Monday, 16 September 2013

Everton 1 Chelsea 0: match report - Telegraph.co.uk

“In the first half it was quite easy, they [Everton] didn’t press a lot and I think when you have quite an easy match to score goals you have to score. It’s difficult to accept when you don’t score,” Mourinho said, and while he complained about referee Howard Webb’s failure to award a penalty, after Oscar was challenged in the area, it was, in the end, a deserved victory for Everton.

For their new manager, Roberto Martínez, it will fuel belief, especially in the way he wants his team to play. There were performances of “character” all over the pitch, he said, but debutant Gareth Barry was simply outstanding in his calm efficiency, while 19-year-old Ross Barkley is the most exciting young English prospect in the Premier League.

He played a key role in Everton’s goal, although it also owed much to errors by Petr Cech and an out-of-sorts Ashley Cole. Barkley dipped his shoulder on the edge of the area, eking out space to slip a pass to Leon Osman, who stood a cross up to the back post. Nikica Jelavic, just, managed to head back across goal. The ball evaded Cech and there was Steven Naismith to head into the net from three yards. It was on the stroke of half-time.

By then, though, Chelsea could have been out of sight. Eto’o, who was making his debut, inexplicably headed back across goal in the first five minutes. Soon afterwards Howard, also inexplicably, passed straight at Schürrle but his ball to Eto’o was too slow and Barry threw himself in to divert the shot over.

Howard then pushed out a curling Ramires shot before Schürrle, with yet another one of the chances Mourinho alluded to, side-footed over, Branislav Ivanovic missed with a header and Mata floated a shot wide.

After seeing the second half begin with a host of further missed chances, Mourinho indulged in some tactical jiggery pokery.

He rang the changes â€" including bringing on Fernando Torres for Cole â€" with David Luiz, Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel all changing positions, with the result that the encounter was even more frenetic. It meant Mikel was all over the place. In more ways than one.

Although Torres, inevitably, fluffed a late chance, miscuing a shot, it was Everton who came closest as they continued to profit from Barkley’s ability to run with the ball. Leighton Baines lined up a free-kick, clipping the top of the crossbar.

Chelsea poured forward but simply could not find the breakthrough, reduced, after their tiki-taka approach, to slinging the ball into the area. It was meat and drink to the Everton defence as they politely ignored Martínez’s entreaties to play the ball out.

“The way we reacted, the way we defended, was immense,” Martínez said afterwards. And it was. It was the kind of result and display which will galvanise unbeaten Everton around him.

For Mourinho it was the kind of result he will use as a spur for contests to come. “If they don’t have it, they have to get it,” he said of that “killer instinct”. “But I think they have it,” he added. He did not seem convinced. Again.

Match details

Everton (4-4-1-1): Howard 6; Coleman 7, Distin 7, Jagielka 7, Baines 7; Naismith 7 (Stones 89), Osman 5, Barry 9 Mirallas 6 (Deulofeu 90); Barkley 8; Jelavic 5 (McCarthy 66).
Subs: Robles (g), Heitinga, Oviedo, Gueye.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 5; Cole 4 (Torres 69), Terry 6, Luiz 5, Ivanovic 6; Mikel 5, Ramires 6; Hazard 7, Mata 7 (Oscar 57), Schürrle 6 (Lampard 57); Eto’o 6.
Subs: Schwarzer (g), Essien, De Bruyne, Cahill.
Booked: Ivanovic, Luiz, Mikel, Hazard.

Referee H Webb (South Yorkshire).

No comments:

Post a Comment