Sarri speaks!
Jonathan Wilson on Everton’s victory
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Séamus Coleman speaks. “The frustrating thing this season has been being consistent,” he says. “That is the next step for us. We want to be challenging in the top six in the future but we know we have been miles off.” Sigurdsson, who rolled in Everton’s second goal, he adds: “We were completely different in the second half, starting on the front foot. It was a poor performance from us in the first half but we took our chances in the second half. We were much better, more attacking, more movement and we won a lot more second balls as well in the second half.”
Full-time: Everton 2-0 Chelsea
Job done for Marco Silva’s side, in what truly was a game of two halves. Richarlison and Sigurdsson earn a vital victory. Chelsea were desperately flat in the second half, as Everton came out firing on all cylinders, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin a relentless runner and Idrissa Gana Gueye ubiquitous in midfield. It was the kind of result that will leave Sarri scratching his head, after they blew Everton away in the opening 45 minutes, with Hazard striking the post and Gonzalo Higuaín going close. Neither Everton nor Chelsea have been far away from crisis-mode this season, but this was a huge result for Marco Silva, whose side finished so strongly. Both sides move up a place in the table, with Chelsea leapfrogging Manchester United on goal difference and Everton rising above Bournemouth to take back 11th place.
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90+4 min: A predictable verse of “Barkley, what’s the score?” rings around Goodison as Everton close out the game.
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90+3 min: Giroud has a header cleared off the line! Chelsea win a corner and when David Luiz nodded back across goal, Giroud stooped to divert it goalwards but there was Morgan Schneiderlin to block. The Everton substitute may not have known a lot about it but that intervention will surely prevent a nervy finish here.
90+2 min: Davies runs the ball out but Everton will take that. Less than three minutes to play at Goodison Park.
90+1 min: Gueye intelligently steps in on the edge of the Everton area, just as Pedro dangerously edged towards the box and Chelsea swarmed forward in numbers. Everton go marching into the Chelsea half, and that’s where they will endeavour to keep them now.
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90 min: There will be five added minutes.
89 min: Handball is given against Loftus-Cheek, and Everton buy a few more seconds to eke out a much-needed victory.
88 min: Marco Silva is all smiles down on the touchline, laughing and joking with the fourth official. Sarri, not so much.
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87 min: Pickford wellies the ball forward in search of Calvert-Lewin, who has been lively without doing anything too exceptional. Chelsea look beaten, with Kanté stretching to win the ball back after a costly slip on halfway. Hudson-Odoi then overcooks a pass for Giroud, who has barely had a touch since coming on.
86 min: Sigurdsson is withdrawn and replaced by Tom Davies.
85 min: Coleman nips in to steal the ball away from Hudson-Odoi, with the Chelsea winger caught cold in possession.
83 min: A hopeful ball forward by Azpilicueta is cleared by Coleman with Hudson-Odoi lurking. Everton are going to make a final change.
82 min: Pickford saves from Hudson-Odoi! The Chelsea teenager jinks inside after going it alone before taking aim. His effort is venomous but is too central to truly trouble the Everton goalkeeper. Chelsea’s corner momentarily causes havoc – Gueye ends up slicing clear the ball into the hands of Pickford – but Everton eventually calm things down.
81 min: Everton did throw away a two-goal lead at Newcastle last week ... but they look in control here, with Richarlison penning the Chelsea defence in as Marco Silva’s pour forward once more.
80 min: Everton slip in Theo Walcott, who looks to bend the ball back across Kepa’s goal, but the Chelsea goalkeeper is never in trouble. Calvert-Lewin started the move, with Sigurdsson playing him in in behind a dozing Azpilicueta. It could have been three!
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79 min: Antonio Rüdiger dribbles out from the back, furiously gesturing for help from his team-mates but no one wants it. Just as Everton were too passive in the first half, Chelsea have been equally lethargic in the second, with Everton first to every second ball.
77 min: Bernard is withdrawn. Walcott, who turned 30 on Saturday, is on. Everton have been a totally different beast this half.
76 min: A belting Hazard shot from just outside the box is blocked by Michael Keane. And then Pedro zooms down the right, crossing for Giroud, but Pickford storms out of goal to gather. Chelsea have just woken up a little, the urgency returning to their game.
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75 min: Chelsea probe on the edge of the box through Kanté but the move breaks down as the ball fails to reach Hudson-Odoi. Everton fly forward on the counterattack, with Alonso guilty of a plucky foul on halfway and you sense Marco Silva’s side are not finished yet.
74 min: And now Callum Hudson-Odoi is on for another Chelsea cameo, with the teenager replacing Jorginho.
GOAL! Everton 2-0 Chelsea (Sigurdsson, 72)
Gylfi Sigurdsson sees his penalty repelled by Kepa, who guesses correctly, diving down to his right. But the Chelsea goalkeeper ends up palming the ball directly back into the path of Sigurdsson, who makes no mistake second time round, passing the ball into the other side of the Chelsea goal.
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71 min: Richarlison goes flying to ground after Alonso hangs out a boot in the box – and this time Anthony Taylor points to the spot!
70 min: Gueye goes down in the box – but he was simply ushered off the ball by the powerful Loftus-Cheek. Everton are on the hunt for another goal, with Calvert-Lewin busy ...
69 min: Hazard does well to wrestle away from the substitute Schneiderlin but his pass for Pedro is long. Maurizio Sarri looks baffled as to how his side ended up in this position. They dominated the first half, but Everton started the second like a train.
68 min: Andre Gomes is replaced by Morgan Schneiderlin.
65 min: Up goes the No 8. Ross Barkley’s return to Goodison is over, and he is heavily jeered by all quarters of the home faithful. He makes a point of applauding the visiting supporters before appearing to change his mind, briefly clapping the Everton fans. Loftus-Cheek is on in place of the former Everton midfielder, while Giroud has also replaced Gonzalo Higuaín, who has faded.
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64 min: Chelsea work the ball down the left, with Alonso cutting the ball back for Barkley – but his shot is deflected wide.
63 min: Loftus-Cheek and Giroud are being readied by Chelsea.
61 min: It is not quite happening for Chelsea. Alonso searches out Pedro with a cross-field ball but he overcooks it. There is a resigned thumbs-up by Pedro but it was simply not good enough.
59 min: Pickford gets down low to get a strong left hand on Higuaín’s volley! It was a simple but well-worked Chelsea move, culminating in Higuaín smacking goalwards after collecting N’Golo Kanté’s knock-down from David Luiz’s ball forward.
57 min: Calvert-Lewin passes up a huge chance to double Everton’s lead! Bernard and Digne combine well down the left and when the latter delivers a devious, low ball, Rüdiger goes to ground but fails to deal with it. But the Everton striker cannot seize the opportunity, with Calvert-Lewin a little lax to react. Chelsea clear, and survive the resulting corner. Everton are playing some lovely stuff.
54 min: Alonso hammers into the side-netting! The wing-back bombs on down the left and when Pedro’s cross drops kindly at the back stick, there he is to meet it. Hazard helped it on but Alonso ends up slicing his effort at goal, as the ball curves away from a sheepish-looking Pickford. Alonso’s effort was not lacking power.
53 min: Kepa gifts the ball to Gueye on halfway after a poor kick out from goal, but Jorginho nips in to get his goalkeeper off the hook. Suddenly it’s Chelsea making silly mistakes and Everton very much in the ascendency.
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51 min: Pedro does superbly, nicking the ball away from Digne who had attempted to let it run out for a throw-in. Pedro was having none of it, bursting to the touchline to steal back possession and drive another Chelsea attack. In the end he runs out of room, with Mina charging out of defence to intercept.
GOAL! Everton 1-0 Chelsea (Richarlison, 49)
Sigurdsson whips his corner in, Calvert-Lewin gets in front of David Luiz to head at goal – only for Kepa to keep it out. But the Chelsea goalkeeper can only shove the ball away, pushing it into the path of Richarlison, who calmly nods in. Chelsea – somehow – are behind, though Everton have their reward for a rip-roaring start to this second period.
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48 min: And now Everton win a corner. This is everything the home supporters were crying out for in a dour first-half display.
47 min: Kepa is called into action – and makes a strong double-handed save to deny Andre Gomes! It was at thumping strike by the Everton midfielder from just outside the box, after another swell of encouraging pressure by the hosts. He lashed his strike towards goal and, but for Kepa’s intervention, Everton would lead.
46 min: Bernard comes within inches of meeting a wicked cross by Dominic Calvert-Lewin! The tiny winger does not throw himself at the ball in and, perhaps if he did, Everton would be celebrating. This is already miles better by Marco Silva’s men.
46 min: Chelsea get us back under way at Goodison, with a new match ball sent for by Anthony Taylor. Everton surely cannot be much flatter than they were in the opening 45 minutes.
“It’ll be frustrating from a Chelsea point of view if this turns into a dominant draw once again just like the Wolves game,” emails Ciaran Crowther. “Although they seem more incisive so far today.”
Some further reading:
Get yer half-time Chelsea fix:
Half-time: Everton 0-0 Chelsea
Chelsea should have already put the game to bed. Eden Hazard has been pulling the strings and rattled the post, while Higuaín equally could have scored but for a last-ditch block by Yerry Mina. It has all been a bit half-hearted by Marco Silva’s side. Chelsea have found it too easy at times, with Hazard, Pedro and Barkley roaming free in acres of space. Kepa may as well have not turned up.
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45+1 min: Jorginho struggles to get to grips with Sigurdsson, who does well to stand his ground and kickstart a rare Everton move forward. But it breaks down as Bernard shunts a wild, poor ball across goal.
45+1 min: Calvert-Lewin slides in to nip the ball away from David Luiz, just as Chelsea attempt to break down the right.
45 min: There will be two more minutes of one-way traffic.
42 min: Gueye is too eager in the challenge on Barkley on halfway and Chelsea win another free-kick. David Luiz floats a quick ball into Pedro, who darts in off the left flank to meet it but the flag is up.
41 min: Barkley takes aim ... but it ends up nestling in the Everton wall. Chelsea do superbly to recycle possession, though, and Pedro does brilliantly to wriggle away from four Everton players – Gueye, Gomes, Calvert-Lewin and then Mina before shaping to shoot. His low drive arrows just wide of goal. Pickford was scrambling.
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40 min: Richarlison eats away at Hazard, who cuts inside on the edge of the area, but the Brazilian is a little overzealous. Chelsea win the free-kick 20-odd yards from goal. Alonso and Barkley fancy it. It is in the perfect position for a right-footer to bend it over the Everton wall.
38 min: Hazard again makes life difficult for Coleman down the Everton right, where Chelsea have had lots of joy. Richarlison has offered little protection, other than a moment ago when he ended up fending off Alonso before throwing the defender into a hapless Everton ballboy.
36 min: Calvert-Lewin heads over Sigurdsson’s free-kick! It is a free header, with Azpiliceuta lost in a crowded box, but he glances off target. The dead ball was a result of a silly tug of the shirt on Richarlison by Alonso, who earned himself a routine booking in the process.
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33 min: Higuaín attempts to divert Barkley’s low cross home but his effort, with the outside of his boot, ends up zooming up over the frame of Pickford’s goal. Another stat: Everton have had zero touches in the Chelsea 18-yard box. Maurizio Sarri’s side have totally ran this game.
31 min: A desperate, but fair, sliding challenge by Michael Keane prevents Hazard from charging into the box after the Belgian raced on to a neat through ball by Higuaín. Chelsea are beginning to grind through the gears, and Everton are powerless to stop them.
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30 min: Chelsea work the ball into the box after a neat give-and-go between Alonso and Pedro, but the latter makes a mess of a first-time shot on picking the pass back up from his team-mate. Hazard again kickstarted the move, dancing into space on the edge of the area.
29 min: Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison have mustered five touches apiece. Everton have had little to shout about.
28 min: Mina clears with a thumping header and Pedro fails to recycle possession out wide for Chelsea. A let-off for Everton.
27 min: Sarri’s gesticulating about something on the touchline, but he should be delighted. Chelsea are basking in Everton’s woes, as Digne surrenders a silly corner. Hazard will swing it in ...
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26 min: Kanté frees Pedro down the right flank, and the Portuguese attempts to bend a wonderful, weighted pass into the path of Hazard in the centre. But the ball ends up just getting away from the Chelsea forward. Nice idea, though. Chelsea are dominating.
25 min: Everton hit the target! Andre Gomes takes aim from just outside the box, but it’s straight at Kepa, who comfortably collects.
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23 min: Calvert-Lewin wrestles with Jorginho for the ball and inadvertently stands on the Italian’s hand as he ends up on all fours. Jorginho simply took too long, dallying in possession and a frustrated Calvert-Lewin was having none of it. Anthony Taylor does not award a free-kick, telling Chelsea to get on with it.
23 min: Barkley goes for goal after Everton back off 25 yards out, but Pickford gathers. Hazard’s influence is also growing, though Pedro has been quiet for Chelsea after impressing last time out.
20 min: Andre Gomes fouls Hazard, who is wriggling away from a sea of Everton shirts, albeit into no man’s land. Nevertheless, Everton gift Chelsea a silly free-kick 40 yards from goal. It comes to nothing.
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18 min: Barkley does brilliantly to bypass Andre Gomes on the byline, but the boos seemingly get to him. He looks up after arriving in the box, with Hazard darting towards the back post but Barkley’s next move is dreadful, a mishit pass that could have gone out for a throw-in. It was a slick Chelsea move that helped Barkley into the area, with Jorginho again involved from deep.
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15 min: Digne reads a poor pass out of midfield by Kanté, gets his foot on the ball and then promptly releases Calvert-Lewin. But the Everton striker, who turned 22 on Saturday, shoots high and wide. That stoppage for Gueye to receive some attention for what looked to be an ankle problem has undoubtedly helped Everton stem the flow. But home supporters have had little to shout about. Goodison is eerily quiet, a far cry from the supercharged atmosphere against Liverpool a couple of weeks ago. Silva has work to do.
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14 min: Silva is frantically trying to get a message across to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Kepa has been completely untroubled in the Chelsea goal but it is at the other end where Everton look vulnerable. Hazard has already made Michael Keane look silly on a couple of occasions.
13 min: Sarri, chewing away in the technical area, will surely be happy with this. Chelsea have thrice had Everton on the ropes.
12 min: Hazard floats the ball in towards the back post, where Alonso attempts to help it on but Everton clear their lines.
11 min: Chelsea get a free-kick 35 yards from goal ..
10 min: Plenty of food for thought for Everton. Idrissa Gueye ends up requiring some treatment after a clash but at least Marco Silva’s side earned a little respite. They have struggled to stem the Chelsea flow, particularly down their right-hand side, where Hazard is slowly beginning to get a grip on things.
7 min: More passive defending by Everton, and Higuaín almost pokes Chelsea in front! Jorginho scoops a wonderful pass over the top of the Everton back line into Higuaín, whose first touch is sublime. But Yerry Mina is down low to get a block in and force the striker’s effort away from danger. Chelsea could have three!
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6 min: And now Hazard rattles the post! He dovetails neatly with Higuaín, who spreads the ball out to the Chelsea forward down the left flank. Hazard still has a lot to do but, again, he has Keane awkwardly back-pedalling and after darting inside, he takes aim. He curls his effort towards Pickford’s far post and it cannons off the woodwork.
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5 min: Pickford saves from Hazard! His right-footed effort is dealt with by the Everton goalkeeper at his near post but Everton allowed Chelsea to burst into the box all too easily. Alonso fed Hazard, who jinked inside, with Everton backing off. Hazard jinked to his left and then to his right, bamboozling Michael Keane to buy himself a yard of space before striking at goal. It was low and hard, but Pickford was equal to it.
4 min: Gueye keeps Barkley at bay 25 yards from goal, forcing the Chelsea midfielder to swivel away from goal. Barkley’s every touch is being greeted with great disdain by home supporters.
3 min: Séamus Coleman pumps the ball forward in search of Calvert-Lewin, but his pass is wayward. Chelsea, in luminous yellow, have made a relatively slow start. They’re still settling in.
2 min: Rüdiger is pulled up for a foul on Calvert-Lewin, who rose to meet Mina’s long punt downfield. Everton knock the ball around without really getting anywhere, with Idrissa Gueye getting his feet in a muddle. Marco Silva has his arms folded.
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1 min: Barkley scoops the ball up in midfield in the opening seconds and his first touch is wholeheartedly jeered. Then Chelsea try to switch the ball out to the left flank to Hazard, but they overcook the pass.
Peeeeeeeeeeeeeep!
And Andre Gomes gets us under way at Goodison.
Barkley is heavily booed as his name is read out over the public address system. Kick-off is almost upon us.
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The teams are in the tunnel at Goodison. A warm embrace between Brazilian compatriots Richarlison and David Luiz, while Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina have big hugs for Antonio Rüdiger. The whistling Z-Cars theme tune is imminent ...
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What kind of reception will Barkley get? Well, in the warmup at Goodison Park, Everton fans are jeering every time he misses the target in shooting practice and Chelsea supporters celebrating each one that ends up in the back of the net. Lovely stuff. Barkley is back in the Chelsea midfield, alongside Jorginho and N’Golo Kanté.
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Another talking point has been Jordan Pickford’s erratic form. But Marco Silva been unwavering in his support for the Everton and England goalkeeper, who struggled against Newcastle last weekend. “What I want in Jordan is to keep working in the same way with the same desire, improving what we have to improve with him, with more emotional balance in some moments if he can,” Silva said. “We as a team have to be different also. If you look at the goals we conceded we must do different in that moment.”
Relegated to the bench despite bagging a fine hat-trick in midweek, Giroud has every right to feel aggrieved. Giroud has played only 56 minutes of Premier League football this calendar year and has not started in the top-flight since December. “I’m a competitor and I want to play every single game and to be happy on the pitch,” he said. “I have been through a lot of tough moments in my career. I just want to enjoy playing my football after winning the World Cup last summer. I want to take maximum pleasure on the pitch. That’s why when I play I try to enjoy the game as much as I can.”
Team news news: Ross Barkley starts on his return to Goodison Park as Maurizio Sarri makes seven changes from Chelsea’s demolition job in Kyiv in midweek, leaving Olivier Giroud and Willian presumably miffed as they have to make do with a spot on the substitutes bench alongside Callum Hudson-Odoi. Everton, meanwhile, tweak things with Coleman in for Jonjoe Kenny and Yerry Mina makes his first league start since 29 December in place of Kurt Zouma, who is ineligible to face his parent club.
The teams!
Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne; Andre Gomes, Gueye; Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Bernard; Calvert-Lewin
Subs: Stekelenburg, Baines, Davies, Schneiderlin, Walcott, Lookman, Tosun
Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Rüdiger, Alonso; Jorginho, Kanté, Barkley; Pedro, Higuaín, Hazard
Subs: Caballero, Christensen, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi, Willian, Giroud
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Preamble
Chelsea may be unbeaten in seven games but the task at hand is not getting any easier. A return to the Champions League is at the forefront of hearts and minds and, while success in the Europa League may help them reach their desired destination, victory over Everton will foster further optimism. Maurizio Sarri’s side have been scoring goals for fun of late, funnelling in eight against Dynamo Kiev across 180 minutes and, if they can find their shooting boots again, they may well finish the day in the top-four berth they so crave. Chelsea would have to run riot – Arsenal have a superior goal difference – but it is not impossible, especially with Eden Hazard, in irresistible form of late, set to return to the starting lineup after a rest in midweek. Gonzalo Higuaín could also be back after illness, though Olivier Giroud was superb in Ukraine. Theo Walcott, who turned 30 on Friday, and Séamus Coleman could both start for the hosts, who start the day in 12th, behind Bournemouth. Everton seemed to have remedied their own problems in the Merseyside derby but promptly squandered a two-goal lead at Newcastle to leave Silva back at square one; they have now lost four of their last six league games. “In my opinion, Everton, outside the top six, are the best team in the Premier League in terms of technical quality,” Sarri said, but Everton need to show it.
Kick-off: 4.30pm (GMT)
