Everton took a big step towards survival in the Premier League after a tough battle but deserved to win 1-0 over Chelsea in a game at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Toffees found themselves in third place last week after losing 2-0 away to Merseyside rivals Liverpool, but they picked themselves when it was most important to collect as many points as could be formidable in the relegation battle.
Richarlison scored the Toffees goal two minutes into the second half, after the Chelsea defense led by captain Cesar Azpilicetta was caught.
The victory lifted Frank Lampard’s team tally to 32 points, but they could take themselves out of the red zone if they win their match in hand.
The match got off to a great start, with Everton receiving a free kick on the edge of the Chelsea box area after just 15 seconds when Ruben Loftus-Cheek made a deliberate foul.
Then Chelsea dominated a lot of possession from that point on, with Everton sitting deep and limiting them to a handful of half-chances.
Despite their possession, Chelsea did not take a shot on target, with the match remaining goalless in the first half.
Two minutes into the second half, Everton scored the first goal when Azpilicueta lost the ball, allowing Richarlison to grab the ball before shoving it into the net to make it 1:0.
Three minutes later, Vitaly Mikolenko lost a brilliant opportunity to make it 2-0 for the hosts when he played clearly, but his effort went horribly far with the goal at his mercy.
Chelsea could have leveled after an hour, but the world-class goalkeeper and postman came to Tovez’s rescue.
First, Mason Mount was made by Kai Havertz, but his shot hit the post, before Jordan Pickford ran across goal to stop Azpilicueta’s shot.
Two minutes later, Pickford was called back into action, this time preventing Antonio Rudiger from approaching at close range.
Both teams had chances to score late, but Pickford, in particular, prevented the Blues from a draw including a late chance, denying Mateo Kovavic.
In another match, Tottenham boosted their hopes of playing football in the Champions League with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Leicester.
Harry Kane opened the scoring for Tottenham in the middle of the first half before Son Heung-min scored two goals in the second half to ensure the team advanced above Arsenal.
