Chelsea 5-0 Everton: Premier League – as it happened via The Guardian
Eden Hazard scored twice and Pedro shone as Chelsea blew their opponents away to extend their winning run and go top of the Premier League table
7.33pm GMT
Where to start with that? Eden Hazard’s two goals, both scored after trademark solo bursts forward, make him man of the match by a whisker, but Pedro and Diego Costa were equally lethal going forward, while Victor Moses, N’Golo Kanté, Marcos Alonso and Nemanja Matic all deserve a name check for their relentless midfield efforts.
As good as Chelsea were, Everton simply didn’t turn up. The game was up after 20 minutes, and Ronald Koeman’s tactical tweaks had no impact, with Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku cut out of the game completely. They face Swansea after the international break before tests against Southampton and Manchester United.
7.22pm GMT
A frightening performance from Chelsea. Everton were outclassed, and should be happy it was only five.
7.21pm GMT
92 mins: Still time for Chelsea to carve Everton open one more time, Moses’ searching cross from the right just evading Costa.
7.20pm GMT
91 mins: The fluidity of this performance is summed up by John Terry popping up on the left wing and finding Costa with his cross. The striker is just offside.
7.19pm GMT
90 mins: Three more minutes for Koeman and his team to endure.
7.19pm GMT
89 mins: Stamford Bridge gives Antonio Conte a rousing serenade as Moses, who has matched Kanté for supernatural energy levels, races in from the right and fires a low shot that Stekelenburg saves, and just about holds.
7.17pm GMT
87 mins: Sure enough, Costa takes the ball and powers forward, keeping three defenders at arm’s length before losing control in the area as he waits for a team-mate to catch him up.
7.15pm GMT
86 mins: Everton are passing the ball around with little intent.
7.13pm GMT
84 mins: Has there been a more one-sided game all season?
7.12pm GMT
83 mins: Here comes John Terry, in place of Gary Cahill, who can hand the armband straight to him.
7.10pm GMT
81 mins: Batshuayi is on for Hazard, who gets a rapturous reception. The Chelsea corner comes to David Luiz, unmarked on the right, whose volley into the ground forces an excellent save from Stekelenburg. Too little, too late, really…
7.09pm GMT
79 mins: Oscar lifts a pass with the outside of his foot over the Everton defence and into Costa’s path – but Ashley Williams, who has endured a tough time out there, gets back brilliantly to scramble the ball behind.
7.07pm GMT
77 mins: Chelsea ping the ball around with impunity, before Hazard and Costa link up, Costa’s eventual snap shot closed down just in time. Chelsea may have dropped the pace, but Everton still can’t get a touch.
7.05pm GMT
75 mins: Hazard is set to come off, in place of Michy Batshuayi. Chelsea have eased off the accelerator in the last few minutes.
7.04pm GMT
“The defence has been great again” says Mark Turner. I assume he means Chelsea’s. “Conte got a lot of stick for paying up to bring David Luiz back. Critics suddenly silent.”
Another clean sheet on the cards today, but they have had little to do, thanks to Kanté and Matic in front of them. Kanté in particular has a five-yard start on every Everton player; he is simply relentless.
7.00pm GMT
71 mins: Everton get their first shot off target, Mirallas sending a looping header just wide from Barkley’s corner.
7.00pm GMT
69 mins: Oscar is coming on for Pedro, who has been brilliant. The fact he might not be man of the match shows how good the Chelsea front three have been.
6.58pm GMT
“What happened to those two last season?” says Milan Prakash. “Mourinho happened. This game alone should be enough to get Mourinho fired from Manchester United.” I can see his point.
6.56pm GMT
67 mins: Barry, booked for a lunge moments before the goal, has gone off, replaced by Tom Davies – Koeman throwing the youngster in at the deep end.
6.55pm GMT
Chelsea surge forward again, Costa bullying Jagielka off the ball and finding Hazard, whose shot from the left is saved – but Pedro, 10 times quicker than any Everton defender, turns the ball into an empty net. Everton fans are leaving in numbers.
6.53pm GMT
I’m starting to think the referee should step in here.
6.52pm GMT
62 mins: Chelsea starting to take the mickey here, Hazard backheeling to Alonso, who scoops the ball to Costa. His scissor kick is saved by Stekelenburg, denying the hosts the best futsal goal you’ve ever seen.
6.51pm GMT
6.51pm GMT
61 mins: Barkley, similarly cut out of the game by Kanté and Matic, enjoys a couple of touches in Chelsea territory – but Everton are so scared of what Chelsea will do to them, they keep six players in their own half, and he runs out of options.
6.49pm GMT
59 mins: Bolasie, whose only involvement was a cheap yellow card, is replaced by Aaron Lennon.
Funes Mori is to defending what Honey G is to gangster rap
6.47pm GMT
57 mins: That move was kickstarted by an inch-perfect Pedro backheel into Hazard’s path. What exactly happened to those two last season? Some kind of
Space Jam scenario?
6.45pm GMT
Outrageous brilliance from Eden Hazard and Chelsea. Hazard exchanges passes with Pedro and hares in from the left, twisting poor Ashley Williams’ blood and firing inside the near post before Stekelenburg can blink. He has been unstoppable today.
6.43pm GMT
54 mins: Moses collects a cross-field pass and tests Funes Mori, who stands firm to block his shot. It’s not all work rate – the touch from almost every Chelsea player has been flawless. I’m struggling to remember a misplaced pass.
6.42pm GMT
“The closest John Terry comes to getting in this side
is Instagram” says Damien Neva. Terry, Schweinsteiger, Touré – you could make a hell of a 5-a-side team out of players who can’t get a game at the minute.
6.41pm GMT
51 mins: After that brief flurry from Everton, Chelsea resume their position inside Everton’s half. Pedro’s diagonal pass to Costa is almost perfect – but Stekelenburg is off his line smartly to smother the ball.
6.38pm GMT
49 mins: Chelsea break with intent, and Hazard finds Matic, who barrels past Williams and slides a pass through to Costa – who is offside.
6.37pm GMT
47 mins: Everton began the second half in direct fashion, with David Luiz getting his head to two long balls in quick succession. The visitors force a corner, but it’s scrambled away. David Luiz then faffs on the ball, and is almost caught out by Mirallas, but the Belgian concedes a free-kick.
6.34pm GMT
We’re back. Another 3-3 is still on, if highly unlikely.
6.33pm GMT
The half-time stats make grim reading for Everton: 39% possession, no shots on or off target. Not even a corner. Their inability to fashion an attacking threat means Alonso and Moses are playing as wingers, allowing Pedro and Hazard to roam infield. Which, in case you haven’t noticed, is bad news.
6.24pm GMT
@niallmcveigh Don't have a dog in this hunt, but looks to me (based on 2 of 3 goals) that BPL refs are ignoring the new FIFA offside rule.
Not sure it’s new, but Fifa rules state that interfering with an opponent means ‘preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision’. For me, that was the case for the third goal, but not the first.
6.18pm GMT
Chelsea have been excellent. Everton have not.
6.18pm GMT
46 mins: Should have been four. Pedro embarrasses Ashley Williams with a turn near the halfway line, then slots a through ball to Costa, who fires wide of the near post, under pressure from Jagielka.
6.16pm GMT
45 mins: Pedro dazzles three Everton defenders with quick feet on the left of the area, but sees his shot deflected behind. From a corner, the ball comes to the Spaniard again, who fires over.
6.16pm GMT
44 mins: Cleverley gets a talking to from Madley after a tetchy tackle. Two added minutes.
6.14pm GMT
42 mins: More complaints from Everton, this time that David Luiz was offside and blocking Stekelenburg’s view. More in that one than the first, perhaps, but if they had bothered marking Costa, they wouldn’t be in this mess.
6.13pm GMT
All 11 Everton players back to defend the corner, but nobody marks Diego Costa, who rifles the ball in from Matic’s near-post flick.
6.12pm GMT
40 mins: Another free kick for Chelsea on the right leads to Hazard feeding the ball across goal, where Costa fails to control, and Jagielka pumps it into the stands. Corner…
6.11pm GMT
38 mins: Everton have switched to a back four, with Mirallas and Bolasie offering support out wide for Lukaku – in theory, anyway.
6.08pm GMT
36 mins: Mirallas started warming up straight after Alonso’s goal, and finally comes on 20 minutes later, replacing Bryan Oviedo. Everton are lucky not to be further behind.
6.06pm GMT
35 mins: Moses crosses for Diego Costa, who heads over from an awkward angle. Conte likes what he sees so far, applauding the hosts’ latest passing move.
6.05pm GMT
33 mins: Moses hits the post! Chelsea work the ball around stylishly, with Everton chasing shadows, and Alonso finds his fellow wing-back with a pinpoint cross – but Moses, steaming in from the right wing, clatters the upright. Chelsea threatening to make this embarrassing…
6.03pm GMT
32 mins: More defensive jitters for Everton, with an errant back pass forcing Stekelenburg to clear with Hazard in hot pursuit.
6.02pm GMT
30 mins: Early change for Everton, with Oviedo set to be replaced by Mirallas. Hard to see it changing the game dramatically.
6.00pm GMT
28 mins: Not much rhythm out there at the minute, as Chelsea ease off and Everton struggle to adjust their game plan. Phil Jagielka sums up their frustration, tearing upfield and tussling with David Luiz, then giving Madley an earful when he isn’t given a penalty. Madley gives him a yellow card instead.
5.57pm GMT
After the opening goal, Stekelenburg complained that Pedro was offside in front of him. It’s marginal whether a) he actually was, and b) whether he was interfering with play. Would have been harsh to rule it out.
5.56pm GMT
24 mins: Cahill gives away a cheap foul 30 yards from goal, giving Barkley the chance to loft a cross into the area. It’s a terrific delivery, but Williams, straining to get ahead of his marker, is flagged offside.
5.55pm GMT
22 mins: A first sniff at goal for Everton, as Bolasie’s cross almost finds Lukaku – but Moses is back in his own area to snuff out the danger. He and Alonso have been so impressive recently, and in tricky positions to master, too.
5.52pm GMT
A rough 60 seconds for Maarten Stekelenburg. First, Eden Hazard danced inside from the left after Everton gave away possession in midfield, and shot from an improbable distance and angle – but it squirmed beyond the goalkeeper, and inside the far post. Before Everton can get their heads together, Hazard moves infield and finds Pedro, whose low cross evades Costa – but Alonso’s shot flies through Stekelenburg’s legs!
5.50pm GMT
So much for Everton’s new-found solidity. Marcos Alonso makes it two!
5.49pm GMT
He’s at it again. Another marvellous solo goal from Eden Hazard!
5.48pm GMT
16 mins: Moses continues to offer an attacking threat down the right, but his low cross is easily collected by Stekelenburg.
5.47pm GMT
15 mins: Pedro’s free kick is ballooned over everybody, and Everton can regroup – but Stekelenburg misjudges a pass, handing a throw-in to Chelsea in a dangerous area.
5.45pm GMT
14 mins: Bolasie goes in late on Moses, stepping on the Chelsea man’s right foot. It’s not his first offence, and he’s going in the book. Free kick for Chelsea, wide on the right…
5.44pm GMT
13 mins: 68% possession for Chelsea so far, with Everton unable to hold the ball upfield at all.
5.44pm GMT
12 mins: Nice try from Bolasie, who hauls Azpilicueta down in order to run into space. He’s spotted by the assistant referee. Diego Costa, back up and running but still miffed, has his arms all over Jagielka as they contest a long ball. One to watch, there.
5.42pm GMT
10 mins: Hazard, a jet-heeled menace down the left already, curls in a cross that Williams clears. Kanté recovers possession and the ball is worked to Moses, who sends in a couple of dangerous crosses. Everton can’t clear their lines, and gets a fortunate handball to ease the pressure.
5.40pm GMT
8 mins: A break in play as Costa, whose shin is bleeding, limps off for treatment, then promptly limps back on.
5.39pm GMT
6 mins: David Luiz starts an attacking move from the centre of defence, before Hazard, coming deep on the left wing, is brought down by Williams. Coleman lunges in on Costa – but Bobby Madley lets play continue. The Everton defender had his studs up – that’s a yellow card, never mind a foul…
5.35pm GMT
4 mins: Bolasie and Lukaku appear to be playing as a front two with Barkley in behind. Bolasie finds space on the right, but can’t pick out either attacking team-mate with his cross. At the other end, Alonso’s low cross is gathered by Stekelenburg.
5.34pm GMT
“What is that music that Chelsea always walk out to at Stamford Bridge?” asks Milton Brown. It’s this jaunty tune:
5.33pm GMT
2 mins: Everton, in their yellow-and-blue change strip, are closing down as Chelsea hold onto the ball. Bolasie clips Matic with a late challenge, and offers an apologetic hand.
5.32pm GMT
1 min: Chelsea, in blue shirts, blue shorts and white socks, whip the ball around their midfield at pace early on, until Moses is dispossessed by Coleman.
5.30pm GMT
We’re off!
5.29pm GMT
This is Chelsea’s final home game before Remembrance Sunday. Two Chelsea pensioners lead the teams out, and join both sets of players for a minute’s silence.
5.26pm GMT
Fireworks from the Stamford Bridge roof, as the teams head out onto the pitch…
5.24pm GMT
Costa v Lukaku: let’s look at their (remarkably similar) stats…
Diego Costa v Romelu Lukaku is !
Who will come out on at Stamford Bridge?
#CHEEVE pic.twitter.com/qb9qzfppda
5.20pm GMT
Ten minutes! Here’s a Bonfire Night classic to pass the time:
5.17pm GMT
Here’s a diplomatic Ronald Koeman:
“We have enough good quality players on the pitch to see a good match today… [playing three at the back] is a tactical change, and the best way to get a result today. We need to play at a high level, to create, but anything is possible.”
5.15pm GMT
As this nifty graphic shows, its been win, win or draw for Chelsea for the last 10 years. Can Everton end the run today? Thoughts welcome.
Here's a look at the last 10 league meetings with Everton at Stamford Bridge…
#CHEEVE pic.twitter.com/O1RIBDduW1
5.08pm GMT
Is a January
move to Dundee on the cards?
At Stamford Bridge, John Terry has been presented with his award for the Swiss Chelsea Members' Player of the Year – an actual Toblerone.
5.06pm GMT
Middlesbrough’s late, late equaliser at the Etihad is big news for Chelsea. Win, and they will go top of the league.
5.04pm GMT
Bournemouth 1-2 Sunderland
Burnley 3-2 Crystal Palace
Man City 1-1 Middlesbrough
West Ham 1-1 Stoke
5.01pm GMT
Previous
Everton are unbeaten in three league and Cup games against Chelsea, but it’s been 22 years since they won in 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge. Paul Rideout got the winner, and would repeat the trick against Manchester United in that season’s Cup final. That was Everton’s last major trophy – Chelsea have won 17 since.
4.39pm GMT
No changes for Chelsea – and why would they, after that faultless win at Southampton? For Everton, Phil Jagielka and Tom Cleverley start in place of Kevin Mirallas and the suspended Idrissa Gueye, while goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg returns from injury.
Chelsea are sticking to their 3-4-3 formation, and we could see the same set-up from Everton – although it may turn out to be a 5-3-2, or a 3-4-2-1, or some other fancy combination of numbers.
4.34pm GMT
Chelsea: Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kanté, Matic, Alonso; Pedro, Costa, Hazard.
Subs: Begovic, Ivanovic, Oscar, Batshuayi, Terry, Chalobah, Aina.
Everton: Stekelenburg; Williams, Jagielka, Funes Mori; Coleman, Barry, Cleverley, Oviedo; Bolasie, Barkley; Lukaku.
Subs: Robles, Deulofeu, Mirallas, Lennon, Valencia, Davies, Holgate.
Referee: Robert Madley (West Yorkshire)
11.41am GMT
When these two sides last met at Stamford Bridge, they served up
a madcap 3-3 draw typical of the thrills and spills of 2015-16. Everton took the lead in stoppage time, before snatching a draw from the jaws of victory as John Terry controversially equalised at the death.
It was a lot of fun, but was also symptomatic of both sides’ complete inability to control a game of football, “a chaotic mess of defensive errors” – not my words, Carol,
the words of Dominic Fifield. It was a recurring theme as the two teams trudged to mid-table finishes.
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