Another rock-solid Everton performance seals 3 more points

Everton 2 - 0 Chelsea

Everton are back at Goodison Park for another huge game, this time against big-spending Chelsea.

Seamus Coleman is out injured but James Garner returns after sickness kept him out of the Newcastle game, while Amadou Onana is fit again but only named on the bench.

Mudryk was quickly on Young's case, his cross leading to a decent shot from Enzo that forced a save from Pickford, whose save came straight back to the Chelsea player but his second attempt flew wide.  

With Chelsea doing their best to pass it around, Everton forced the turnover and Garner surged forward, picking out Harrison but Calvert-Lewin was not up with the cross that was delivered into the perfect position, behind the defence but in front of the Chelsea keeper. 

Chelse responded, forcing a corner that was headed well over. Cucu barged over Calvert-Lewin and McNeil put a decent free-kick into the far post. 

A good contest was developing between Branthwaite and Broja. From a Chelsea corner, Plamer fired in a decent strike toward the top corner of Pickford's goal that he was across well to parry. 

Gana Gueye, with a poor-looking scissor action fouled Enzo from behind and was immediately shown an early yellow card, his 5th of the season. But a good Everton press forced the turnover again and Everton were doing well to get forward quickly but with little real threat. 

A quick ball from McNeil failed to find Calvert-Lewin, and Chlesea resorted to more keep-ball until they released Broja and when the ball came back toward Palmer, Mykolenko's tackle looked to be a foul but he drew back his leg as Palmer fell and the referee blew the whistle for simulation despite Palmer immediately regaining his feet but too late to avoid a somewhat harsh yellow card. 

Chelsea continued to attack, with a low cross in that needed clearing behind by Branthwaite in in front of Pickford. A Pickford hoof bounced nicely for Calvert-Lewin but he turned out to have been offside as the game went quickly from end to end. A tremendous first-time volley from Harrison flew a couple of yards wide.

After Reece James went off with a hamstring issue, Chelsea won another corner but Everton again forced the turnover to keep them at bay. Branthwaite injured his left thigh challenging Palmer for the ball, and needed treatment.  

This time Chelsea forced a turnover off Harrison and surged forward, the fast cross from Mudryk flashing across Pickford's goal.  Mudryk was murdering Young down Everton's right flank and he whipped over another cross that Broja could only scoop behind.

McNeil looked to go through on goal from a long pass out from defence. but he stumbled on the ball as the flag went up for offside. Chelsea responded, Palmer firing over from outside the Everton area.  Young was replaced by Patterson, who caught Broja with his first involvement as Everton came under more sustained pressure. 

Everton tried to make something of a deep free-kick from Pickford but it flew wide past everyone, and Chelsea were soon on the attack again, Everton having to defend in numbers. 

But with 4 minutes added time, Calvert-Lewiin won Everton's first corner of the game that was initially cleared but Everton kept working it around for McNeil to force a second corner but Cucurella went down, play-acting after tussling with Tarkowski. Nothing came of the corner as Micahel Oliver brought the half to a close.

McNeil stole the ball and put in another beautiful cross that any self-respecting centre-forward would have devoured... but not our lumbering Calvert-Lewin, out of place yet again. It was end to end, Enzo having a pop. 

At the other end, McNeil looked to have made excellent space for a brilliant low shot into the corner but Sanchez got across suberbly to push it around the post. From the corner, it came out to Mykolenko who tried to take out one of the GOODISON letters on the back of the Park Stand. 

Some great work from NcNeil forced a wonderful ball this time perfectly into Calvert-Lewin's path but he could not lift the ball past Sanchez. However, he did play the ball onto Snachez with enough pace where it rebounded nicely for Doucoure to rifle the ball into the net. The VAR wanted to check offside but no chance. 

Branthwaite made a very laboured lunge at Broja in the dee and that saw him get his 5th yellow card of the season. Palmer shot hard and low through the wall and straight to Pickford. Palmer went after Mykolenko, then McNeil, finally getting called for the foul. 

Everton got some great possession around the Chelsea area until Patterson's cross found a Chelsea player. But Everton seemed to know how crucial it was to maintain control on the back of that vital goal, and showed no signs of sitting back to soak more Chelsea pressure, but it continued to be end to end. 

Chelsea came forward through Mudryk but Mykolenko anticipated the shot from Enzo and blocked it superbly. Palmer spun off everyone to fire a curler wide of the angle. After the subs, Chelsea surged forward again Jackson firing wide across goal.

Still Chelsea moved the ball well but Sterling did not like Mykolenko blocking him confidently and saving a corner as the game entered the critical final 20 minutes. Mykolenko did very well to stall Disasi as he danced in on goal. 

At the other end, Doucoure tried to play in Beto with an angled cross that ran away from him. Chelsea attacked again but Everton forced the turnover again and Everton went forward to apply some good pressure until Harison's cross was softly headed into Shanchez's arms by Beto.

At the other end, some tremendous Chelsea pressure was managed with shots from Cucurella and Palmer saved or blocked again by Mykolenko. Chelsea came very close through Palmer and Jackson but somehow neither could fashion a shot as the Blue shirts closed them down and cleared the ball. 

But Everton were struggling to sustain any counter as Chelsea kept coming back again and again, this time Mudyrk aking space and firing low only for Tarkowski to block it away from a corner. It fell in the 6-yard area and was miraculously cleared but the pressure was sustained, Chelsea winning yet another corner. 

A superb corner was driven in but Onana headed it clear as Chelsea committed a foul. But Pickford's hoof only came straight back to him, but Beto fought for the knock-down but sent it straight to Sanchez who he thought was further out. 

Mudryk surged in again, but the ball would not fall for a Chelsea player, and Everton got a free-kick to relieve some pressure, with Dobbin replacing Harrisson. 

More relentless pressure from Chelsea, a tremendous challenge for Onana on Palmer as he readied to shoot. Another cross in was headed behind by Patterson for another Chelsea corner, Gallagher's attempted shot well blocked. McNeil tried to break but he couldn't keep the ball. 

But Everton still had to pay another 7 added minutes, Pickford's free-kick getting a corner off Disasi. Garner's ball in was punched out by the sub keeper, falling nicely to Lewis Dobbin who fairly gave it a wonderful strike, a beautiful finish to send Goodison into raptures. 

Chelsea kept on trying as the Everton crowd were now loving every minute of the 7 added on. But the Everton players on the field kept their heads superbly while all around were going crazy. 

Everton: Pickford, Young (41' Patterson), Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gana [Y:16'], Garner, Harrison (86' Dobbin), Doucoure, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin (67' Beto).

Subs: Virginia, Onana, Danjuma, Godfrey, Chermiti, Hunt.

Chelsea: Sanchez (84' Petrovich); James (26' Colwill), Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella (84Mattson); Gallagher, Enzo, Caicedo; Palmer [Y:22'], Mudryk [Y:73'], Broja (66' Sterling).

 

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