Everton 0-2 Chelsea: result and report

Report

Chelsea won 2-0 at Everton, and the result was deserved because they created the better chances and took two of them. They went into the game seen as the side more likely to win, and the performance backed that up rather than leaving the scoreline to do the work.

Chelsea strike after the break

The first half finished goalless, but Chelsea needed only a minute of the second to change that. Pedro Neto scored on 46 minutes, finishing a move set up by Jorrel Hato.

Everton still had the rest of the half to respond, though they never found the goal they needed. Neto then added his second on 90 minutes, which ended any lingering doubt.

Where the chances came from

The scoreline is a fair reflection of the game. Chelsea finished with 1.37 xG to Everton's 0.49. They took ten shots to five and made 14 key passes to six. They also hit the woodwork, so the margin could have been wider.

Chelsea put seven of their ten shots on target, while all five of Everton's efforts on target were saved. Everton and Chelsea each missed two big chances. Chelsea won because they created more of those openings, not because Everton were especially wasteful.

Everton: territory without threat

Everton were not passive, though their pressure rarely turned into clear openings. They had more dangerous attacks, 57 to 43, and produced the most intense spell of pressure of anyone in the match. Chelsea still had the higher pressure across the whole game, and five Everton shots worth less than half an expected goal is a thin return for that territory.

Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Everton's leading scorers this season, both started. Despite that, Everton never found a way past Chelsea's goalkeeper.