Back
Everton were unable to bounce back from last week’s draw as Chelsea inflicted defeat on the Toffees at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Pedro Neto’s goals proved enough to provide the visitors with all three points from a feisty game on Merseyside. David Moyes will naturally be frustrated to lose his first game of the season but it was a familiar tale of missed chances for the Toffees.
Everton have missed their opportunity to go into the top four and could now see themselves drop down the table depending on other results. There were some positive performances out there but not enough was shown in front of goal to take anything from the game.
TalkingPoints
It's a first defeat of the season for Everton as they lose 2-0 to Chelsea 😡 Give us YOUR reaction 👇
Neto’s first goal was not placed right into the corner with Jordan Pickford leaving a lot to be desired again with his attempted save.
Not a performance the Everton right-back will want to remember in a hurry. Replaced by Tyrique George after 55 minutes and failed to register a single tackle in almost one hour on the pitch.
A real captain’s performance from James Tarkowski. The veteran won his duels with Joao Pedro but was unable to guide the defence to a clean sheet.
Jarrad Branthwaite managed to avoid a serious injury after a nasty collision with Emi Martinez in the second half. The centre-back’s presence cannot be underestimated.
It was a big positive to see Vitalii Mykolenko in the starting XI as it allowed Branthwaite to play in his usual position. A fairly standard performance from the left-back with minimal impact going forward and arguably guilty of losing Neto in the build-up to the goal.
A sensational goal line clearance to save the Blues from heading into the break behind. Harrison Armstrong’s strong challenge in the opening moments of the game set the tempo and got the fans up for the game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Pat Nevin thought Morgan Rogers should have been sent off following his challenge on James Garner just before half time. Far from the midfielder’s finest showing, though.
Offered very little when playing as the right-winger. However, when Merlin Rohl was dropped back into defence he had an immediate impact with a goal-saving block to deny Chelsea their second of the game.
This was not the performance Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall would have wanted to put on against his former team. Plenty of effort but no real impact on the game.
Jack Grealish was by far and away Everton’s best attacking player on Saturday. A stunning cross to tee up Thierno Barry for the first big chance of the game for Everton. The on-loan Manchester City man was a constant threat.
Moyes admitted Thierno Barry is missing a lot of chances and he did exactly that on Saturday against Chelsea. The striker had golden opportunity to open the scoring but his header was straight at Martinez.
Much like Dewsbury-Hall, Tyriquye George struggled to provide much of an impact against his former side.