Everton piled further pain upon Chelsea’s attempt at a Premier League title defence with a 3-1 win at Goodison Park.
The Blues tried to take a grip on the game in the early stages, using their passing wisely to pressure Everton around the 18-yard area, while the Toffees suffered an early setback as Muhamed Besic was forced off within the first 10 minutes due to an ankle injury.
But replacing the Bosnian with Steven Naismith would be an early masterstroke for Roberto Martinez. Everton’s counter was too sharp for the visitors’ back four, taking the lead in the 17th minute when a pinpoint cross from Brendan Galloway was met with a deadly header from the substitute. The goal rocked Jose Mourinho’s team and after Asmir Begovic’s acrobatics were called upon, Naismith’s strike from outside the box made it 2-0 just after 20 minutes.
After recovering from the shock Chelsea were able to gain some momentum back, reducing the deficit when Nemanja Matic’s long-range shot left Tim Howard helpless and hit the top corner of the net in the 35th.
In a second-half that was just as end-to-end, controversy surrounded what looked to have been a back pass from John Terry to his goalkeeper on the hour mark but was waved off by the referee. Chelsea were dominant in terms of possession in the dangerous areas, but lacked a razor edge to their attacks and were pushed back by the Toffees. Sealing a monumental 3-1 victory, Naismith completed his hat-trick in the 87th with a classy finish, sliding the ball underneath the goalkeeper and into the net.
Martinez gamble finds the mark
Exploiting what has been a frail Chelsea defence with a three-man forward line of Ross Barkley, Arouna Kone and Romelu Lukaku, Everton’s counter-attack constantly found yards of open space on the wings and quality deliveries into the box could only lead to one outcome. The wide areas were seemingly open field for the Merseysiders, moving the ball between the defensive and attacking-halves too quickly for the visiting back four to cover.
Brilliant Naismith rocks the champions
A man who was not even on Roberto Martinez’ starting teamsheet would be the one to send Goodison Park into delirum, as Naismith delivered what was his best performance during his three-year career with the Toffees. Replacing the injured Besic, Naismith turned the game completely on its head after opening the scoring with a bullet header and added a second just five minutes later, sending a strike from just outside the box into the bottom corner. Putting the finishing touches on his hat-trick in the late stages, the Scotsman took full advantage of an opposition back four occupied by Everton’s attacking trio to send his tally on Merseyside to 18.
Begovic eases some nerves
There were added woes for the Blues as first choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was ruled out for the next few weeks at least with a torn meniscus suffered late in the week. Yet it would seem as though there is little for fans to worry about in the department at least, as the former Stoke custodian continues to prove he deserves a spot with the top teams in the league. While he was largely left hanging by his defence as Everton scored early, denials of Kone and James McCarthy kept his team in touch at 1-0 and he emerged victorious in a second-half one-on-one with Lukaku.
Now the questions can seriously be asked
It would seem as though the international break brought about little change at Stamford Bridge. Key players are still performing will below their potential, with Eden Hazard forced entirely off of possession and new signing Pedro already looking to have been figured out. When defensive-midfielder Matic is the name on their half of the scoresheet, there is clearly something going wrong.
Now with just four points on the board in five games, the pressure will begin to mount as the possibility of Chelsea losing the title without so much as throwing a punch becomes more likely. There is little more Mourinho can realistically do in terms of changing the first team personnel, meaning it is up to the current crop to change their fortunes.
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