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Key occasions
26 min: Jackson dances previous Branthwaite and is fouled, giving Chelsea a free-kick in a central space. Enzo’s cross is flapped at by Pickford, establishing Cucurella about 15 yards out however his bouncing shot drifts extensive. However…
24 min: Ndiaye dribbles right into a harmful place and Everton throw a cross into the field which Chalobah does properly to stretch his neck muscle mass and head clear.
23 min: Midway by the primary half and and the xG rely reads: Chelsea 0.08, Everton 0.00.
21 min: Some Everton possession however solely fleeting as Chelsea win again the ball. Madueke tries a cross from the left however O’Brien hacks clear.
19 min: Neto drives and wins Chelsea’s fourth nook of the sport. Up come the centre-backs however it’s a poor floaty supply to Jackson, who fouls on the sting of the field and the second is gone.
18 min: Joe Cole, on co-comms, spots the banned Maresca sat in the back of the press field and says they’ve given him an terrible viewing seat.
17 min: A graphic reveals that Chelsea have taken extra photographs at residence than another group this season: 301 of them. They’ve scored with simply 30 although.
15 min: Everton have a primary actual likelihood to interrupt with numbers however cross the ball out of play. Only a warning to Chelsea, who’ve simply been the higher facet within the first quarter of an hour.
14 min: Madueke bursts off the left-flank, comes inside and, from contained in the D, thumps a right-foot shot destined for the far nook however Pickford palms it behind. The nook is cleared.
12 min: Chelsea win the primary nook of the sport, down the correct. They go brief to Palmer, whose angled cross is met by Colwill’s head on the again put up however nodded behind for one more nook. Enzo takes this one from the other facet however Branthwaite will get his nut on it. The hosts press once more and Neto’s cross solely simply evades Madueke.
11 min: Colwill performs a cross excessive for Palmer and it seems harmful however he’s smothered after briefly getting goalside of the Everton defence. Chelsea prepared to go lengthy right here.
9 min: Neto will get a dash on down the correct, heading the cross into the realm however Pickford is out to gather earlier than the winger can get his subsequent contact.
8 min: Chelsea go lengthy however balls like which can be meat and drink for the Everton centre-backs. Branthwaite heads that one away.
7 min: Cole Palmer will get a primary actual contact however sees nothing forward and goes sideways.
5 min: First second for Everton as Lavia, maybe rusty, makes a careless problem on Mykolenko. From the free-kick, Harrison’s supply bounces deep into the realm and the ball ends again close to the midway. However Everton will need to take a look at Sanchez and so they pump a ball into the field which the Chelsea goalkeeper nearly grabs from Beto whereas wanting removed from convincing within the course of.
4 min: Enzo spreads a ball out to the correct however Ndiaye is alert and heads again to his goalkeeper. As anticipated, Chelsea bossing the early possession.
2 min: Little bit of a bizarre first kick-out from Pickford though Everton find yourself with a throw.
1 min: An early foul as Beto fouls Cucurella close to the sting of the Chelsea space. From the free-kick, Nicolas Jackson seems to search out house by the center however Everton have him coated.
Everton get the ball rolling. We’re off!
Right here come the groups. A heat handshake between Chelsea’s Reece James (a sub immediately) and Everton’s Jordan Pickford, England teammates of ccourse.
Kick-off 5 minutes away now. In the meantime…
Nicholas Manner: “Mourinho may need been Macbeth earlier in his profession, however today he’s extra like King Lear.”
John Cox: “Mourinho must be lago, absolutely?”
David Moyes’ Premier League report at Stamford Bridge reveals no wins from 19 video games. He has a couple of like this at large grounds, doesn’t he? Anfield springs to thoughts. Right here he’s chatting with TNT’s Darren Fletcher, who begins by wishing the Everton boss a contented birthday (62) for yesterday.
Moyes on his gamers: “They’ve picked themselves up fully, bought some sensible outcomes, bought themselves in place the place we’re protected now within the Premier League. They’ve all stepped up. Their type has been pretty much as good as groups on the high finish of the league in the intervening time. We clearly lack some high quality, we have to change some issues in the summertime however I’ve to say this group of gamers have carried out rather well.”
Cormac Culkeen writes: “Certainly if we’re speaking about soccer and Shakespeare, Joseph Mourinho is the best Macbeth? Matches the idea completely, I feel.”
Enjoyable truth: there was a South African soccer referred to as MacBeth Sibaya.
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has additionally been chatting with TNT Sports activities: “The morale is sweet. As we speak is a vital sport for us. We had a very good comeback final weekend so immediately now we have a very good alternative to get one other three factors and be prepared for the final video games.
“The followers want to stick with us. We can have moments that we have to undergo but when we keep collectively we are able to do it. Now we have ready properly for the sport and we all know it’s large for us. We’re going all out for every part.”
Enzo Maresco celebrates his fiftieth sport accountable for Chelsea by being banished from the touchline. “I will probably be watching within the stand behind the bench,” he explains, wanting barely sheepish. “Now we have 5 video games to go and we’re going to try to win all of the video games. For positive, we are able to begin immediately.”
On Cole Palmer’s purpose drought, he says: “I’ve a sense immediately that it will likely be a very good day for Cole and hopefully I’m not flawed.”
Gary Naylor writes: “In Stratford Upon Avon for the matinee of A lot Ado About Nothing. “Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare’s authentic rom-com set on this planet of top-flight soccer and celeb tradition, the place scandal-filled rivalries are the most well liked new factor and lads and WAGs collide.” May work… and won’t. This Beatrice is a journo and Benedick a participant (which kinda is sensible), however which different characters from Shakey’s canon map on to footballers? Gazza is Falstaff in fact, Enzo Maresca will probably be preserving a watch out for a Cassius and Brutus if he loses immediately and I’m more and more inclined to forged Reuben Amorim as Prospero, looking for the outdated magic on his lonely Previous Trafford island.”
Ship in any Bard banter right here. I’m not a lot use, having tuned out a bit throughout English Lit though I did go on a sixth-form journey to Stratford to see Shakey’s work. Hassle is, my foremost recollection is shopping for a New Order album in an area report store. ‘Brotherhood’ I feel.
Peter Crouch on TNT now cracking a gag about his tan. It’s as a result of he’s nearer the solar attributable to being tall, he quips.
Beto had a spurt of 5 targets in 5 video games again in February however the Everton striker has misplaced his scoring contact since. Throw in a pair of video games for his nation, Guinea-Bissau, to make this stat stand out extra and he’s gone 9 video games with out a purpose.
That Chelsea entrance 4 actually has luggage of expertise. Neto has been a bizarre one this season. The worry was that he’d spent half of it on the sidelines having carried out his hammy however the backside line is that he’s simply not been excellent: 5 targets in 39 apperances and solely 4 within the league. Perhaps the contact, flip, bang winner he fired residence in injury-time towards Fulham final weekend is an indication of issues to return.
Yara El-Shaboury
Yara El-Shaboury is our roving reporter at Stamford Bridge immediately and she or he brings you this…
Yesterday, Enzo Maresca stated Chelsea’s switch plans in the summertime will hinge on the group qualifying for the Champions League subsequent season and immediately’s early kick-off towards Everton will probably be an enormous consider whether or not that dream will come to fruition.
The house facet have struggled in entrance of purpose of late, with a number of of their forwards off form. That hasn’t deterred the Chelsea followers exterior of Stamford Bridge although. A pack of followers are in full voice, singing ‘Cole Palmer, he’s going to attain’ whereas ready for the group bus. Not a very artistic chant however one which reveals how a lot perception supporters have within the 22-year-old who’s on a 16-game purpose drought. He begins alongside Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto and Nicolas Jackson.
For Chelsea, that is Romeo Lavia’s first begin since January. It’s a good truth however nothing in comparison with the stat that Cole Palmer hasn’t scored for 16 video games. With Lavia partnering Enzo Fernandes in central midfield, Moses Caicedo is shunted to right-back, that means skipper Reece James solely begins on the bench.
How bizarre to record an Everton group with out writing the title Tarkowski. A hamstring damage has dominated the defender out for the season and his absence right here ends a run of 109 consecutive Premier League video games.
Groups
Chelsea: Sanchez, Caicedo, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, Lavia, Enzo, Madueke, Palmer, Neto, Jackson.
Subs: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Badiashile, Tosin, James, Dewsbury-Corridor, George, Sancho, Nkunku.
Everton: Pickford, Patterson, O’Brien, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gana, Garner, Doucoure, Harrison, Ndiaye, Beto.
Subs: Virginia, Begovic, Keane, McNeil, Chermiti, Younger, Coleman, Alcaraz, Iroegbunam.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire).
Preamble
Chelsea have performed 49 matches in all competitions this season and simply two have ended goalless. The primary was towards Everton three days earlier than Christmas, a outcome which ended an eight-game successful streak and sparked a decline in fortunes. Enzo Maresca’s facet misplaced their subsequent two matches. In reality, that Everton stalemate might be a turning level from which they’ve by no means actually recovered. Chelsea nonetheless have hopes of a top-five end and a Champions League spot subsequent season however it’s completely within the steadiness. With Liverpool and Arsenal taking on two locations, it’s now a five-horse race for the remaining three between Man Metropolis (61pts), Nottingham Forest (60), Newcastle (59), Chelsea (57) and Aston Villa (57). Chelsea, Forest and Newcastle have a sport in hand following Man Metropolis’s dramatic 2-1 in win over Villa in midweek.
For Everton, the David Moyes new supervisor bounce has gone relatively flat. The returning hero led his facet to a flurry of factors to right away rule out any fears of relegation however a present thermometer verify reveals only one league win in eight. A kinder take is that they’ve drawn 5 of these video games and the one defeats had been to Liverpool and Manchester Metropolis.
If all that implies Everton would possibly simply nick one other level right here, the final assembly between the pair at Stamford Bridge doesn’t. Rewind to April 2024 and Chelsea thrashed the Toffees 6-0, a younger chap referred to as Cole Palmer ending with 4 targets after finishing a hat-trick inside half-hour.
With every part nearly rubber-stamped on the high and backside of the desk, the battle for European spots is the place it’s at now. Let’s get this factor on! Kick-off is at 12.30pm.
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