Cole Palmer returned to Stamford Bridge with a memorable performance as he led Chelsea to an important 2-0 win against Everton. Palmer took the lead for the home side in the 21st minute after receiving a pass from Maro Gusto, going somewhat against the flow of play. The 23-year-old made his first home appearance since August and scored his first Premier League goal since September.
Gust then added his name to the scoresheet just before halftime. Pedro Neto outsmarted Vitaliy Mykolenko and set up a gust, but his shot proved too strong for Jordan Pickford. In the second half, Chelsea looked for a third goal, but remained wary of the visiting team’s counter-attacking threat. There were no further goals in the second half, and the home side secured the all-important three points at Stamford Bridge. Here’s how we rated the performance of Chelsea players…
Robert Sanchez
Sanchez made some crucial saves in the first half. His progress this season has been remarkable. 7.
Malo Gusto
Gusto returned to the team as a right-back and often found himself playing like a number 10.
He made a great pass from the opposite position and assisted Palmer’s goal. His energy and determination were appreciated by the Stamford Bridge crowd.
His goal earned him even more praise. Following a brilliant run into the box, he slotted past Pickford for a stunning first goal. An unlikely winner. 8.
Wesley Fofana
He overcame recent injury concerns to return to the team. He was particularly impressive in possession and played a key role in Palmer’s goals.
In the 71st minute, he made a vital block to stop a dangerous cross from his opponent. Great performance from the French player. 8.
Trevor Chalobah
Enzo Maresca has always had a presence in the lineup, and that trend continued this afternoon. solid performance.
He proved his strength on the ball and his aggressiveness in duels. 6.
marc cucurella
Cucurella was clearly more fired up than usual. His typical off-the-ball style is aggressive.
It was a marked improvement compared to his performance in Italy earlier this week. 6.
Reece James
Despite playing two full games in a row, James somewhat surprisingly started three games in a row. There was some passing in the midfield, but nothing particularly noteworthy. 6.
Enzo Fernandez
We had a pretty sloppy start and gave away the ball a few times unnecessarily. He improved as the match progressed, but he hasn’t been at his best lately. 5.
Pedro Neto
He started on the right wing. He was one of the few attacking players looking to take Everton into the game after a poor start to the game at Stamford Bridge.
He produced a superb assist just before half-time, getting the ball past Mykolenko before finding Gust in the box. 7.
Cole Palmer
It was great to see Palmer back in action as it was his first appearance at Stamford Bridge since August 17th. It was great to see him regain his form and score past Pickford with a calm finish to give the Blues the lead.
He spent a productive 58 minutes on the pitch. 8.
Alejandro Garnacho
He returned to the starting lineup and took up a position on the left wing. He missed an absolute sitter around the 23 minute mark.
he should have done better. On the defensive side, he was occasionally caught taking a nap.
Everton’s most important threat often came from the right flank, where Jake O’Brien overlapped Iliman Ndiayi, forcing Garnacho to be more alert. 5.
joan pedro
The Brazilian dropped deep to join the fight, but was unable to do so. He performed well in the air against Everton’s powerful centre-backs. 6.
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Andrei Santos (58 minutes for Palmer)
He appeared with just over 30 minutes of normal time remaining. He was decent in midfield. 6.
Jamie Gittens (played in the 65th minute for Garnacho)
He looked lively on the pitch. 6.
Estebao Willian (replaced by Joao Pedro) 81 minutes
He didn’t have enough time to make an impact. Not applicable.
