An underwhelming Chelsea dropped four points behind Manchester City as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The match was not bereft of action as Everton took the game to Chelsea. In fact, the first half saw the two sides trading blows in an even contest before the Blues stepped up in the second half. But, it wasn’t to be for them on Sunday as the woodwork came to the Toffees’ rescue on a couple of occasions.
Jordan Pickford kept Everton in the game as well, while Chelsea were wasteful with a couple of chances. In the end, the visitors held on, and while Maurizio Sarri set the record for the longest Premier League unbeaten run of a new manager, he is unlikely to be happy with the result.
It ends in a draw at Stamford Bridge, but we remain unbeaten.#CHEEVE pic.twitter.com/6Jd8Or6LK9
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 11, 2018
The goalless draw means Chelsea have dropped to third on the Premier League table following Liverpool’s win over Fulham earlier in the day, and trail leaders Manchester City by four points. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Maurizio Sarri’s men.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 7/10
Kepa did not have a great deal to do on the day. But, the fact that he commanded his area well meant that Everton hardly got a look-in at his goal. When he was called into action though, the Spaniard was unassuming, making it all look quite easy. Also distributed the ball well.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7/10
Azpilicueta had quite a tricky job on his hand on Sunday, with Bernard improving in recent weeks. But, the Chelsea skipper put a lid on the Brazilian’s contribution, bar one moment when he let his marker drift. Overall though, it was a solid showing from ‘Dave’, who led by example at the back.
Antonio Rudiger: 6/10
Rudiger was solid enough in his duties, with his pace and recovery helping him keep a check on Richarlison to a great extent. But, he did not exactly cover himself in glory in his squabble with Bernard, while his passing let him down as well.
David Luiz: 6/10
Luiz did not have much to worry about, as his tandem with Rudiger helped keep Richarlison quiet for the most part on Sunday. But, the Brazilian defender was sloppy on the ball, which put undue pressure on his side and brought Everton into the game. Still, there were more positives than negatives for Luiz.
Marcos Alonso: 7/10
The player who would have felt the most aggrieved on the day. Alonso carried the biggest threat for Chelsea in the final third, and came close to scoring on three different occasions. While he narrowly missed one of these chances, Jordan Pickford’s save from a volleyed effort and a shot against the woodwork left him frustrated.
Meanwhile, Alonso did not have much to worry about at the back, as he kept Theo Walcott’s output in check for the most part.
Mateo Kovacic: 6/10
Preferred to Barkley, Kovacic had a very mixed outing on Sunday. While the Croat was typically tidy on the ball, his usual driving runs were nowhere to be seen, which meant there was little support from midfield to put the resilient Everton defence under pressure. Has gone off the boil slightly in recent weeks.
Jorginho: 5/10
A disappointing outing for Jorginho, who produced arguably his worst performance in a Chelsea shirt so far. Having started against BATE Borisov on Thursday, the Italian international looked a little jaded, which reflected on his output in the middle of the park. Would also consider himself lucky for not being sent off for a poor challenge on Gylfi Sigurdsson.
N’Golo Kante: 6/10
Kante is one of the few players who has been affected negatively by Sarri’s system. And, the Frenchman produced another sub-par performance on Sunday, with his passing in particular being dissatisfying. Solid enough off the ball, but an early booking meant he was hesitant at times to go into challenges.
Willian: 5.5/10
A game of two halves for Willian, who was anonymous in the first half. Improved significantly post the break and was a major threat on the break. But, his first touch was often too heavy, which killed off a few chances for Chelsea. These are games when he needs to raise him game that extra bit, and Willian failed to deliver on that end.
Alvaro Morata: 5/10
One of the in-form players for Chelsea coming into the game, much was expected from Morata. But, his indiscipline to remain onside meant the Blues struggled to put Everton under pressure consistently. A record five offside calls sums how poor Morata was in his positioning.
Should have perhaps, been awarded a penalty when Yerry Mina had grabbed him. But, that was as good as it got for the Spaniard, for whom it’s back to the drawing board.
Alvaro Morata: Was ruled offside five times against Everton, a record in a Premier League match this season
Full player statistics — https://t.co/caLqHq4Il6 pic.twitter.com/qQ9MMNcl3C
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 11, 2018
Eden Hazard: 7/10
Hazard was a little subdued to begin with. But, once he found his feet, there was very little stopping the diminutive Belgian. His forays down the left flank had Seamus Coleman back pedalling, meaning the Everton captain never managed to carry a threat on the opposite end. But, his output was never matched with the right end product.
SUBSTITUTES
Cesc Fabregas: 6/10
On for the exhausted Jorginho, Fabregas was an instant upgrade as he set a quick tempo in the middle of the park and helped put Chelsea under control. A handy alternative for the Italian international.
Pedro: 6/10
Replaced Willian with about 22 minutes left, Pedro was a nippy customer for Chelsea. But, he could never get himself into dangerous positions, much in line with the underwhelming nature of the outing for the Blues.
Ross Barkley: N/A
On for the final 8 minutes, Barkley did not have much time to make an impact against his former club.
