Chelsea v Everton: Premier League – as it happened
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http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/feb/11/chelsea-v-everton-premier-league-live Version 0 of 1. 9.37pm GMT21:37 Full-time: Chelsea 1-0 Everton. The visitors defied Chelsea for long periods but ultimately succumbed to Willian’s strike as Jose Mourinho’s side take a significant stride towards the title. Updated at 10.01pm GMT 9.33pm GMT21:33 90 +1 min: Mourinho taking no risks: off comes Willian to be replaced by Cahill. Updated at 9.33pm GMT 9.33pm GMT21:33 GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Everton (Willian 88) A crucial goal in the title race! Chelsea launched a long ball into the box - just the way Louis Van Gaal like ‘em - and Howard came to punch it clear. It fell to Willian, who walloped it goalward from 22 yards ... he strikes it beautifully and it skims all the way into the net, possibly via a deflection of an Everton defender! Updated at 10.03pm GMT 9.31pm GMT21:31 88 min: Barry sent off. He got a deserved second yellow card for tripping Willian, a foul that provoked a general melee. Naismith is booked for getting too feisty in said melee. Updated at 10.10pm GMT 9.29pm GMT21:29 86 min: Stamford Bridge erupts with joy as a Matic shot from 20 yards is deflected into the net! Matic wheels away in delight ... until he sees that the offside flag is up, because the shot deflected off an Everton defender and then Ivanovic, who was in an offside position when Match shot. No goal! Updated at 9.35pm GMT 9.27pm GMT21:27 85 min: Sneaky run and cross by Matic. Oviedo heads behind for a corner, which Fabregas delivers. Everton clear it as far as Hazard on the edge of the area. Chelsea resume probing but they just can’t pick a way through Everton. 9.26pm GMT21:26 9.26pm GMT21:26 84 min: Willian delivers a freekick from the right. Howard goes for a superman jump and punch... and it works a treat, as he gets plenty of distance and relieves the pressure. 9.24pm GMT21:24 81 min: Fabregas and Drogba have yet to make a difference. Indeed, Everton have probably improved since they came on . But after a flurry of activity at the Chelsea end, the hosts have at least resumed applying pressure in the visitors’ box. But still Everton defend well. 9.21pm GMT21:21 79 min: More lovely work by Lukaku, who goes on a run that lures Chelsea defenders towards him before he dinks the ball sideways to Mirallas, whose 20-yard shot drifts just over. Could Everton nick a victory here? They’ve created the best chances, to be fair. 9.20pm GMT21:20 78 min: Everton break out of their shell and pose a threat at the Chelsea end. Anxiety levels in the crowd rise as Lukaku floats a dainty cross towards Gibson, whose lopping header is easily saved by Cech. 9.17pm GMT21:17 75 min: It’s all Chelsea. But still they cannot create a clear opening. Everton are defending with great determination and discipline. But can they keep it up? 9.15pm GMT21:15 73 min: Martinez has responded to Mourinho’s two changes by making two of his own: Barkley and Lennon replaced by Gibson and Mirallas. 9.14pm GMT21:14 72 min: Fabregas floats in a corner but such is his eagerness to put Everton away that he took it before any of his tea-mates ere ready. So Everton were able to clear easily. 9.12pm GMT21:12 70 min: With Man City having increased their lead at Stoke, Mourinho is anxious not to drop points: so here comes the cavalry: Fabregas and Drogba on for Remy and Cuadrado. 9.11pm GMT21:11 68 min: What a save by Cech! That’s is absolutely superb! Oviedo rammed a low ball across the face of goal and Lukaku, unlike Remy, was in the right place to meet it. He turned it towards the net from six yards and there were gasps of incredulity when Cech repelled it with his left foot! Magnificent reactions from the keeper. Updated at 9.25pm GMT 9.09pm GMT21:09 67 min: Ivanovic is increasingly influential going forward. He’s almost an auxiliary right-winger now. And he helps created another opening for Chelsea, knocking the ball in-field to Hazard, who fired it over to Willian at the left-hand corner of the Everton box. The Brazilian tries to curl the ball into the far corner but Howard dives to foil him. 9.07pm GMT21:07 66 min: A powerful incursion by Ivanovic into the Everton box ends when Oviedo ushers him back out. Solid work by the left-back. 9.05pm GMT21:05 63 min: Matic curls a freekick over a five-man wall. Howard flings himself across goal to push it wide. Meanwhile on the sidelines, it looks like Fabregas has joined Drogba to warm up... 9.03pm GMT21:03 61 min: Hazard skedaddles into the box and wallops one at goal. Howard bats it away. 9.01pm GMT21:01 60 min: Ingenious work by Hazard down the left, followed by an inviting low pass across the face of goal ... but no one is there for Chelsea! Remy is looking rusty and, surely, is about to be replaced by Drogba. 9.00pm GMT21:00 58 min: Coleman cautioned for hauling down Hazard. Updated at 9.00pm GMT 8.59pm GMT20:59 57 min: The need for Chelsea to find a cutting edge has just increased: James Milner has put Man City 201 up at Stoke. And on that note, Cuardrado gives the ball away at the edge of the Everton area, allowing the visitors to scamper away up the other end. 8.57pm GMT20:57 56 min:Howard easily saves a soft header by Ivanovic from 16 yards. Chelsea are looking blunt. Which is why Mourinho has ordered Drogba to warm up. 8.56pm GMT20:56 55 min: Chelsea jack up the tempo and suddenly threaten to unhinge Everton. Stones scrambles o poke the ball of Ramires’ foot and concede a corner. Updated at 8.57pm GMT 8.55pm GMT20:55 54 min: Impeccable tackle by Stones to rip the ball off Remy in full flow. 8.54pm GMT20:54 52 min: The tempo has slowed. At least it had until Barry switched the ball wide to Lennon, who got up a gallop ... but then flipped a wasteful cross wide. 8.52pm GMT20:52 49 min: Everton continue to defy their hosts, wh are running out of ideas once they get near the box. Remy is just not making the same runs that Costa does, and no one seems to have Fabregas’ knack for executing an early pass. 8.50pm GMT20:50 47 min: Hazard and Ramires get their wires cross in midfield so McCarthy nips in to relieve them off the ball. But then Everton give it away and Chelsea have a chance to counter. But the hosts rumble forward too slowly and Everton shut the opening. Ivanovic ends up tonking a corss straight at Howard. 8.47pm GMT20:47 Everton substitution: Besic is taken off before he gets himself sent off, and on trots James McCarthy, who, if he can rediscover the form of earlier in the season, will definitely bolster Everton. 8.35pm GMT20:35 Half-time: Chelsea 0-0 Everton. That was pretty good as 0-0s go. Chelsea have been vibrant - especially Hazard, Cuadrado and Willian - but they need to sharpen up their final ball or Everton could re-ignite the title race on the counter-attack (assuming, perhaps unwisely, that Man City don’t goof at Stoke). Updated at 8.36pm GMT 8.31pm GMT20:31 45 min: Everton will be quite pleased with how this half has panned out. It looked early on like they were going to be creamed but they have gradually gained solidity and began to frustrate Chelsea. It seems I was a bit rash in declaring that Chelsea were not missing Fabregas earlier on: they could sure do with some of his incisive passing in the second period. 8.28pm GMT20:28 41 min: After prolonged probing, Chelsea eventually win a corner as Hazard’s cross from the right is deflected behind. Terry rises to meet the delivery and gets a firm nut to it - but it flies over the bar. 8.25pm GMT20:25 39 min: Excellent play by Matic. First he snuffed out an Everton attack with an authoritative interception and then he released Willian with a visionary pass down the right. But again a Chelsea move unravels when they reach the opposing box and misdirect the final ball. 8.23pm GMT20:23 38 min: Chelsea’s are toiling as they try to translate possession into goals here, but they can at least draw cheer from the fact that Peter Crouch has equalised for Stoke against Man City. 8.22pm GMT20:22 35 min: Everton embark on a sight-seeing tour to Chelsea’s half. They gawk a bit but can’t pick a way through the hosts’ rapidly scrambled defence. 8.20pm GMT20:20 33 min: Aguero has put Man City 1-0 up at Stoke. “Big Rom Lukaku is like that pal you had as a kid that you told all your mates was great at footy…except when he turns up and trips over the ball 30 seconds in…the cats out of the bag,” screeches Chris Lawlor. “I mean he’s a top fella and all the lads like him but he’s not really that great after all. Mou has done us on this one.” Far too harsh, Chris. Lukaku has loads of qualities, but just isn’t yet decisive enough to be an elite marksman. Updated at 9.05pm GMT 8.17pm GMT20:17 32 min: Howard gathers a Hazard’s grass-slasher at the second attempt, which is just as well as Remy was racing in to convert the rebound. 8.16pm GMT20:16 31 min: Chelsea are proving they can create plenty without Fabregas. But they would probably have been in front by now if Costa were playing. Shabby finishing could cost them... 8.14pm GMT20:14 30 min: Lovely link-up twixt Cuadrado and Remy, but then the new man takes too long to size up his shot and runs into Stones. The crowd want a freekick, but the ref correctly waves play on. 8.12pm GMT20:12 28 min: Lukaku lets fly with a decent wobbling effort from 20 yards. Well held by Cech. 8.11pm GMT20:11 26 min: Willian dinks a freekick into the area. Ivanovic nods it over to the back post, where Matic and Zmouma attempt to turn it into the net. Panic breaks out in the Everton box, until the ref restores clam by blowing for offside. 8.09pm GMT20:09 24 min: Gareth Barry hurls himself in front of Cuadrado like an American Football blocker. Another easy yellow card for the ref to hand out. Updated at 9.07pm GMT 8.08pm GMT20:08 22 min: In the space of 30 seconds right in front of Mourinho, Lukaku has given the ball away and then completely missed the ball when attempting a header. Safe to say the Portuguese isn’t on the point of changing his mind about him. 8.06pm GMT20:06 19 min: A promising Everton break founders and suddenly Chelsea are charging free at the other end. Remy ends up sending a low shot across the face of goal, bringing a strange sort of dive from Howard: it looked late, slow and extravagant. I’d like to see that again from another angle to make sure I’m not doing him a disservice but if that attempt to save really was as weird as it looked on first impression, it didn’t augur well for Everton’s chances of keeping a clean sheet. 8.02pm GMT20:02 17 min: The noted enforcer Eden Hazard robs Lennon in mifield and then scurries into the box. He then rolls the ball into the path of Cuadrado, whose attempt to score on his debut is deflected out for a corner. 8.00pm GMT20:00 15 min: Azpilicueta follows Besic into the box for crunching into Lennon from behind. 7.58pm GMT19:58 Breaking news: Paul Lambert has been put out of his misery at Aston Villa 7.56pm GMT19:56 10 min: Cuadrado nicks a ball through to Remy, who smacks it low and just wide from 15 yards. Pleasant viewing this, so far. Chelsea look for of energy and invention and Everton have had a job keeping them at bay but also showed they can carry a threat on the break. 7.54pm GMT19:54 8 min: Everton’s first attack of the match almost yields a goal! It came via a rapid counter; Barkley threaded a gentle pass through to Lukaku, who shot early from the edge of the area and forced Cech into a a difficult improvised save with his foot! 7.51pm GMT19:51 6 min: Chelsea are rampant! Nice interplay at the edge of the area leaves Evertonian chasing thin air, then Willian cracks a fine shot just over from the corner of the box. 7.50pm GMT19:50 5 min: The first yellow card goes to ... guess who? Yes, Besic forces the ref to book him by clumping late into Hazard as the Belgian trickster dashed forward. 7.50pm GMT19:50 4 min: Chelsea are going for the jugular early and Everton are being forced to defend in extremis. As the ball pings around the visitors’ box, Naismith throws a shoulder up to prevent it from reaching Cuardado. The home crowd howl for a penalty but the ref rules that it did not hit his arm. 7.48pm GMT19:48 2 min: Chelsea are the first to threaten, Matic doing a decent Godzilla impression as he stomps past two Evertonians (including Besic) and then rockets a shot inches over the bar from 25 yards just like, um, Godzilla used to do. Updated at 7.48pm GMT 7.46pm GMT19:46 1 min: Everton, dressed in black and white like those old criminal uniforms (except without the arrows), get the game going. Chelsea are in police blue. 7.38pm GMT19:38 Lots of interesting duels on the pitch tonight but I’m particularly looking forward to Besic v Matic. The Serb has been imperious in most matches this season but there’s a fair chance of the Bosnian ruffling him, what with Besic being a relentless tackling machine (and something of a card magnet). Also quite keen to see how Lukaku does back at the Bridge: will he ever develop the killer quality that Mourinho obviously didn’t see in him? He’s got everything else. The battle between him and Zouma could be a rollicker. 7.02pm GMT19:02 Preamble: What a pity that first place is the only position in the table that currently looks decided for the season. Manchester City’s fading into the distance at a time when Chelsea were weakened by the loss of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas could be seen either as a sorry reflection of that club’s lack of moxy or a tribute to Chelsea’s strength in depth and resolve, or both. Still, maybe the season still has a surprise in store for us and Chelsea are going to slip into the a rut and someone is going to pull themselves together sufficiently to mount a challenge. Everton won’t be challenging for the title, of course, or even for a top four finish, but they mighty just have the wherewithal to knock Chelsea off their stride tonight. On the other hand, they could find themselves on the end of a 6-3 battering like last time. Cuadrado makes his first start for Chelsea, Petr Cech replaces Thibaut Courtois in goal, Lukaku returns to Stamford Bridge, and Fabregas is on the bench. For further team info, just look below. Updated at 7.16pm GMT 6.45pm GMT18:45 Teams: Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Matic, Cuadrado, Willian, Hazard, Remy. Subs: Luis, Fabregas, Ake, Drogba, Courtois, Cahill, Loftus-Cheek. Everton: Howard, Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Oviedo, Besic, Barry, Lennon, Naismith, Barkley, Lukaku. Subs: Robles, Gibson, Kone, Mirallas, McCarthy, Garbutt, Alcaraz. Referee: Jonathan Moss (W Yorkshire) Updated at 6.49pm GMT |