Everton keep run going against Chelsea
Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure celebrates scoring their side's first goal. Picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire.
ABDOULAYE Doucoure continued his and Everton’s renaissance with the first goal of a win that continued the Toffees’ climb away from relegation trouble.
And substitute Lewis Dobbin wrapped up the points with an injury-time second that adds to Mauricio Pochettino’s mounting problems.
Since the Premier League handed Sean Dyche’s side a 10-point deduction for breaching their financial sustainability rules, his team has responded impressively.
The first game, post-deduction, ended in a heavy home defeat to Manchester United but victory over Pochettino’s struggling side made it three wins out of three and continued their surge up the table.
Indeed, but for those lost 10 points, the win would have left Everton four points above Chelsea and comfortably in the top 10 of the league table.
Doucoure struck after 54 minutes of a game which had generated little in the way of chances at either end to that point.
With the two teams low on quality in the final third and cancelling each other out, the chance finally came from Dwight McNeil, who surged past Conor Gallagher and played Dominic Calvert-Lewin clean through on the Chelsea goal.
Robert Sanchez blocked the Everton striker’s progress but the ball broke to Doucoure who finished well from a wide angle.
It was the sixth of the season for top scorer Doucoure who was axed from the first team by former manager Frank Lampard but has now scored 11 of his 16 Everton career goals under Dyche.
There were some anxious moments to come for the hosts but, finally in the 92 minute, James Garner’s corner was only half punched clear by substitute keeper Djordje Petrovic, on for the injured Sanchez.
Dobbin met the ball with a superb strike from just inside the area which flew through the crowded box and into the Chelsea goal.
The first half was notable more for two injuries than anything on the field as Reece James and Ashley Young failed to last the 45 minutes.
The former has been plagued by hamstring and knee injuries and his failure to last beyond the half-hour will not have done down well either with Pochettino or watching England manager Gareth Southgate.
Young had endured a torrid half, with Chelsea targeting the 38-year-old through winger Mykhailo Mudryk and it was no surprise that the veteran limped off before the interval with a hamstring problem.
In terms of the first half football, there was little to worry either goalkeeper or excite a packed Goodison.
Jordan Pickford was forced into his only serious action on 14 minutes, diving to keep out Cole Palmer’s impressive drive after good build-up involving Mudryk and Gallagher.
At the other end, Sanchez endured some unconvincing moments in the Chelsea goal but Jack Harrison came closest to really testing him with a volley which flew wide from McNeil’s deflected cross.
The second half started with an Enzo Fernandez shot straight at Pickford and a promising Everton attack and pass from Harrison too McNeil whose shot from the edge of the area was turned around the post by Sanchez.
Chelsea responded to going behind, with Palmer driving a free-kick through the Everton wall and forcing Pickford into a stop on his goalline.
Fernandez, with one of his last acts, couldn’t connect with a Mudryk cross and Palmer blazed over before Pochettino turned to his bench and threw on Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson on 66 minutes.
Pickford 6; Young 4 (Patterson 41, 6), Tarkowski 9, Branthwaite 8, Mykolenko 7; Harrison 6 (Dobbin 86), Garner 6, Gueye 6 (Onana 45, 6), McNeil 7; Doucoure 8; Calvert-Lewin 6 (Beto 67, 5). Substitutes (not used) Danjuma, Virginia, Godfrey, Chermiti, Hunt.
Sanchez 6 (Petrovic 84); James 6 (Colwill 26, 6), Disasi 6, Badiashile 6, Cucurella 6 (Maatsen 84); Fernandez 5 (Sterling 66, 5), Caicedo 7; Palmer 8, Gallagher 7, Mudryk 7; Broja 5 (Jackson 66, 5). Substitutes (not used) Silva, Gilchrist, Matos, Castledine.
: M Oliver 7 Ends
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