The lowdown on Chelsea 1 Everton 0 – Blues do what they need to, to stay on Champions League trail
It’s now 31 years and 30 league games since the Toffees won at Stamford Bridge and once again, the Merseysiders were perfect opposition for a Chelsea side in need of points to keep up their bid for a top five finish. It was far from thrilling but the Blues were comfortable in the main.
Here is the lowdown on Saturday’s lunchtime clash.
THE LINE-UPS
Chelsea: Sanchez, Caicedo, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, Lavia (James 66), Fernandez, Madueke (Sancho 78), Palmer (Dewsbury-Hall 90), Pedro Neto, Jackson (George 90) Subs not used: Acheampong, Badiashile, Jorgensen, Nkunku, Tosin
Everton: Pickford, Patterson (Young 64), O’Brien, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Garner, Gueye, Harrison (McNeil 64), Doucoure, Ndiaye (Alcaraz h/t), Beto (Chermiti 64). Subs not used: Begovic, Coleman, Iroegbunam, Keane, Virginia
SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME
Chelsea’s dominance of ball and territory was unremarkable in terms of end product, but rewarded on 27 minutes when Trevoh Chalobah smuggled the ball off Beto to set up the opening goal. Enzo Fernandez found Nicolas Jackson and the striker drilled low to Jordan Pickford’s right from just outside the box.
It was his 10th goal of the season but first of 2025. It proved enough to get the job done against limited opponents.
Everton have been hard to beat since David Moyes’ return, but here they were largely uninspired – although Robert Sanchez did well to keep out a firm hit from Beto and also later had to be sharp to deny sub Dwight McNeil.
TACTICAL APPROACH
The big selection call from Enzo Maresca was keeping skipper Reece James on the bench and starting Moises Caidedo in less familiar right-back role. The switch allowed him to detail Romeo Lavia alongside Enzo Fernandez in the midfield engine room. Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto – match winner at Fulham last week – were given the wide positions in a familiar 4-2-3-1 formation.
Maresca’s tactical tweaks needed to be transmitted via Willy Caballero, who filled in as touchline guru because the head coach was banished from the dug-out after picking up a third yellow card of the season at Fulham – which triggers the sanction of a one game ban.
James eventually came on to restore Caicedo to a more advanced position and Jadon Sancho was brought on for Madueke, without providing any noticeable extra bite.
STAR MAN
Nicolas Jackson. His excellent finish did not suggest a player who has seemed low on confidence in this calendar year after failing to find the net since the mid-December win at home to Brentford.
The goal put a spring in the Senegal striker’s step and raised his energy levels to the extent that he tracked back numerous times to stymie Everton attacks. That commitment will have pleased the boss.
He had the ball in the net a second time after following up a Marc Cucurella drive that had been parried by Pickford, but was offside.
BEST MOMENT
Apart from the goal, it was two dazzling runs – even if neither ended in a goal. A ling-bursting first half run from Pedro Neto from deep in his own half down the right deserved a better outcome.
In the second half, Noni Madueke’s dash in from the left – leaving a trail of Toffees defenders in his wake – brought out a fine save from Jordan Pickford to deny him a goal.
MOAN OF THE MATCH
They got the needed points, but the football was still a bit too perfunctory and slow for Chelsea fans to get too thrilled about. It has been a recurring theme under Maresca.
The club’s traditional flamboyance has been missing at times. It will not have been forgotten that a year ago, the side was romping to a 6-0 win over the same opposition, playing in an altogether more exhilarating style under Mauricio Pochettino.
TALKING POINTS DOWN THE PUB
Why aren’t Chelsea more exciting? The thrashing of Everton last season seemed to be a blueprint for the future, but there has been no obvious advance since then. Consistency maybe, but not enough devil at times.
Cole Palmer hasn’t scored for 17 games now, having bagged 14 in the first 23 of the campaign. His retreat into the shadows has summed up the fare often served up. The Champions League remains very much on the agenda, but a few more thrills wouldn’t go amiss.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY
“I am very pleased with the mentality (of the players). The second half against Fulham was fantastic and we started the game today in the same way. Today it was for the most part our team on the ball.
“We are going to be better and better and the players will understand. It is more difficult to play teams with a low block. The fans have to trust us. It is a journey where they will learn things.
“I think first half we controlled the game and dominated. Second half we dropped a bit but the good thing was that we were strong and nasty enough when we needed to be like that. I feel we deserved to win the game.”
On Sanchez’s display: “As a human being you usually remember the bad things rather than the good. Robert has had many good moments this season and he had a good save against Tottenham in the 90th minute. You can see how the team mates celebrate and that Robert has not been in a good moment recently, so they celebrated with him.”
On being forced to watch from the stands: “I prefer to be on the bench, you want to say something but no-one can hear. I was in contact with the bench and next to me was a member of the coaching staff to spread the message.
Pictured top: Match winner Nicolas Jackson in a tussle with Everton’s Jarrod Branthwaite (Picture: Alamy)
