Chelsea clashed heads against Everton at Goodison Park earlier today looking to come away with all three points from Merseyside. The Pensioners began the match on the offensive, but they failed to capitalise on their early chances. Both teams fought hard but couldn’t score the opening goal in the first half.
Marco Silva’s side kicked off the second half looking to be more adventurous, and it paid dividends as Richarlison gave Everton the lead with his header in the 49th minute. The Toffees earned a penalty which Gylfi Sigurdsson converted in the 72nd minute to put some daylight between the two teams. The Merseyside outfit held firm and secured a brilliant 2-0 win on the day.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player performed during the match against the Toffees.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 7.5/10
The Spanish keeper was not tested by the Everton forwards in the first half. However, the second half was a completely different story as Kepa had to make a string of world-class saves to keep his side in the contest.
RB: César Azpilicueta – 5/10
The Chelsea full-back retained possession quite efficiently for his team but ultimately failed to make an impact going forward.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger – 6/10
The German centre-back had a decent game today as he managed to keep Dominic Calvert-Lewin relatively quiet during the game.
CB: David Luiz – 5/10
The Brazilian defender was mostly untroubled in the first half. However, he was guilty of making some inaccurate passes in the second half which shifted the momentum in Everton’s favour.
LB: Marcos Alonso – 3/10
It was a nightmare game for the Spanish full-back. He gave the ball away on quite a few times during the match and was also guilty of conceding the penalty when he carelessly brought down Richarlison with a lazy challenge.
CM: N’Golo Kanté – 6/10
The French was energetic in midfield and made a few good tackles to win possession back for his team. However, he failed to be a creative force in the opposition half.
CM: Jorginho – 7/10
He was superb with his ball distribution in the first half. Jorginho was the one pulling strings from midfield and created quite a few decent opportunities for Hazard and Higuain.
CM: Ross Barkley – 4.5/10
The English midfielder was not able to make a significant impact against his former side. However, he still showed some signs of promise in the first half. Whether he did enough to keep his place in Maurizio Sarri’s first-team remains to be seen.
RM: Pedro – 7/10
The Spanish winger was one of Chelsea’s most potent weapons in the opposition half. He was unfortunate not to score with his shot from range which grazed past the post of the Everton goal.
ST: Gonzalo Higuaín – 6.5/10
The Argentine striker made some clever runs behind the Everton defence and also linked up play well with his teammates. However, he didn’t manage to find the back of the net which will disappoint him.
LM: Eden Hazard – 6/10
The Belgian international hit the post with his attempt early in the first half. However, his impact on the pitch faded as the match went on.
Substitutes:
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6/10
He tried his best to help Chelsea get a goal back. However, Sigurdsson’s penalty completely drained the confidence out of him.
ST: Olivier Giroud – 5/10
The French centre-forward struggled to get himself involved after coming off the bench.
RM: Callum Hudson-Odoi – 7/10
The Chelsea youngster was a real live wire and put in a brilliant cameo for Chelsea. He was not afraid to run at the Everton defenders and even managed to test Jordan Pickford with a powerful strike.
