Chelsea frustration as teenager Jarrad Branthwaite snatches point for Toffees
Homesickness continues to compete with Covid-19 as a problem in the Chelsea camp, as their title challenge was derailed a little more when Thomas Tuchel's men dropped another two points at Stamford Bridge.
Injury-hit Everton were the unlikely recipients of a draw and a share of the points last night, with teenager Jarrad Branthwaite scoring his first goal for the club on his first league appearance in almost 18 months.
Branthwaite, who has spent most of last season on loan at Blackburn after being signed from Carlisle, was drafted in as an emergency defender and ended up scoring the goal that ended an unhappy run of four successive away defeats for Rafa Benitez's men.
Chelsea, who had taken the lead three minutes earlier through Mason Mount's fourth goal in five games, have now drawn three of their past four league games at Stamford Bridge, dropping six points and from top to third in the Premier League.
They have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their past six games, and with leaders Manchester City and Liverpool both winning this week, it means Tuchel's men have slipped farther back in the title race.
There were mitigating circumstances, with Tuchel revealing before kick-off that four of his players, including strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, had tested positive for Covid-19, and Kai Havertz was also unwell. It meant Chelsea had something of a makeshift forward line, with around a quarter of a billion Euro-worth of strikers missing.
But it was as nothing compared to Everton's woes. Richarlison, Salomon Rondon and Andros Townsend joined Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the injured list, meaning a debut for Ellis Simms at centre-forward. The big teenager barely had a touch of the ball before he was replaced after an hour.
Branthwaite was another teenager pitched in, making 20-year-old Anthony Gordon look like a seasoned veteran. Benitez was so short of fit players he could only name five outfield players on the subs' bench.
As expected it was all Chelsea from the start, and they had five good chances in the opening 15 minutes. Jorginho put Reece James clean through, only for the young wing-back to fire wide of the near post. James then set up Mount with a similar chance, but he shot wide of the far post this time. Christian Pulisic tried an audacious backheel but Jordan Pickford saved easily, and then the Moroccan fired in an angled shot that the England keeper palmed away for a corner.
Pickford was in exceptional form, and had to be as his team-mates kept conceding cheap free-kicks close to goal. He saved one 25-yard curler from James, who then fired over after a Marcos Alonso free-kick hit Everton's defensive wall.
Chelsea became sloppy with their finishing, though. Ziyech shot high and then wide, and Mount tucked a decent chance tamely into the hands of Pickford. Better was to come when the two England team-mates came face to face in the 36th minute. There looked to be only one outcome once Mount wriggled through the Everton defence to give himself the chance of a tap-in, but Pickford stuck out a leg to make a marvellous improvised save from close range.
All Everton had in reply during a one-sided first-half was a long shot from Gordon that was saved comfortably by Edouard Mendy.
The same pattern continued after half-time. Chelsea had the majority of possession and chances, Pickford and his defence kept them at bay, and Everton hoped to get something on the break. Pickford saved at the feet of Pulisic, and then kept out another shot from Mount. When the Chelsea youngster finally beat him, it felt like a case of third time lucky. It was unlucky on Everton, certainly, as they had become emboldened by one or two quick breaks that led to half-chances. But when Abdoulaye Doucoure led one such counter-attack in the 69th minute, he was tackled by Thiago Silva and left his team-mates exposed. Chelsea shuttled the ball forward quickly. Ross Barkley, booed by fans of his former team when he went on as substitute, played in James, and his short pass to Mount gave the England man the chance to finish with a powerful shot inside Pickford's near post.
That should have been the spark for Chelsea to go on and score more. Instead they conceded an equaliser within three minutes. Gordon had been Everton's most dangerous player with his runs, and he drew a foul from James wide on the left. The youngster took the resulting free-kick, and floated the ball over the Chelsea defence to the back post, where Branthwaite was waiting with an oustretched leg. His touch was just enough to divert the ball over the line and the away fans tucked in one corner of the Shed End celebrated wildly, as if it were a cup-winning goal.
It was not quite that, but completed a memorable night for Everton and their supporters, who reprised their raucous celebrations on the final whistle.
CHELSEA 3-4-3: Mendy 6; Azpilicueta 6 (Chalobah 79), Thiago Silva 8, Rudiger 7; James 7, Loftus-Cheek 6 (Barkley 69), Jorginho 6, Alonso 6 (Saul 69); Ziyech 6, Pulisic 5, Mount 8.
EVERTON 5-2-1 Pickford 9; Kenny 6, Holgate 6, Keane 7, Branthwaite 7, Godfrey 6; Doucoure 6, Gomes 6 (Gbamin 71); Iwobi 6 , Gordon 8; Simms 5 (Dobbin 61) Ref Michael Oliver 8/10
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