Chelsea gets off to a perfect Premier League start with a win at Everton
ending a run of four consecutive defeats in this fixture, displaying a tenacity if not a
cutting edge that bodes well for the months ahead.
Jorginho’s penalty late in first half stoppage time delivered the win over Frank
Lampard’s striker-less side in what was a fairly tame and forgettable encounter.
Everton lost two central defenders to injury to add to their opening day problems.
Both teams included two debutants, the former Burnley duo of James Tarkowski and
Dwight McNeil for Everton, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly for Chelsea, while
the visitors’ new £62m recruit, Marc Cucurella, started on the bench. Ben Chilwell
occupied the left wing-back role on his first start since suffering a serious knee injury
against Juventus nine months ago. The Everton right-back, Nathan Patterson, made
his Premier League debut eight months after his £12m arrival from Rangers.
There was a tumultuous reception for the Everton team when their coach pulled into
Goodison Road before the game as fans again showed the support that was
instrumental in last season’s survival.
The players responded with a sharp, high energy start only to lose Ben Godfrey in
horrible circumstances 10 minutes into the new season. That his injury was so
unnecessary increased Everton’s torment.
Serious disruption in central defence contributed to Everton’s brush with relegation
last season and their latest setback stemmed from a back pass Godfrey played blind
towards Jordan Pickford.
His loose ball went a yard out of play before Pickford cleared it straight to Kai
Havertz. The assistant referee’s flag stayed down, the referee, Craig Pawson, allowed
play to continue, and in his attempts to make amends Godfrey launched himself into
a hard but clean challenge on the Chelsea striker.
The defender signalled to the bench immediately and received almost seven minutes
of treatment to his ankle. It was a sad sight as a player who missed the final seven
games of last season was carried off on a stretcher and a serious blow for Lampard.
Chelsea gradually took advantage and control. Mason Mount was first to seriously
test Pickford with a low drive the Everton goalkeeper, captain in the absence of
Seamus Coleman and on his 200th appearance for the club, pushed into the path of
Sterling.
Mason Holgate, Godfrey’s replacement, produced a timely intervention. Sterling
thought he had broken the deadlock shortly before the interval when Pickford spilled
a shot from N’Golo Kanté and the new signing converted the rebound. His
celebrations were curtailed by a correct offside call.
Everton were dangerous on the counterattack and went close when the impressive
Tarkowski met Vitalii Mykolenko’s cross with a towering header that Édouard Mendy
tipped over. But their hard graft was undone by a moment of panic from Abdoulaye
Doucouré in the final minute of first half stoppage time. Koulibaly’s distribution
shone on his Premier League debut and it was from the summer signing’s incisive
pass that Chilwell found himself bearing down on Pickford’s goal. Doucouré, caught
out by the wing back’s surging run, reacted by grabbing Chilwell and Pawson
immediately pointed to the spot as the defender went tumbling. Pickford saved from
Jorginho when they faced each other in the European Championship final at
Wembley last summer.
http://nationalsportslink.com.ng
