CHELSEA 3 (Drogba 18, 59, Anelka 23) – EVERTON 3 (Cech og 12, Yakubu 45, Saha 63)
Ref. Phil Dowd. Gate 41,579.

One knowledgeable, but not wholly unbiased, previewer of this game, anticipating that Everton’s makeshift back four would meekly surrender to the Chelsea galacticos, promised ”goals, goals, goals.” That the shaky and panicky defence belonged to Chelsea was a surprise; that Louis Saha, in the form of his life, was able to exploit this fallibility, was not.

After just eleven minutes Leighton Baines lofted a free kick into the Chelsea area; John Terry and Saha challenged for it and Saha got enough of a connection to head it downwards to Cech’s left. The keeper managed to deflect it onto his post only for the ball to rebound off his prone body into the net. Chelsea had conceded only their second league goal of the season at Stamford Bridge. A period of sustained Chelsea pressure followed and parity was quickly restored when on eighteen minutes Drogba latched onto a Lampard dink and this quickly became ascendancy, when Ivanovic found Anelka – who nonchalantly netted past a stranded Tim Howard.

In added time at the end of the first half Jo went off injured to be replaced by Yakubu, but few can have expected the stocky Nigerian to make such an immediate impact. On the pitch for less than two minutes, he took full advantage of hesitancy in the Chelsea penalty area following an excellent Fellaini head-on to prod home from about three yards after Terry failed to clear cleanly.

Carlo Ancelotti’s half-time team talk must have lost nothing in translation because, after the break, Chelsea poured forward, pinned Everton back and went three-two up on fifty-nine minutes when Drogba volleyed in an Ivanovic cross. There were more goals in this game but surprisingly it was Everton who obliged. A Johnny Heitinga free-kick was met by Drogba, but his header hit Saha and looped perfectly over a stunned Cech to make it three all. Everton held on, won a point, and earned the plaudits of a satisfied David Moyes who said: “It was our best result of the season.”

Lucas Neill played his finest game so far for Everton. He marshalled the back four well, chivvying, encouraging and providing the leadership that has been missing of late. Bilyaletdinov had another quiet game. As we said some weeks ago, it took Mikel Arteta a season and more to show his true ability and we expect that the Russian’s best is still many, many, months away. Yakubu scored, played 45 minutes, and looks increasingly like his old self. We may be riven by injuries in defence and midfield, but up front the cocktail of Saha, Yakubu and the ever improving Jo looks increasingly potent.

EVERTON (4-4-2): Howard ©; Hibbert, Heitinga, Neill, Baines; Rodwell, Bilyaletdinov, Fellaini, Pienaar; Jo (Yakubu 45+3), Saha (Agard 90+4).
Subs not used: Nash, Coleman, Duffy, Akpan, Mustafi

CHELSEA (4-1-3-2): Cech; Ivanovic, Carvalho (Belletti 85), Terry ©, A Cole; Mikel; Ballack, J Cole, Lampard; Anelka, Drogba.
Subs not used: Hilario, Zhirkov, Ferreira, Matic.