Saturday’s result against Everton would have come as a surprise to Chelsea supporters. We never beat Everton away!

Last season, Chelsea really had a game to forget at the Hill Dickinson Stadium after losing 3-0. And after the first half of the latest encounter between Chelsea and Everton ended 0-0, it looked like it was going to be more frustration for the visitors.

However, Pedro Neto had other ideas after opening the scoring just after the restart. He then doubled the Blues’ lead in the 90th minute to guarantee all three points.

Yes, Chelsea beating Everton away from home was a bit of a surprise. It was a good surprise, though, and not the only one on the afternoon.

Jorrel Hato’s attacking contribution as a wing-back was a nice surprise for Xabi Alonso

Jorrel Hato’s performance was also a surprise, but in a positive way. The Dutchman came in for the injured Pep Chavarria and did not disappoint.

Looking at his performances in a Chelsea shirt, Hato’s best position is probably centre-back. He has not fully convinced in either the left-back or left wing-back role.

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Defensively, Hato can get beaten one-v-one out wide, but he was pretty solid and aggressive against Everton on Saturday. What would have caught Alonso’s attention, though, was how effective Hato was going forward.

Hato used his strength, speed and power to go on runs and drive Chelsea forward. According to Sofascore, he completed both dribbles he attempted and also made three progressive carries. In total, the 20-year-old made 12 carries.

It was Hato who made Chelsea’s first goal after some excellent work down the left. He breezed past Ainsley Maitland-Niles and managed to hold him off before getting the ball to Neto with a deflected pass.

Not too many Chelsea fans knew Hato had that in his locker, although he provided an assist against Brighton & Hove Albion that was quite similar. Going forward, his attributes still make him better suited to the centre-back role, but it does look as though he is capable of playing as a left wing-back after all.

That is great news for Alonso, who seems to have settled on a very flexible 3-4-2-1 formation that is putting its wing-backs to good use.