Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 at Goodison Park to inflict their first Premier League defeat of the season, with Pedro Neto scoring twice after half-time.
Neto struck just 43 seconds after the restart before adding a second in the 90th minute, as Chelsea secured their first league clean sheet for nine months and moved above Everton in the table.
The win came at a cost, however, after Chelsea goalkeeper Emi Martinez was stretchered off following a collision with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. Martinez received almost nine minutes of treatment after the incident in the penalty area.
Chelsea were also fortunate to remain at full strength before the break when Morgan Rogers escaped punishment for a high challenge on James Garner. The Chelsea forward failed to make contact with the ball and caught Garner with his studs.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean said: “I think it’s a minimum yellow, but I called red straight away.
“He catches him with his studs just on the inside of Garner’s knee, and I think it’s a straight red, I really do. It’s not a good tackle.”
Referee Paul Tierney had already shown five yellow cards in a feisty opening half, the first time that tally had been reached in a Premier League match since February.
Everton had arguably the best chance before the interval when Thierno Barry headed straight at Martinez. The goalkeeper later made an important save to deny a volley from his former Aston Villa team-mate Jack Grealish.
Moises Caicedo, standing in as Chelsea captain for the injured Reece James, struck the crossbar with a volley from a corner. Everton defender Maxence Lacroix also saw a stoppage-time header cleared off the line.
Everton managed only one second-half shot on target as Chelsea took control after the break. The result was Chelsea’s first victory at Everton since August 2022 and lifted them to 13 points from seven matches, putting them into the Champions League places for now.
