Chelsea chew out the Toffeemen and rise to fourth in the Premier League

By Paul Lagan

Chelsea 2 v  Everton 0

An own goal and a Jorginho penalty saw off a solid but uninspired Everton as the Blues went into the Champions League positions with a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

The west Londoners are undefeated in 11 games since Thomas Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard and they are playing with consistency over the whole 90 minutes rather that in fits and starts that so characterised the earlier part of the season.

The Blues dominated the early possession with very little threat on Jordon Pickford’s goal. The first effort of note, fell to Jorginho, who tried his luck from a low drive from 25 yards on 15 minutes.

But the shot went wide of the England goalkeeper’s right post.

But on 32 minutes, the west Londoners broke the deadlock Callum Hudson-Odoi turned and raced forward on the left.

He passed the ball onto an advanced Marcos Alonso, who thumped a byline cross. Kai Havertz touched the ball on, but the ball smacked off Ben Godfrey outstretched leg and zipped past Pickford.

Alonso thought he had doubled the lead four minutes from the break when he found himself free in the box.

 But his powerful shot was parried away by Pickford for a corner.

Everton responded well with some pressure, and Andres Gomes let fly with a low drive which Eduard Mendy did well to grasp.

There were no changes by either side at half time.

Alonso made Pickford make an unnecessary save on 50 minutes when his angled free-kick looked like it was just going wide, but he clipped it away for a corner nevertheless.

Sadly for Chelsea they did not capitalise on the dead ball situation.

Havertz though he has scored on 55 minutes but was adjudged to have handled the ball before thumping in into the back of the net from close range on 54 minutes.

But goal number two duly came, and it was a spot kick from Jorginho, who sent Pickford the wrong way.

Havertz had been upended by the impressive Pickford on 65 minutes.

Substitute Mason Mount tried to replicate his winner at Anfield but Pickford, was equal to the task.

The home side move up to fourth place in the Premier League with 50 points.

Chelsea travel to Leeds on Saturday.

 

Teams: Chelsea,

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Mendy; Azpilicueta (c), Christensen, Zouma; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Havertz, Hudson-Odoi; Werner

Substitutes: Kepa, Rudiger, Thiago Silva, Chilwell, Kante, Mount, Ziyech, Pulisic, Giroud

Everton (4-4-2): Pickford; Holgate, Keane, Godfrey, Digne; Iwobi, Allan, Gomes, Sigurdsson (c); Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Substitutes: Tyrer, Joao Virginia, Nkounkou, Davies, Broadhead, John, Onyango, Bernard, King

Referee: Davide Coote