45 minutes of high-drama at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea need a memorable comeback to secure a 3-3 draw with Everton last night.
With all the goals coming in the second-half, emotions went back-and forth each time the ball hit the back of the net.
Both goalkeepers were required to keep the game scoreless at halftime, with a close-range rocket from Willian thumped away by Tim Howard in the 16th minute, while a long drive from Kevin Mirallas would keep Thibaut Courtois on his toes.
Everton were handed a 50th minute lead through a John Terry own goal, although an incisive pass across goal left the Captain with few options when trying to clear. The floodgates were opened as a stunning half-volley from Mirallas doubled the advantage, yet also sparked some fight into the reigning champions.
After Cesc Fabregas picked out Diego Costa, who dribbled around Tim Howard to slot into an open net, the feeling that Chelsea were not done was present in both sets of supporters. Fabregas would answer the prayers of the home faithful, when his deflected strike went just past the reach of Howard.
Ramiro Funes Mori momentarily silenced the crowd, brilliantly knocking a corner back across goal and over the line, yet Guus Hiddink’s side refused to lie down and a frantic eight added minutes of extra time ended with Terry back-heeling the ball for a last second equaliser, although the captain was offside at the time.
Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois – 6: Somewhat unlucky to be beaten by Terry’s own goal and two great finishes from Everton. Made an important one-on-one save against Mirallas in the late stages.
Branislav Ivanovic -6.5: Won four tackles and made the same number of interceptions. Also joined the forward movement with three crosses.
Kurt Zouma – 7: Another composed performance from the young defender, winning 100% of aerial duels and distributing from the back with high accuracy.
John Terry – 7: A game of ups and downs for the Chelsea captained. Gave the visitors their initial advantage with an own goal that was hard to avoid, though redeemed his outing with the last second equaliser, albeit from an offside position.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 7: Dealt with the Everton pressure coming from the left and was a key figure in the second-half recovery, sending in six crosses and creating three chances.
John Obi Mikel – 6: Continues an unbeaten record when managed by Guus Hiddink, yet the veteran lost out on five attempted tackles and could have been more physically imposing.
Nemanja Matic – 5: Will raise questions again with his showing, not attempting a single tackle before being substituted for Oscar before the hour-mark.
Cesc Fabregas – 8.5: Had a tough start to the match, but the second-half may have been the best the Spaniard has looked all season. A brilliant long ball picked out Costa for the team’s first, before equalising the game at 2-2 with a deflected strike from just inside the box.
Pedro – 6.5: Had plenty of the ball, yet his decision making and accuracy were lacking a bit.
Willian – 7.5: Ran at the Everton defence with little regard and recorded seven successful take-ons. Forced a great close-range save from Howard early on.
Diego Costa – 7.5: Came to life after a dull first-half and started the Chelsea turnaround, sublimely controlling Fabregas’ long pass and rounding the Toffees custodian for an easy finish. Did need to be substituted in the 80th minute.
Substitutes
Oscar – 6.5: Got involved in the game straight away after his introduction, ultimately providing the assist for Terry’s goal.
Kenedy – 6: Did not see a lot of the ball, yet was not wasteful when in possession.
Loic Remy – 5.5: Was not a menacing enough presence in the box to make an impact.
GOAL!!! John #Terry!!
In the final seconds the skipper makes it 3-3.#cfc #Chelsea #ChelseaFC— Chelsea Vines™ (@CFC_Vine) January 17, 2016
Everton
Tim Howard – 6: Made four good saves as Chelsea ramped up their efforts in the second-half and although he left Costa with an open net, his defence also shut down in the face of pressure.
Leighton Baines – 6: Lost all defensive momentum in the second-half, yet notched up some good stats and helped out in attack.
John Stones – 5: Things fell to pieces for Everton as Stones was overwhelmed on the right-side by the overlapping Azpilicueta’s constant crosses.
Phil Jagielka – 5: Passing accuracy and a hunger for the ball were not there, needed to be stronger in the lead-up to Chelsea’s first goal.
Bryan Oviedo – 5: Similarly to Stones, could not handle the play coming through the right-side from the hosts. Substituted with 20 minutes left.
Muhamed Besic – 7: Was fearless in the tackle and also created two attacking chances.
Gareth Barry – 6.5: Distributed the ball forward with an 82% completion rate and recorded five clearances.
Kevin Mirallas – 8: Doubled Everton’s second-half advantage with a picturesque turn and half-volley. Also created two chances for teammates.
Aaron Lennon – 6: Did not see as much of the ball as he would have wanted and failed to take any shots at Courtois. Made way for Deulofeu late on.
Ross Barkley – 6.5: Hit the post early in the second-half, yet could have posed more danger to the Chelsea defence, losing five of nine attempted take-ons.
Romelu Lukaku – 5.5: Everton’s star forward only managed one shot on goal for the 90 minutes.
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Substitutes
Ramiro Funes Mori – 7.5: Looked to have snatched the win for Everton with a creative finish to Gerard Deulofeu’s corner.
Gerard Deulofeu – 7: A solid instrument in attack after coming on for Lennon, assisting Funes Mori’s goal and providing a few other good crosses.
Steven Pienaar – 5: Only had a handful of touches on the ball.
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