Unlikely Chelsea Star Steals the Show in Dominant Victory Over Everton at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea extended their remarkable 31-year undefeated streak against Everton at home with a commanding 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues entered the match sitting in fifth position after managing only one point from their previous nine available in the Premier League, but they dominated proceedings once Cole Palmer marked his return to the starting eleven with a 21st-minute strike.

Malo Gusto was the architect of that opener and netted his second goal in his last six Premier League outings—having failed to find the net in his initial 67 competitive matches—just before halftime, linking up superbly with the outstanding Pedro Neto.

Alejandro Garnacho should have also found the scoresheet, but he managed to fire wide after being gifted a perfect scoring chance by Carlos Alcaraz.

However, this didn't affect Chelsea's result, as Everton's promising periods in the match never translated into genuine scoring threats.

Chelsea Player Ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Robert Sánchez—8.4: Largely a bystander in terms of making saves, but positioned himself well to deny Grealish from equalizing for Everton. Excelled in his sweeper-keeper duties.

RB: Malo Gusto—8.8: Adopted an excellent inverted role for the first goal before delivering a perfectly weighted through ball to Palmer. Then netted a spectacular strike of his own, surging forward at pace before combining beautifully with Neto.

CB: Wesley Fofana—7.8: Starting to resemble the quality center-back Chelsea believed they were acquiring in 2022, before his devastating injury setbacks. His 10 clearances, five recoveries and three interceptions demonstrated his alertness throughout.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah—7.4: The quieter member of Chelsea's central defensive partnership but made his performance appear effortless.

LB: Marc Cucurella—7.2: Nearly allowed his emotions to overwhelm him at moments, getting involved in physical exchanges with Iliman Ndiaye, but remained dependable overall.

CM: Reece James—7.0: Another composed performance from Chelsea's skipper, this time under the watchful eye of England boss Thomas Tuchel.

CM: Enzo Fernández—7.5: Had less freedom to surge forward with Palmer restored to the lineup but remained highly influential in midfield. Won back possession on no fewer than seven occasions.

AM: Cole Palmer—7.7: A perfectly timed run beyond Everton's backline was complemented by an equally impressive finish from Chelsea's dynamic No. 10. An energetic hour-long display before being substituted by Andrey Santos.

RW: Pedro Neto—7.9: Vitaliy Mykolenko will struggle to forget facing the Portuguese winger in such devastating form. Consistently direct and eager to beat his marker—which he executed brilliantly to create Gusto's goal.

CF: João Pedro—6.7: Lacks the pure goalscoring instinct of a conventional striker, yet the Brazilian excels at creating opportunities for teammates.

LW: Alejandro Garnacho—6.8: Not the Argentine's finest afternoon in front of goal—the absence of clinical finishing remains a recurring theme in his career—but at least positioned himself well.

Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Benoît Badiashile, Jorrel Hato, Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu.

Everton (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Jordan Pickford (GK); Jake O'Brien, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Vitality Mykolenko, James Garner, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jack Grealish, Thierno Barry.

Subs used: Carlos Alcaraz, Beto, Tyler Dibling, Tim Iroegbunam.

Subs not used: Mark Travers (GK), Adam Aznou, Elijah Campbell, Nathan Patterson, Dwight McNeil.

Player of the Match: Malo Gusto

Chelsea 2–0 Everton: How the Action Developed at Stamford Bridge

Going into the fixture, the hosts had surrendered more points from leading positions at home than any other Premier League side during 2025–26—and this particular encounter followed a frustrating 2-1 loss to Atalanta in the Champions League, stretching Chelsea's winless streak to four across all competitions.

Enzo Maresca might have wished for his team to establish early momentum in west London, but the opening noteworthy moment saw Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, facing his previous club, withdrawn with a hamstring problem after merely 14 minutes.

There was also some tension involving Marc Cucurella—the occasionally volatile Spaniard agitated by some robust challenges from Jake O'Brien and Iliman Ndiaye—and several heavy tackles were exchanged within the opening 20 minutes.

Ndiaye registered the first attempt on goal, rolling a deflected shot through to Robert Sánchez, but the initial moment of class resulted in Chelsea taking the lead. Gusto moved into central midfield, inverting from his full-back position to excellent effect, and his superb through pass located Palmer running beyond the defense. Chelsea's No. 10 completed the move, adjusting his foot at the final moment to expertly curl the ball inside Jordan Pickford's near post.

Chelsea's lead could have been extended shortly after when Carlos Alcaraz, introduced for Dewsbury-Hall, inexplicably attempted a blind pass back to keeper Pickford. Alejandro Garnacho anticipated the situation perfectly, intercepting both the pass and eliminating Pickford from the play, but he incredibly rolled his shot wide with an empty net beckoning.

Pedro Neto blazed wide for the home side before Everton enjoyed a few promising moments themselves. James Tarkowski squandered a free header from a James Garner set piece, directing it wide when he should have tested Sánchez, Jack Grealish saw an attempted touch pushed wide by Chelsea's keeper and Thierno Barry somehow failed to convert O'Brien's dangerous low delivery—replays revealed the ball passed between the Everton forward's legs.

Predictably, and against the flow of play, Chelsea doubled their advantage before halftime—Gusto this time finding the net after an excellent breakaway. The 21-year-old located the advancing Neto on the right flank and after he skillfully beat Vitaliy Mykolenko with some lightning-quick footwork, the Portuguese laid the ball back for Gusto who finished neatly with Pickford off balance.

If Garnacho believed his afternoon would improve after the break, fortune had different plans. A long Sánchez clearance put the former Manchester United attacker through Everton's defense, but he once again missed the target when he should have scored. Adding to his frustration, he was substituted shortly after for Jamie Gittens, following Palmer's earlier withdrawal before the hour mark as Maresca sought to manage his players' workload.

Grealish nearly scored for Everton at the opposite end, moments before James unleashed a dipping free kick that required an athletic save from Pickford.

Both teams made substitutions, with Chelsea aiming to secure the victory, but Everton continued fighting and Ndiaye struck the inside of Sánchez's post before another Alcaraz opportunity was blocked by Chelsea's rushing defense.

That represented their closest chance—Chelsea managing the remainder of the match to return to the Premier League's top four.

Chelsea vs. Everton Match Statistics