Everton in all competitions.

Steve Flanagan

Everton and the woodwork frustrate Chelsea

Before the game we would have taken a point from the Premiership's second best team and it was clear from the outset that Everton either weren't confident of winning or had no real desire to win because this was a largely disinterested performance that gave way to a resolute defensive stand in the last quarter of the game.

The Merseyside Blues duly earned the point they came for but, on balance, mighty fortunate to get it even though Wayne Rooney was foiled with the best chance of the game from about six yards out.

David Moyes responded to a couple of injury concerns following the Leeds game by employing James McFadden in right midfield and David Weir at the back in place of Steve Watson and David Unsworth respectively. Sky Sports had McFadden up front in a three-pronged attack before the game but it was hard to ascertain what formation Moyes had deployed.

The game started reasonably evenly and without really taking the game to Chelsea, the Toffees had a couple of moments early on. Alessandro Pistone won a dubious-looking free kick just outside the area and of three players standing over it, Wayne Rooney stepped up to bend one around the outside of the wall and forced the goalkeeper to bat it untidily behind for a corner.

Chelsea broke quickly from the resulting clearance and when a brilliant low cross found Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the Dutchman couldn't find a touch to turn it past Martyn under pressure from the newly head-shaven MacFadden who had tracked him alll the way into the six yard box.

Barely a minute later, an almost carbon copy cross picked out the same player and again Hasselbaink let Everton off the hook, the ball somehow slipping through his legs. Plenty of alarm bells for the visitors who while looking far from overwhelmed were being a little sloppy in their passing.

Just before the 20-minute mark, Rooney began limping, possibly feeling the effects of a knock he picked up at Leeds on Tuesday, and left the field for treatment before returning to the fray a minute later.

In the 24th minute, Parker made a bee-line for the Blues' area before slipping it to Frank Lampard who side-footed an effort off the top of Nigel Martyn's crossbar as Chelsea once again signalled both their intentions and the depth of their abilities against a pedestrian Everton. The incident was followed by Joe Cole engineering a chance from 20 yards that crept narrowly wide of the post.

Just a couple of minutes after that, Adrian Mutu, who scored the only goal at Goodison earlier in the season, had a second header from a Geremi corner on the right. The first time he had headed well wide and this time he steered his effort well over the crossbar as Everton continued to ride their luck at the back.

Then, suddenly, the best chance of the game so far opened up for Rooney. Cole scythed Pistone down over on the right and Gravesen swung in the free kick which pinged off bodies around the penalty spot before breaking for Kilbane whose shot was blocked but fell straight to Rooney but his point-blank effort was well saved by Ambrioso's legs. An absolutely gilt-edged opportunity but the Everton number 18 did everything right and the plaudits have to go to the 'keeper for a tremendous reaction save.

Tomasz Radzinski had an uncharacteristically quiet first 45 minutes but he suddenly came into the game just before half time and when he chased a Pistone clearance and tangled with Huth who, in the end, shoved the Canadian international to the ground by the byline. Naturally, given that the referee was Graham Poll, the decision went the wrong way, the Chelsea defender awarded the free kick for what was six of one and half a dozen of the other right up until the German's apparent infringement.

Unsurprisingly, the home side had the last word in an untidy first half when Hasselbaink drove a powerful shot from 25 yards which Martyn palmed away to keep things goalless going into the break.

Everton, unfortunately, showed no evidence that Moyes had given them anything in the way of a half-time pep talk because they started poorly, surrendering far too much territory and possession to their West London opponents and relying on the immaculate Joseph Yobo to make crucial interventions alongside the equally industrious Weir.

Their efforts were not helped by another miserable performance by Thomas Gravesen who was all dancing but ineffective feet and wayward passing (what is it about away games with him?). When you rely so heavily on one player to make things happen in the middle of the park, it's difficult to exert any control on a game, particularly against a team like Chelsea.

10 minutes into the second half, Moyes withdrew McFadden who had barely had a look-in all game, not through any particular fault of his own, for Lee Carsley. The Scot is the sort of player who relies on his team making regular and coherent forays into the opposition half, something that clearly wasn't happening under the strategy of feeding Rooney and Radzinski with erratic balls down the channels.

The stage was set with 12 minutes to go for the story of the week when Francis Jeffers joined the action at the expense of Tomasz Radzinski but it was Chelsea who again had an opportunity to break the deadlock when Kilbane dallied on the ball close to the area and was caught by Hasselbaink, who fed Oliveira who crossed for Mutu but his tame header again bounced well wide.

In the last 10 minutes, Chelsea really began to exert some pressure, teasing Moyes's side down the right and left through substitutes Gronkjaer and Oliveira, but with plenty of men behind the ball, Everton were organised and barely managed to hold out the tense closing stages. Lampard sent a left-footed shot skidding onto the base of Martyn's post, Hasselbaink foiled by the riccochet.

Gravesen was replaced by Watson with less than five minutes to go before Hasselbaink's finish was again found wanting, the striker inches away from making the breakthrough as the ball bounced off his knee and wide from Oliveira's pin-point cross. There were another couple of scares for the Toffees, including another headed attempt by Mutu that was blocked by Weir, but after three minutes of injury time referee Poll called the action to a close.

Overall, Rooney's close call aside, Everton never really looked like winning this one and while Chelsea were clearly the better side going forward, the finishing from their strikers was poor and that, along with man of the match, Joseph Yobo, was the outstanding reason why this one ended all square. In hindsight, had Everton played the way they did against Spurs for even 45 minutes, they probably would have sneaked this one, but a point from Stamford Bridge after all those heavy defeats at the hands of Chelsea is a good afternoon's work.

Lyndon Lloyd