Chelsea tied with visitors Everton 0-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.
This competition underscored the fact that beauty is not the goal of competitive sport. Sean Dyche's side battled, bumped and bruised their visitors as they fought their way to a goalless draw for the second time after… Last week's draw with Arsenal.
Enzo Maresca's side squandered the few chances they had, wasting the chance to edge Liverpool – albeit briefly – at the top of the Premier League.
How the game unfolded
EvertonAs is their signature style no matter the setup or opponent under Dyche, they conceded the initiative. The compact mass of blue shirts managed to frustrate the visitors for 25 minutes. However, a powerful tackle from Moises Caicedo broke Everton's backline, sparking a chain reaction of outnumbered superiority that ended with Cole Palmer dribbling past Nicholas Jackson.
ChelseaThe in-form striker dragged a shot from close range straight into the middle of the pitch Jordan Pickford. Malo Giusto was headed astray on the rebound.
Jackson had another glaring chance shortly after the half-hour mark. Stooping to meet a corner kick that swung all the way around the back of the Everton penalty area, the Senegal international somehow conspired to head his shot against the post from three yards out.
Elimane Ndiaye was Everton's biggest threat, always carrying the ball. The in-form striker pulled away from Axel Disasi before setting up Jack Harrison at the back post. After gaining the freedom of Goodison, Harrison's effort was stifled from close range by Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea left their minds to the cramped dressing rooms during the interval. Levi Colwell lost a wrestling match with Beto in the center circle, and watched from the grass as Everton surged forward again. A combination of Tosin Adarabioyo and Sanchez kept out Jesper Lindstrom's low cross as N'Diaye raced into the box, desperately keeping Chelsea's clean sheet clear.
In the end, none of the back line will be penetrated.
Check out the player ratings from the Everton vs Chelsea match here.
“It's a windy day, it's very cold,” Enzo Maresca pointed out smartly before the match. “It's beautiful, it's England.”
The swirling wind refused to allow any ball to remain stationary on a set piece. Pickford collected an errant cone that was blown onto the pitch in the first half, while players had to dodge bits of rubbish strewn across the turf throughout the second 45 minutes.
Some onlookers argued that the conditions were worse than those forced into it The Merseyside derby postponed this month.
Adverse weather conditions hampered both sides. While Chelsea struggled to control the rain, Everton's attacking shots were at the mercy of the storm that hit Goodison Park.
As Daichi noted after the match: “We've been through a storm.”
Chelsea entered the weekend as the top-scoring team in the Premier League. However, for the first time since the opening game of the season, the Blues were held to a goalless draw by their opponents. Everton limited the west London side to just 0.77xG – Chelsea's lowest figure of the entire season.
On the rare occasion when the visitors managed to force their way past the home side, Jordan Pickford stood tall. Boasting a personality to match the unruly elements on display – this is the player who had 'Get the Rave On' stitched onto his boots – Everton's enigmatic number one has thrived amidst the chaos, only on the verge of reining in his puppy-like enthusiasm to stay put. The right side of the law.
Like Pickford, Robert Sanchez has been criticized throughout his career. The divisive Spain international is often championed as a reason why Chelsea's title challenge is so flawed, but the goalkeeper has almost single-handedly ensured the Blues emerge from Sunday's game with a share of the spoils.
New CEO Mark Watts is at Goodison for the first time, alongside interim CEO Colin Chung. 👋 pic.twitter.com/i02mEwy1iE
– Everton (@Everton) December 22, 2024
In three days From late confirmation that the Friedkin Group had completed its takeover of Everton, new chief executive Mark Watts has been watching from the stands.
Dyche hoped new ownership would bring a “positive mood to the team”, but it will take more than a cheerful press release and a fake scarf to change the perpetual malaise that hangs over Everton these days.
The Toffees are a team of spoons in the world of pork chops; It clearly lacks any cutting edge. While they posed a greater threat after the break, it was not unfair that the match ended in a goalless draw. As Watts and his bosses would soon discover, this is nothing new for the Toffees. Four of Everton's last six matches have ended in 0-0 draws.
