Chelsea picked up another vital win in their pursuit of Champions League football. Enzo Maresca’s team followed their dramatic late win over Fulham with a quiet – but equally significant – win over Everton thanks to Nicolas Jackson’s first-half goal.
There didn’t look to be a great deal on when Chelsea won a turnover in the Everton half and Enzo Fernandez played in Jackson. The Senegal star took one touch to turn and another to rifle the ball low into the corner of Jordan Pickford’s net.
Chelsea dominated early on, though there was a hairy moment when Robert Sanchez flapped at a high ball under pressure from Beto. Pickford was the first of the keepers forced into a save of note, getting down well low to his left after Noni Madueke cut in and looked to find the corner.
Once Jackson opened the scoring, though, the hosts hit their stride. There was still a scare or two, though, not least when Abdoulaye Doucoure got his head on a cross from close range but couldn’t find the target.
Just after the hour mark, Everton had a chance out of nothing, but Robert Sanchez was down brilliantly to palm away Beto’s drive, and the keeper pulled off an even bigger late stop. Chelsea had more chances of their own, too, with Madueke forcing another Pickford save in circumstances not entirely dissimilar to the first and Jackson seeing a second goal chalked off for offside.
In the end, though, one goal would prove enough for the London side. Here are Mirror Football‘s talking points from Stamford Bridge
Nicolas Jackson hadn’t scored for Chelsea in 2025 before Everton came to town, not that you’d have known from the way he took his opener. It was a real striker’s finish, finding space and shooting early, and far from what you’d expect from a player who might have every reason to be short on confidence.
Jackson’s hot streak in the second half of last season helped secure European qualification fro the Blues, with four league goals in May alone. If he can repeat the trick, they could finish even higher than last season’s sixth place.
It was a different story for Cole Palmer, who has been struggling with a goal drought of his own. The England international cut a subdued figure throughout, and didn’t look close to getting his first goal in some time.
When Romeo Lavia picked up a hamstring injury in December, Chelsea sat second in the table with nine wins from 15 games. Going into Saturday’s game against Everton, they had just seven wins from the next 18 – with Lavia playing just over an hour of football in that run.
The Belgian was a big miss last season during the Blues’ toughest moments, and his return for the start of the current campaign was a welcome sight. And in his hour against Everton, the Belgian served up a reminder of the control and calm he brings to the team.
Lavia was applauded off when he made way for Reece James during the second half. His availability in the coming weeks could play a big part in determining the position in which the team finishes.
Robert Sanchez’s performances this season have come under scrutiny, with some suggesting Chelsea need an upgrade in goal. And his first half performance against Everton hardly changed that.
After a nervy early moment involving Beto, the Spaniard looked uncertain as he came from his goal and ran straight into Vitalii Mykolenko as he looked to gather the ball. He got away with that one, and with another dash from his line early in the second half.
In the second half, though, he served up a reminder of why Enzo Maresca has continued to keep the faith. His save from Beto was the kind of sharp stop a keeper with a quiet afternoon might not make quite as easily, but he made it look almost routine, while the late stop to deny Dwight McNeil was even more impressive.
When David Moyes took his West Ham team to West London last May, a 5-0 defeat was the final straw for his spell in the east of the capital. His exit was confirmed the following day, leaving him with four defeats from four at Stamford Bridge in his second Hammers spell.
It wasn’t as leaky a display this time by any stretch, though one wonders how much that might owe to Chelsea being less coherent than this time last year. Everton limited their opponents to half-chances, for the most part, and easily could have escaped with a point on another day.
Moyes has already done his job this season by lifting Everton well clear of the relegation zone. Still, it’s a shame for him not to be able to put his dismal record at Chelsea behind him.
Chelsea’s tough run-in means they couldn’t really afford to drop points at home to Everton. The Blues left it late against Fulham last time out, but stated on the front foot against Moyes’ men.
The three points against Everton were enough to lift them up to fourth. They’ll stay in the top five when the weekend comes to an end, with FA Cup responsibiltiies for Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa meaning neither is in league action.
It’s not over yet, though. Trips to Newcastle and Forest await, as does a home game against champions-elect Liverpool, and there is plenty of work left to do.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.