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#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.
