Everton 2-0 Chelsea: 3 reasons why the Blues lost against the Toffees| Premier League 2018-19

Fambeat

Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying to the Champions League next season suffered a huge setback as they lost 2-0 to Everton at Goodison Park last night. Goals from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson put major doubts in the minds of Chelsea supporters about their team’s chances of finishing in the top 4 this season. It was a game of two halves - Chelsea were dominant in the first half, while Everton absorbed the pressure and delivered the knockout punch in the second half.

Everton received a penalty due to Marcos Alonso’s foul on Richarlison, with Sigurdsson scoring in his second attempt to double the Toffees' lead after the Brazilian opened the scoring early in the second half. Eden Hazard hit the post in the first half and gave Chelsea some great momentum in the initial stages. However, Marcos Silva’s half-time talk did the magic for the Toffees as they came out strong in the second half to pick up the 3 points in the Premier League clash.

Here are three reasons why Chelsea lost.

#1. Chelsea’s failure to take momentum into the second half.

If the game was judged on the first 45 minutes, it were Chelsea all the way. They passed it around effortlessly and Hazard was the major trouble creator for Everton's defence. Although Higuain was not at his best, he came close to scoring once.

Somehow Chelsea let the pressure off in the second half and never really recovered from that. Everton had few chances but were clinical enough to put the game to bed. Maurizio Sarri has been accused of not having a plan B in case the team fails to implement his preferred style of play. He is too stubborn in his approach and that is what cost Chelsea an important match in the run-up to the top 4 finish.

Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has not been in the best of forms after the League Cup final showdown with the manager. He could have done better to save both the goals.

#2. Everton’s ability to absorb the pressure

Everton were too lazy in the first half and the stark difference in terms of quality between the two teams was clearly visible. But the second half was completely different as Everton started on the front foot. Richarlison scored the first in the 49th minute before Sigurdsson doubled the home side's lead in the 72nd minute.

Chelsea's Pedro had a good night as he constantly troubled Lucas Digne but Chelsea failed to create many chances due to their lack of quality in the final pass. The Everton wingers narrowed the space whenever required and it was difficult for the Chelsea midfield to create anything for the forwards. Sarri failed to motivate his team in the second half, but the case was exactly the opposite for the Everton manager as he rallied his troops. Chelsea failed to close the gap on the top four and will have to be extra dominant in the coming matches to better their chances of finishing in a Champions League spot.

#3. Chelsea too dependent on Hazard.

What if Hazard leaves for Real Madrid in the summer? The chances are pretty high and Chelsea's level is bound to drop if it were to happen. Hazard was the only creative force for Chelsea and he played really well. It was one of those days when his creativity did not yield any positive result for his side.

Silva set up his Everton side to choke Chelsea and give them little space to operate, but Hazard still found spaces on his own and lead the line for Chelsea. His effort which hit the woodwork could have given Chelsea a much-needed goal, which could have then changed the complexion of the match.

Hazard looked extremely sharp and it seemed he was auditioning for Real Madrid. Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane would have watched the Belgian's performance and could think that Hazard is the missing piece to Real Madrid's puzzle.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar