Everton 2-0 Chelsea: Toffees dent Blues top-four hopes

Everton ended a two-month wait for a home league win as a spirited second-half display secured a 2-0 victory that dented Chelsea’s top-four hopes at Goodison Park on Renault Super Sunday.

The Toffees had to withstand a first-half Chelsea barrage before goals from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson secured a first win against a top-six side in more than two years for Marco Silva's team.

Chelsea struck the post and had no fewer than 10 attempts on goal in a one-sided first half but were left stunned as another abject away performance saw a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions come to an end on Merseyside.

The result means Maurizio Sarri's side miss the chance to move level with fourth-place Arsenal, while Everton climb above Bournemouth into 11th, halting a miserable run of just one win in their last eight home league matches.

Chelsea flew out of the traps and could have scored three times inside the opening seven minutes. Eden Hazard weaved into the area and nearly punished Everton's hesitancy to make a challenge, forcing Jordan Pickford into a save with a low strike at the near post.

A minute later the post came to Everton's rescue, Hazard striking the woodwork after cutting in off the flank, and it was a matter of seconds before Pickford was called upon again, this time to deny Gonzalo Higuain from close range before Michael Keane hacked the ball from off the goal-line.

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Dominic Calvert-Lewin blazed Everton's first attempt over on 16 minutes but Chelsea remained the dominant attacking threat, Jorginho playing a lovely one-two with Higuain on the edge of the hosts' area before firing a low drive straight at Pickford.

Calvert Lewin spurned Everton best chance of the half on 37 minutes, sending a free header wide of the target after Sigurdsson's free-kick found him unmarked in the Chelsea area.

But Chelsea had the final word before the interval, Pedro trickling a shot inches wide from the edge of the area after fending off three Everton defenders, before the Spain international found the back of the net from a narrow angle, only for it to be ruled out for offside.

Silva would have demanded a response after such an abject first-half display, and that was exactly what he got as a wicked Calvert-Lewin cross narrowly evaded Bernard and Andre Gomes' drive drew Kepa Arrizabalaga into action within two minutes of the restart.

A rejuvenated Everton soon took the lead, Richarlison reacting quickest to head a rebound into the roof of the Chelsea net after Kepa failed to parry a Calvert-Lewin header away from danger.

Marcos Alonso fired into the side-netting and Higuain drew another fine stop from Pickford as Chelsea rallied, but a clumsy trip from Alonso on Richarlison in the area gifted Everton the chance to double their lead from the penalty spot.

Sigurdsson's initial effort from 12 yards was saved by Kepa but, as he did with the first goal, the Chelsea goalkeeper could only parry the ball back into danger, and the Iceland international made no mistake in converting the rebound as Everton brought that winning feeling back to Goodison.

Opta stats

• Everton (W1 D1) have avoided defeat against Chelsea within a single Premier League season for the first time since the 2015/16 campaign under manager Roberto Martinez.
• Chelsea have suffered defeat at Goodison Park without scoring a goal for the first time since September 2013, when they lost 1-0 under manager Jose Mourinho.
• Everton have kept back-to-back home clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since doing so against Fulham and Crystal Palace back in September and October earlier this season.
• Only Fulham (six) have lost more Premier League games away from home in 2019 than Chelsea (P5 W1 D0 L4).
• Despite scoring the rebound, Gylfi Sigurdsson has now missed three of his five Premier League penalties for Everton (60%). Indeed, 2018/19 is just the second Premier League season to see two different players miss at least three penalties (also Paul Pogba) after 2003/04 (Alan Shearer and Ruud van Nistelrooy).
• Chelsea's Eden Hazard has now failed to score in each of his seven Premier League games at Goodison Park; his most appearances at a single away venue without finding the net in the competition.
• Richarlison has scored 12 goals in the Premier League this season; only three players have netted more in the competition in their first season at Everton (15 - Kanchelskis, Yakubu and Lukaku).

The managers

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Marco Silva: "It would be easier for me just to speak about the second half. The first half I didn't like it at all, we were not there from the first minute. What we did in the second half was everything we planned during the week. The players showed great attitude, character and personality second half but we have to do it from the first minute."

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Maurizio Sarri: "We played probably the best 45 minutes of the season and then, suddenly at the beginning of the second half, we stopped playing - I don't know why. We were in trouble. The situation was clear, it's clear the problem is not a physical problem, if it was physical you would go down gradually, not in one second. It's probably a mental block."

Man of the Match - Idrissa Gueye

What's next?

Everton resume their league campaign after the international break away at West Ham on Saturday, March 30 (5.30pm), while Chelsea travel to Cardiff the following day on Renault Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League (2.05pm).