Chelsea kid Musonda’s penalty earns Young Blues a draw against Everton
BY PAUL LAGAN
Charly Musonda snatched a equaliser from the penalty spot to earn the west Londoners a point in their opening Premier League 2 match against a rugged and experienced Everton side at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
Musonda, who will be looking for a loan deal before the end of the month, saw his spot kick squirm under the body of Joe Hilton.
Tariq Lamptey on the right terrorised the Toffemen’s defence all match and it was no surprise that he was hacked down by Brendan Galloway to earn the penalty.
However it was Everton who took the lead, and Chelsea stopper Marcin Bulka will be having nightmares about it.
Harry Charsley tried a long range effort. Bulka tried to catch the high ball instead of tipping it over his crossbar,.
Instead the ball went slipped through his gloves and dropped over the goalie.
Chelsea started sluggishly with Everton proving to be highly committed, forcing the home side back.
Everton Joe Hilton produced a wonderful save to prevent Charlie Brown on 12 minutes. Excellent set up play by Tariq Lamptey saw his byline cross met by Brown after Ike Ugbo headed the ball back across goal. The fierce left-footed effort from eight yards out was spectacularly parried away by the goalkeeper.
Ugbo was just. Couple of inches way from sliding in the opener seconds before the break. George McEachran clipped in a low defence-splitter which the tall striker, free at the fr post, just failed to get his outstretched leg to.
Everton he the first chance of the second half, when Nathan Broadbent raced clear. Marcin Bulka did well to dive to his left and snaffle the fort.
Chelsea thoughts they had scored but Marc Guehi’s poweful header at the far post was hacked off the line.
Everton took the lead and it was a howler of an effort by Bulka. Harry Charley took a speculative if powerful 30-yarder. Bulka got his hands to the high ball, but belt it slip through his gloves and the ball dropped over the line.
Manager Joe Edwards replaced Brown with Dutch striker Daishawn Redan.
On the break Everton looked dangerous and Bulka was called into action twice to thwart Fraser Harnby.
Chelsea got a penalty when Lamptey was hacked down by Brendan Galloway after an excellent Billy Gilmour through p[ass, and Charley Musonda, somewhat luckily, scored from the spot kick to level the match, the ball squirming under Hilton’s body.
Chelsea were lucky when Matthew Pennington smacked a harder against Bulka’s crossbar.
Teams: Chelsea
Bulka, Lamptey, Dabo, Colley, Guehi McEachran, Musonda, McCormick, Ugbo, Brown, Castillo
Subs: Redan, Cumming, Gilmour, Masampu, Uwakwe,
Everton:
Hilton, Marcelo, Galloway, Williams, Browning, Pennington, Evans, Charley, Hornsby, Braodhead, Gordon
Subs: Sambou, Hewlett, Adeniran, Foulds, Bawler
Referee: Chris Pollard