Carabao Cup 2017/18: Chelsea 2-1 Everton, 5 Talking Points

Everton's already dismal week got worse with them crashing out of the Carabao Cup to Premier League champions Chelsea. But despite the result, and the scoreline, Toffee fans can already see light at the end of the tunnel.

The pre-quarters of the Carabao Cup has brought us some incredible games so far and this one was just as entertaining. The hosts took the lead in the first half thanks to a lovely header from Antonio Rudiger before Willian curled a delightful ball into the far corner in injury time.

And while Everton fans - and most football fans - would've predicted this outcome, the game looked a whole lot different than the one on the weekend. Here are five talking points from the game that kept us at the edge of our seats.

Didn;t look — Great to see Danny Drinkwater back playing.

#5 Danny Drinkwater loves the air show

Danny Drinkwater finally made his debut for Chelsea after signing for the London club from Leicester on transfer deadline day. That was almost three months ago and while he wasn't at his sharpest and quickest, he did what Antonio Conte got him to do.

Some of those giant cross-field balls into the likes of Willian, Davide Zappacosta, Michy Batshuayi and Charly Musonda Jr were a joy to watch. Perfectly weighted but with the Drinkwater height and pace.

It might still take him a couple of weeks to get back to his best but if he can improve his already-impressive game - as shown today - he'll be a vital part of this Chelsea side's goal to defend the title.

#4 David Unsworth shows signs of promise

"I would love to see him appointed. He has all the qualities to take Everton to the next level," said a beaming Daniel Amokachi - a former teammate of the caretaker manager and one who knows the Everton legend just as well as anyone who's been with the club.

Ronald Koeman's biggest challenge was integrating all of his nine new players with the squad and clearly, it didn't work out. Unsworth, however, went back to the Everton of previous seasons - albeit with a few changes - bringing back the likes of Kevin Mirallas, Andros Townsend, James McCarthy and the like.

And it worked. Everton played a fluid 4-1-4-1 and Chelsea were stumped for most of the second half only for Willian to go and blow it in the end. The Englishman ought to be given a chance, he's more Everton than anyone at the club, at the moment.

#3 Antonio Conte needs to trust his youngsters

Not the only manager in the Premier League who complains about the size of his squad but if Antonio Conte did really want to win the Premier League again this season, he could've done without having to bring on regular first-teamers as substitutes.

With Jake Clarke-Salter, Dujon Sterling and Kyle Scott also on the bench, he chose to bring on his experienced triplet of Alvaro Morata, Pedro and Cesc Fabregas.

Chelsea do have a smaller squad, true, but academy prospects will help the side in matches like this. Everton tried the same and it almost for them, who's to say it wouldn't have done so for the hosts?

#2 Everton will bounce back

Everton have too much quality to let this slippery slope go on forever

Judging by today's performance, there's no way Everton will stay in the bottom half of the table this season. They've got the players, they've got the kids and they have the experience to ensure they'll bounce back.

Wayne Rooney didn't have the best of games today but always helped his side out the moment they needed it the most. As did Phil Jagielka, Ashley Williams and Leighton Baines.

Irrespective of who the new manager is, the Toffees need to stick and perform more like they did today. The only way is up.

#1 Youngsters rule the roost

An exceptional performance from Charly Musonda Jr today.

Everton fielded a side with debutant Beni Baningime, Tom Davies and Jonjoe Kenny while they brought on Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ademola Lookman from the bench - exactly what you'd expect from a side fighting for the Carabao Cup and especially at a time when the first team fail to find answers.

Chelsea, too, fielded Ethan Ampudu, Andreas Christensen, Kenedy and the excellent Charly Musonda Jr. As mentioned before, none of the other kids came off the bench, but these four who started ensured their side crossed the finish line with a place in the quarter-finals.

English football isn't remotely like its French, German, Spanish and Italian counterparts simply because the number of youngsters coming through to the first team has fallen dramatically. But today, and most matches this week, showed that when given the chance, the youngsters to have what it takes to impress and perform when needed.

Give them a chance.