Reece James was one of the few positives while Edouard Mendy, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz disappointed as Chelsea lost 1-0 to Everton at Goodison Park.
It was Everton who took the lead midway through the first half as Gylfi Sigurdsson converted from the penalty spot after Edouard Mendy had barged into Dominic Calvert-Lewin inside the box. Reece James came close to equalising for Chelsea immediately after only for Jordan Pickford to deny the right-back with two brilliant saves in less than a minute.
Everton did very well to keep the Chelsea attackers at bay for the rest of the game, limiting them to shots from distance. One such effort from Mason Mount had Pickford beat but bounced back off the post as the Toffees held on for a much-needed win while bringing an end to Chelsea’s unbeaten run across all competitions.
Here’s how we rated the performances of Frank Lampard’s men in what was a disappointing outing at Goodison Park on Saturday night.
Edouard Mendy: 5/10
A moment of brain-freeze as he needlessly charged out and barged into Calvert-Lewin gifting Everton the penalty, which he failed to stop. Redeemed himself somewhat with a good save to deny Richarlison in the first half and made another decent stop to keep the Brazilian out after the break.
Reece James: 8/10
[STATS]
Reece James produced three shots in the first half vs. Everton, no player on the pitch managed more.
He had more shots on target than all other Chelsea players combined.#EVECHE pic.twitter.com/2EHtGw5OJ7
— Ticket Huddle (@TicketHuddle) December 12, 2020
Drew a good save from Pickford with a fine free-kick, before hitting the base of the post with a piledriver from the edge of the box immediately after. Worked very hard defensively, got forward with good purpose and intent and was a constant threat although there were a few overhit crosses from the right. Ended the game with the most successful tackles (4), and misplaced just five of his 65 passes.
Kurt Zouma: 6.5/10
The Frenchman was a solid presence in the air, winning seven aerial duels but found it difficult to deal with Richarlison’s runs. Missed a glorious chance to equalise from point-blank range in the first period, firing straight at Pickford. Did play some nice long balls forward for the attackers to run onto, while generally distributed well.
Thiago Silva: 5.5/10
Failed to deal with the long ball from Pickford which led to Calvert-Lewin winning the penalty in the first period. Calm and composed on the ball as usual but did get caught out at times by the pace of the Everton counterattacks. Misplaced just six of his 101 passes on the night and made six clearances.
Thiago Silva won 0/3 aerial duels and failed to win the only tackle he attempted vs. Everton.
A real off day against his former boss. ?? pic.twitter.com/fBnD9Wov0i
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 12, 2020
Ben Chilwell: 5/10
Struggled to cope with the lively Alex Iwobi from the get-go which limited his forward forays and cut down his attacking contributions. Conceded a penalty but got very lucky as Calvert-Lewin was deemed offside by VAR in the lead-up to the incident.
Mateo Kovacic: 6/10
Worked hard in the middle of the park and looked to drive his team forward each time he was in possession. However, lacked that bit of creativity to unlock a solid Everton defence. Completed three dribbles – the most by a Chelsea player on the night, and one interception before being withdrawn.
N’Golo Kante: 6/10
Started a bit sloppily misplacing simple passes but improved with time. Tried his best to put out fires in the middle but it wasn’t always easy against an Everton midfield unit full of energy. Made three successful tackles, completed two dribbles and a key pass.
Mason Mount: 6/10
Showed plenty of endeavour as he tried to push Chelsea forward when he was on the ball. Showed good alertness to try and catch Pickford off his line in the second half but the ball ended up on the roof of the net, before striking the post from a free-kick.
Kai Havertz: 4/10
Kai Havertz for Chelsea vs. Everton:
43 touches
10 times possession lost
4 ball recoveries
2 tackles won
1 foul won
1 shot
1 chance created https://t.co/SJYRidGq9r— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 12, 2020
The marquee summer signing’s struggles in the Premier League continued as Havertz struggled to make any sort of notable impact at Goodison Park. Misplaced or underhit his passes more often than not, as he lost possession 10 times before being taken off in the 70th minute. Needs to step it up.
Olivier Giroud: 4/10
Preferred over Tammy Abraham for another league game, the Frenchman had a disappointing game. Was let down by his touch quite a bit as he struggled to link play with his teammates. Made no key passes, lost possession 12 times and cut a frustrated figure against a solid Everton defensive unit. Should have done better with a chance in the second half.
Timo Werner: 4/10
A couple of speedy bursts aside, it was a subdued outing for the German international. Started on the left, moved to the right and played centrally at times as well but just couldn’t get into the game. Shot over from a decent chance in the first period and never really looked like he would score. Lost the ball 15 times on the night. Just not happening for him at the moment.
In our last two games WITHOUT Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic or Ziyech on the pitch, we’ve scored just 1 goal.
In our last two games WITH Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic or Ziyech, we’ve scored 7 goals.
Not the same team without natural wingers. pic.twitter.com/iQfDlB44pU
— LDN (@LDNFootbalI) December 12, 2020
Substitutes
Tammy Abraham: 5/10
Replaced Havertz in the 68th minute. Looked lively, added a bit more mobility in the final third but nothing came off.
Billy Gilmour: N/A
Came on for Kovacic with less than ten minutes left.
Everton just wanted to defend. Chelsea should have drawn them out, but the Chelsea team has only one strategy. They want to go forward and score goals. Chelsea are not a team which can adapt to situations. Lampard is to blame. The chelsea team.lacks a cutting edge. They are not cunning and sometimes the players believe they are better than what they actually are. Werner and Havertz are huge disappointments. When you meet teams ,who just want to defend, there is no point putting crosses into a crowded area. You need to win free kicks ,then try and score this way. Tell Lampard that his strategy is not working. Only attack with your forwards when you have drawn the opponent out. Mendy has started to make mistakes..