Everyone loves a good statistical anomaly in football, and Everton’s recent league record at home to Chelsea provides an absolute belter. Despite having been flirting with relegation or being steeped in mid-table mediocrity for the last decade, the Toffees have lost just one of their last nine fixtures at home to this weekend’s visitors, while only conceding two goals in the process.

That all bodes well for Saturday afternoon, doesn’t it? But Xabi Alonso’s men have been the league’s great entertainers thus far in 2026-27, and the hosts will have plenty to watch out for if they are to claim a full share of the spoils.

So how can David Moyes’ men stop Chelsea while also giving the away side something to fear themselves at the Hill Dickinson Stadium? Here are the ways Everton can put their illustrious opponents to the sword.

Survive the Opening Storm

It is no secret that Chelsea have been starting games like a steam train thus far in the campaign – it has been going on for long enough now that it is an identifiable pattern that every team will be aware of, and given this is an early afternoon kick-off, the home outfit will have to make sure any sleepiness or lethargy is left on the bus on the way to the match.

Alonso’s men have set the record for the most goals scored in the opening ten minutes of Premier League fixtures within the first six gameweeks, netting a remarkable six goals in this span.

Going into clashes like these, you hear a lot of captains or more vocal members of the squad screaming basic motivational platitudes like “from the off, boys” or “keep it tight early doors, lads” – except this time it cannot just be an automated, habitual war cry. It has to be a genuine instruction that is followed to the letter.

Chelsea are a great team brimming with confidence and attacking talent – the first 10-15 minutes will be essential for Everton to manage, and not give their opponents an unwelcome head start.

You Can’t Man-Mark This Front Three

Normally when a team have star players, man-marking can be the way to go. Double up on a star winger, get your biggest centre-half on their target-man striker, get a defensive midfielder to hound their number ten off the ball and deny him any space.

However, Chelsea’s front three is so fluid and unpredictable that this plan is up in smoke before it is even really considered. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro are all technically excellent players who are athletic, energetic and tactically intelligent enough to constantly interchange positions in the final third to devastating effect.

Maybe that explains why they are so lethal in the first stages of matches, as opposing sides struggle to work them out and get to grips with the division’s best front three.

So, while David Moyes’ men are well known for being rigid defensively and staying compact in their system, this will require more than a good basic shape and winning individual duels. Concentration needs to be at its very highest from minute one to 90, with the recognition that Palmer, Rogers and Pedro will be buzzing about everywhere constantly.

James Garner and Harrison Armstrong will have to put in a double shift to stop Chelsea’s movement in between the lines, picking up on any signs of danger the back four are too slow to get to or can’t afford to jump into.

Let’s hope the hosts have a plan to combat this blur of attacking movement they will be subjected to, and won’t be caught cold by an attacking trio that are causing havoc around the country.

Get the Tiger by the Tail

Chelsea are a great team to watch. However, when things start to go against them and the chinks in the armour begin to show, they have a tendency to fold for large portions of games. Even when leading Bournemouth by three goals last weekend, what seemed a consolation from the Cherries quickly turned into a period of sustained pressure that seriously worried a Stamford Bridge crowd that hitherto had been so, so comfortable.

This is where Everton need to have their eyes wide open. If they can get the tiger by the tail and start to have some success, that is where the foot has to remain on the pedal and the Hill Dickinson Stadium crowd really have to play their part.

Alonso’s men are fragile when put under pressure, and there is plenty of evidence for this point. So, if the Toffees can start to have some joy and a vociferous home crowd really starts to get behind them, the visitors will hopefully start looking to rest on the ropes. The team and crowd in conjunction will then look to keep them there for as long as possible.

Expose a Fragile Spine

We have mentioned the guarantee of goals and excitement that Chelsea’s front three provide, but going the other way they also present a very good chance of calamity and vulnerability.

Since losing Enzo Fernandez and with Reece James still worryingly injury-prone, the London outfit look as weak as they ever have in central areas. Given they are facing a tricky lunchtime fixture on the road, the home side will look to expose any “greenness” in the Chelsea middle third and look to get about them with vigour and intensity to unsettle them.

Moises Caicedo is undoubtedly a class operator for Chelsea, but outside of him there is definitely fragility there that Everton can get at, especially on the counter-attack, with Garner, Armstrong and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall having to be on their best form in possession to take advantage of those moments.

Chelsea’s back three, or five, depending on how you look at it, is also decidedly suspect. They are joint top of the league for goals conceded so far this term, which suggests their brutal efficiency in the final third is almost surely coming at a cost up the other end.

One in Nine, Soon to Be One in Ten?

As obvious as the strength of their forward line is, it is just as clear what Chelsea’s glaring weakness is – Everton need to be on the starting blocks ready to pounce when opportunity presents itself and try to be as efficient as possible when these moments come.

If they can do that, one loss in nine might just extend to one defeat in their last ten home league games against Chelsea.