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Frank Lampard enjoyed a memorable evening on Merseyside as his Everton team secured a crucial 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday. The hosts are battling to avoid relegation from the top-flight this season and their win over Chelsea came as a timely boost.
Ever since the referee blew the whistle to kick-off proceedings at Goodison Park, Everton were on the money. The Toffees produced a steely display with enough intensity to rattle Chelsea, physically as well as mentally.
It proved to be a frustrating outing for Thomas Tuchel, who made just a solitary change to the side that drew against Manchester United on Thursday. Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaced N'Golo Kante in midfield and was easily the visitors' best player on the night.
However, the parts around him failed to click and Chelsea underwhelmed in what proved to be a demoralizing defeat at the hands of their former manager. Lampard rallied his Everton troops to perfection, but had to rely on a mistake from one of his former teammates to give his team the all-important lead.
Cesar Azpilicueta committed a costly error while trying to play out from the back and Everton pressed high to capitalize. Richarlison was presented with the opportunity to tuck the ball away and he made no mistake just after the interval in the 46th minute.
After taking the lead, Everton were dogged at the back and relied on the brilliance of Jordan Pickford to bail them out time and again. The shot-stopper was at the peak of his powers and ensured his team walked away with maximum points. The pick of the best saves came after Mason Mount crashed an attempt into the upright.
Pickford makes miraculous save to deny Chelsea equalizer
Azpilicueta latched on to the ricochet off the post and smashed a shot into the Everton goal. However, Pickford made a miraculous recovery to stop the attempt in what will go down as arguably the save of the season. From the resulting corner-kick, he made another fine stop to deny Antonio Rudiger.
The Blues tried to push for the equalizer, but came up short every single time. The raucous home crowd at Goodison Park erupted into a delirium of noise as soon as the referee blew the final whistle. Lampard was understandably elated as well, getting the last laugh over his former employers.
In the wake of a priceless win for Everton, fans on Twitter could not hold themselves back from taking a swipe at Chelsea. Here are some of the best tweets:
