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Having picked up only a single win in their last three matches, COVID-19-hit Chelsea hosted a depleted Everton side in the Premier League on Thursday.
The Blues were without Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Mateo Kovacic, with all of them testing positive for the deadly virus. Ben Chilwell also missed the clash through a knee injury.
Everton, on the other hand, did not have the services of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lucas Digne, Andros Townsend, Seamus Coleman and star striker Richarlison. The absentees dampened the spirit of the game to an extent and both teams struggled to hit top gear.
Chelsea thoroughly dominated proceedings in the first half. Everton’s withdrawn approach favored the Blues midfielders, allowing them to create plenty of chances. However, with most of their key players missing, Chelsea did not capitalize on the chances they created and went into the tunnel goalless.
The goal finally came through Mason Mount in the second half. The Englishman expertly guided the ball past Jordan Pickford to put the hosts ahead. Unfortunately, the lead lasted only three odd minutes as Everton promptly bounced back with an equalizer through Jarrad Branthwaite.
Chelsea tried their best to turn the game around, but they lacked the decisiveness to bag maximum points at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
The draw has kept Chelsea in third place, four points adrift of league leaders Manchester City.
Here are the five players who contributed to another bad day at the office for Chelsea:
#5 Cesar Azpilicueta
Chelsea’s right center-back Cesar Azpilicueta did not have an eventful night against Everton. He was largely untroubled at the back and added next to nothing to the attacks.
Thanks to Everton’s hesitancy, Azpilicueta had an abundance of space to exploit, but the Spaniard simply decided not to.
Azpilicueta had only one shot that was off-target, lost possession 11 times, and provided no key passes or crosses. An unusually subdued night by the usually-adventurous defender.
#4 Ross Barkley
Former Evertonian Ross Barkley got the chance to impress off the bench on Thursday night. He made a couple of runs in the hope of making an impact but fell short thanks to his wasteful distribution.
He also gave the ball away cheaply and could not trouble the keeper even once in over 25 minutes.
Barkley had only 26 touches, produced 15 accurate passes, and lost possession seven times. He also won only two of his four attempted duels.
#3 Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel went with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jorginho in the middle of the park. As always, Jorginho was asked to dictate the tempo of the match, which he did quite easily, while Loftus-Cheek ventured further into the opposition half.
Loftus-Cheek’s runs, skills, and movement were impressive, but he lacked the poise to make anything tangible happen.
He was played through on goal in the sixth minute but the England international lost his composure and sent his shot wide.
Loftus-Cheek’s distribution was decent and he provided 46 accurate passes in 65 minutes. Unfortunately, none of his passes led to a shot for his team. He also failed to provide a cross into the opposition box.
He completed six of his seven attempted dribbles, but also lost possession far too often. The Englishman gave the ball away a staggering 13 times against Everton on Thursday.
It was not the worst we have seen from Loftus-Cheek, but it was nowhere near what he is capable of producing.
#2 Christian Pulisic
With Lukaku, Werner and Havertz testing positive for COVID-19, Christian Pulisic got the opportunity to lead Chelsea's attack against Everton.
He kept the Everton back-three guessing with his clever movement in the first half, sliding into little pockets of space behind them. Unfortunately, his ingenious movements vanished into thin air as the match wore on.
Pulisic’s link-up play was still quite impressive, but he barely made an impact inside the opposition box.
The American international missed one big chance in the 11th minute when his backheel fell straight to Pickford. His two other goal attempts did not call the Everton keeper into action.
#1 Saul Niguez
Last season, Chelsea famously won the UEFA Champions League, beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the final. The Blues are desperate to build on the momentum and make a run for the Premier League as well as the Champions League.
To bolster their midfield, Chelsea have brought the super industrious Saul Niguez on loan from Atletico Madrid. Unfortunately, the move has done more harm than good.
Saul Niguez has struggled to adjust to life in west London and remains clueless about his on-field instructions to this day. Against an injury-struck Everton, Saul was expected to take the game by the scruff of its neck, but the Spaniard once again fell short.
Coming off the bench in the 65th minute, Saul wasted the opportunity trying to figure out his role. He was caught ball-watching when Branthwaite scored the equalizer and did nothing to make amends.
Do not be surprised if he does not feature again for Chelsea this year.
