An 89th-minute Everton equaliser denied Chelsea all three points in an absorbing Premier League contest at Stamford Bridge this evening.
The first chance of the game fell to Chelsea after five minutes when Mateo Kovacic lashed a full volley just wide of the post after the ball invitingly fell for him on the edge of the box following a corner.
Just after the 20-minute mark, Ben Chilwell got a toe on Christian Pulisic’s low cross from the left-hand side but his touch just took the ball out of Joao Felix’s reach before it safely found its way into the arms of Jordan Pickford.
Chelsea dominated possession and got into some good positions throughout the first half but they did not really trouble Pickford for the first 45 minutes.
Four minutes into the second half, Kai Havertz forced Pickford into a smart save with a headed effort on goal from Chilwell’s cross but Everton’s number one got down well to deny the German.
Following some early second-half pressure, Chelsea finally found the breakthrough courtesy of Felix.
The Portuguese forward stroked a low left-footed effort through the legs of an Everton defender and in off the far post after Michael Keane’s mis-hit clearance found him on the edge of the box.
Everton struck back after 69 minutes when Abdoulaye Doucoure nodded home to make it 1-1.
James Tarkowski looped a header into the danger area from Dwight McNeil’s inswinging corner before Doucoure helped the ball over the line.
Havertz attempted to hook the ball away but goal-line technology showed that the whole of the ball had crossed the line.
But just four minutes after equalising, Everton shot themselves in the foot when Ben Godfrey clumsily brought down Reece James in the area.
The referee pointed to the spot and Havertz cooly tucked the resulting penalty into the back of the net, sending Pickford the wrong way.
With 89 minutes on the clock, Everton substitute Ellis Simms equalised to make it 2-2 and send the away fans into raptures.
The young English striker showed tremendous pace and power to brush past Kalidou Koulibaly before firing a low shot past Kepa Arrizabalaga into the back of the net.
After a series of Chelsea corners in the dying embers of the game which came to nothing, the referee blew the full-time whistle and the points were shared.
Chelsea player ratings
Kepa Arrizabalaga (5/10) – Hardly had anything to do but when he was called upon, he failed to keep Everton out.
Wesley Fofana (7/10) – Chelsea’s best defender on the night. Won a lot of duels and played out from the back well.
Kalidou Koulibaly (6/10) – Was fine up until the 89th minute when he was beaten far too easily for Simms’ equaliser.
Benoit Badiashile (6/10) – Effective at passing the ball out from the back but was not tested too much defensively.
Reece James (7/10) – Looked a threat going forward and did well to win the penalty.
Enzo Fernandez (7/10) – Good in possession and created some decent opportunities.
Mateo Kovacic (7/10) – Controlled the midfield and dictated the tempo of the game well.
Ben Chilwell (8/10) – Created several chances and won most of his duels.
Christian Pulisic (7/10) – A bright performance by the American on his first start back from injury. Opened up a lot of space for others with his positive runs forward and looked bright throughout.
Kai Havertz (7/10) – Put himself about and tested Pickford on several occasions. Scored a well-taken penalty.
Joao Felix (8/10) *MOTM* – A superb performance from Chelsea’s January signing. Was involved in most good things Chelsea did going forward and scored a great opening goal.
Substitutes
Conor Gallagher (6/10)
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (N/A)
Carney Chukwuemeka (N/A)
Trevoh Chalobah (N/A)
Everton player ratings
Jordan Pickford (6/10) – Made a couple of decent saves. Not a lot he could have done for either of Chelsea’s goals.
Seamus Coleman (5/10) – Struggled to deal with Felix and was unable to get forward at all.
Michael Keane (7/10) – Made a lot of recoveries and won plenty of aerial duels.
James Tarkowski (7/10) – Made several blocks and clearances and did well for Doucoure’s goal.
Ben Godfrey (6/10) – Was generally solid defensively apart from his sloppy challenge on James which resulted in Chelsea’s second.
Alex Iwobi (6/10) – Bright in moments but generally a quiet evening for Iwobi.
Abdoulaye Doucoure (7/10) – Contributed to both of Everton’s goals and was energetic throughout.
Idrissa Gueye (6/10) – A combative display from the experienced midfielder. Had to tread carefully after an early booking.
Amadou Onana (7/10) – Used his physicality well in defensive situations and did some nice things going forward.
Dwight McNeil (6/10) – Tracked back and helped out defensively but was fairly quiet going forward.
Demarai Gray (7/10) – Worked hard and was Everton’s biggest threat going forward.
Substitutes
Ellis Simms (7/10) – Did the one job he was sent on to do. A great moment for the 22-year-old, who had spent the first half of the season on loan at Sunderland.
Vitalii Mykolenko (N/A)
