#3 Everton found wanting defensively as Pedro finds a way through
Idrissa Gueye had one job to do and it did not take too long to find out what that was – follow Eden Hazard on the pitch. The Senegalese international did a fair job of it but Hazard being who he is, managed to keep finding space every once in a while and came close to scoring twice.
While the Everton manager’s game plan involved dealing with Hazard, he failed to do as much with Pedro and paid the price for it. The Spaniard’s pace and runs proved to be too much for the Everton backline and when the goal came, it was the deserving reward for a scintillating effort.
Pedro retained possession in the final third of the box and, faced with a bunch of defenders, took a shot that curved and landed in the top left corner of the net.
Earlier, Phil Jagielka was poor in the air and almost gifted the Blues an early goal. Maarten Stekelenburg did not cover himself in glory for Chelsea’s second; Gary Cahill just tapped in a rebound off the Everton keeper who failed to collect the ball after a shot.
Gueye, Tom Davies and to an extent Ashley Williams may have been the only Everton players who put in a fair shift against the prospective champions.
