Everton entertained Chelsea at Goodison Park earlier tonight hoping to secure a positive result at home. The Toffees were penned back in the first half but took the lead in the 22nd minute courtesy of Gylfi Sigurdsson’s penalty. The Merseyside outfit defended valiantly and hung on to their narrow one-goal advantage going into the half-time break.
The Blues were once again the more dominant team in the second 45 minutes but couldn’t capitalise on any of the chances they created in the final third. The contest finished with the home side earning a hard-fought 1-0 win at Merseyside.
Let’s take a look at how each Everton player fared during the match against the Blues.
GK: Jordan Pickford – 8/10
The Toffees keeper made some important saves to keep his team ahead in the game. He was also a commanding presence inside his six-yard box and deserved his clean sheet tonight.
RB: Mason Holgate – 7.5/10
Holgate didn’t venture forward too much and kept a solid shape at the back. He made several last-gasp clearances to help his team get over the line with all three points in the bag.
CB: Yerry Mina – 7/10
The Colombian international was a rock at the heart of the Everton defence and dealt with everything that came his way during the 90 minutes.
CB: Michael Keane – 7.5/10
Keane did well to keep Olivier Giroud quiet throughout the 90 minutes. He also had to clear his lines quite often as Chelsea were often trying to bombard the Everton penalty box with crosses from the wide areas.
LB: Ben Godfrey – 7/10
He had a good game at left-back as he fought for every loose possession of the ball. Ancelotti’s confidence in Godfrey was repaid by another energetic performance from him tonight.
CM: Gylfi Sigurdsson – 7.5/10
The Icelandic international kept his cool to convert the penalty with ease which ended up making the difference in this match.
CM: Allan – 7/10
The Brazilian midfield ace kept himself busy by going in for tackles and disrupting Chelsea’s rhythm at the centre of the park.
CM: Abdoulaye Doucoure – 6.5/10
Doucoure worked his socks off in the middle of the pitch but was guilty of giving away the ball cheaply at times during the game.
RW: Alex Iwobi – 7/10
The Nigerian winger made several lung-bursting runs down the right-wing and even worked hard to help out his teammates at the back. He was replaced before the end of the contest.
ST: Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 7.5/10
The English striker showed great desire to win the ball before being dragged down by Edouard Mendy in the lead-up to Everton’s penalty in the first half. He worked tirelessly to run the channels but hardly got a chance to get his name on the scoresheet.
LW: Richarlison – 7.5/10
Richarlison was a constant menace for the Blues defenders and was always willing to have a pop at goal. However, he was not clinical enough in the final third.
Substitutes:
CM: Andre Gomes – N/A
The Portuguese midfielder did not have enough time to make an impact.
CM: Tom Davies – N/A
He did not get enough minutes to warrant a rating.
LM: Jonjoe Kenny – N/A
He came off the bench to run the clock down for his team.
