Chelsea lost further ground in the Premier League title race after being held to a 1-1 draw by Everton at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
After a goalless first-half, which the Blues dominated, Mason Mount opened the scoring for the hosts in the 70th minute by blasting his shot past Jordan Pickford, who was otherwise magnificent on the night.
Chelsea’s lead lasted only four minutes as youngster Jarrad Branthwaite—playing his first league game of the season—knocked home a superb Anthony Gordon set-piece to level things up for Everton.
The hosts upped the ante and went looking for the equaliser but Pickford made two top saves to keep them at bay, as a depleted Everton side took home a vital point.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs Everton
Edouard Mendy- 6/10
Edouard Mendy had a quiet afternoon, making just one save from a long-range effort by Anthony Gordon in the first half. The Senegalese was helpless for Jarrad Branthwaite’s goal.
Reece James- 7/10
Reece James had an excellent chance to put Chelsea ahead inside the first five minutes and tested Jordan Pickford with a stinging free-kick. Was a constant threat throughout the game and created plenty of chances that weren’t taken by his teammates.
Cesar Azpilicueta- 6/10
Cesar Azpilicueta held his own defensively but rarely ventured forward to join in the Chelsea attacks.
Thiago Silva- 8/10
The veteran Brazilian wasn’t really tested by Everton’s young debutant Ellis Simms. Made a crunching tackle on Doucoure and started the counter-attack for Chelsea’s goal. A top performance!
Antonio Rudiger- 7/10
Solid at the back, as usual, Rudiger got forward with the ball whenever he got an opportunity. The only blemish of his night was not marking Branthwaite for Everton’s equaliser.
Marcos Alonso- 6/10
Got freedom to go forward and join in the attacks, as Everton sat too deep while defending. The Spaniard didn’t create much and was substituted midway through the second half.
Jorginho- 7/10
Jorginho kept Chelsea ticking over with his smart one-twos and incisive passing from the deeper midfield in the first half. However, his influence waned in the last 20 minutes of the game but overall he had another solid outing.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek- 6/10
Added a lot of box-to-box energy and intensity to Thomas Tuchel’s side. Got well forward and helped his team regain possession a few times. Although, the Englishman’s final pass in the attacking third was missing in his game.
Hakim Ziyech- 7/10
Hakim Ziyech looked busy from the onset of the game, with the Moroccan’s trick to bamboozle Mason Holgate being the highlight of the first half. He was difficult to contain, and although he faded after the break, it was one of his better performances for Chelsea in a long time.
Mason Mount- 8/10
On another night, Mason Mount could have had another hat-trick for Chelsea. Spurned a good chance early on and forced a smart, low stop from Pickford in the first half. Eventually broke Everton’s resistance with a well-timed run behind Ben Godfrey and a fine near-post finish past Pickford.
Christian Pulisic- 6/10
Looked lively and industrious in a central role in the first half, linking play well with his fellow attackers. Became anonymous after a certain point as the second half simply passed by him.
Substitutes
Ross Barkley- 4/10
Barkley came on for Loftus-Cheek in the 65th minute but couldn’t find the telling pass to against his former employers.
Saul Niguez- 2/10
Saul replaced Alonso with 25 minutes left on the clock. The Spanish midfielder was caught ball-watching for Branthwaite’s goal.
Trevoh Chalobah- N/A
He was introduced in the 80th minute but couldn’t make a difference.
