Everton 1-0 Chelsea: How Carlo Ancelotti beat Frank Lampard | Football news

Everton fans returned to Goodison Park for the first time in nine months, and their team produced a performance that has taken a long time to defeat Chelsea.

It was in March, when Everton were on the receiving end of a 4-0 loss at Stamford Bridge that Frank Lampard’s team inflicted an unhappy return from Carlo Ancelotti to their former club.

That day, Gylfi Sigurdsson played out of position on the left as part of a 4-4-2 system that was easily outmatched by the hosts when Mason Mount, Pedro, Willian and Olivier Giroud all scored in a convincing home win.

For Ancelotti it was a reality check after his promising start in Merseyside, and a reminder that his team’s progress is in its infancy.

For the disgruntled Evertonians who rushed to Fulham Road that spring afternoon, little did they know that it would be nine more months before some of them witnessed their team again in person, facing the same opposition.

Chelsea have improved tremendously this season, and while Lampard admitted there will be more nights like these as his team move on to Premier League title contenders, Ancelotti will be very encouraged on a night when the Italian’s managerial experience shifted foreground.

Soak up the pressure and jump

Not having kept a clean sheet since the first weekend, it was clear from the first whistle that Everton had prepared to be more compact.

In the same way that Morgan Schneiderlin and Sigurdsson were deployed as deep midfielders in a 3-1 win over Chelsea 12 months ago, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan were asked to protect the four behind with Sigurdsson playing in their preferred position. number 10 behind Dominic. Calvert-Lewin.

Richarlison and Alex Iwobi were tasked with providing protection for Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate in defensive positions and the game plan was to catch Chelsea on fast break or dead ball situations.

Allan’s tenacity helped Everton win the ball back 11 times, while Doucoure put on a disciplined display alongside him to limit Mount’s influence.

Everton had 28 percent possession, the lowest on record in a single Premier League game they won. But by absorbing Chelsea’s best efforts, the hold and counter tactic worked wonders.

Can Sigurdsson play James?

Sigurdsson’s most creative performance for the club in more than three years was even more notable in the absence of James Rodríguez.

When both were on the field early on against Manchester United in a 3-1 home loss last month, Ancelotti fell short of a coach to come off the bench. When Plan A failed, Everton ran out of ideas.

It wasn’t the first time the pair couldn’t fit in effectively, and finding a way to accommodate Rodriguez while tackling a leaky defense has been high on Ancelotti’s thoughts during a difficult streak of a seven-game win.

But on Saturday, Everton overtook Chelsea (108.85km to 106.74km) and it is questionable whether such intensity would have been possible if the Colombian had been cared for.

Rodriguez is undoubtedly the lynchpin of Ancelotti’s Everton and is an integral part of his plans to turn the team back into European contenders, but having provided six key passes and covered 10.07km on his own, Sigurdsson took advantage the chance to show you still have a future at Goodison. three and a half years after the arrival of his club record of £ 45 million.

The challenge now is for him to produce more consistently, with and without Rodríguez.

Chelsea supply line bypassed

Chelsea produced 32 crosses at Goodison, but only four of them found a teammate, as Michael Keane and Yerry Mina held Olivier Giroud at bay. Tammy Abraham was introduced for the final 20 minutes, but the substitution played at Everton’s hands as Chelsea were reduced to opportunities from outside the area.

The visitors concentrated their attacks on Everton’s left with 48.7 percent of Chelsea’s attacks on that flank via Reece James, predominantly operating in tandem with Mateo Kovacic, but when Ben Godfrey was hit with the cross, Keane he was invariably available to clear, as he did on nine separate occasions.

Godfrey was perceived as a weak link after being deployed out of position on the left back, but the Norwich summer signing has now played in all three positions at the back of Everton this season and has not been found to be lacking since a Challenging afternoon in Southampton. .

The 22-year-old made five interceptions to thwart Chelsea’s attacks from the right, while only one of Ben Chilwell’s five crosses reached his goal with Mason Holgate making eight clearances himself on his return to the team.

Fans return to bring home advantage

Speaking after the loss, Lampard said: “When you give them an advantage in this stadium against this team, it is very difficult.”

The Chelsea head coach was in no mood to make excuses after his team came up short for the first time since they were beaten by Liverpool in September, but there is no denying that the 2,000 fans at Goodison made a huge difference.

Players were fed by the enthusiasm of the stands, and while some clubs arguably have benefited from not hearing dissenting voices during tough times, Everton have always sought to make use of their twelfth man.

Ancelotti had not suffered a home defeat during his tenure prior to the Premier League restart in June, but in the 10 league games since they were without a fan, Everton lost three times, including the last two in a row against Manchester United and Leeds.

With Arsenal, United in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and Manchester City to come this month, hosting 1,500 of the 2,000 allowed at Gwladys Street End was an inspired move, and one that should greatly benefit Ancelotti’s team. .

Richarlis’ antics are an irritation on both sides

This was Everton’s third consecutive home win in the Premier League over Chelsea, and after Calvert-Lewin’s coming-of-age display in this match last December, there was a maturity in the way he led the line. Now an England international, he showed strength and keen awareness to win the first-half penalty. The 23-year-old was full of selfless careers.

By contrast, Richarlison is still somewhat below his best form. The Brazilian forward has often been the talisman of the team, grabbing the ball in hopes of taking the decisive penalty before Ancelotti voiced his point that Sigurdsson was the designated penalty taker.

There were times other than he would have angered fans: he fouled three times, there were many more times he spent too much time on deck protesting the decisions. But his presence led Chelsea to award unnecessary free kicks, all of which contributed to a stop-and-go competition that played in Everton’s favor.

That said, two meek efforts in the first half betrayed an unconfident player, while he was no more satisfied when he was replaced in the closing minutes despite Everton’s clear need to protect a small lead.

After receiving a three-game ban for a reckless challenge in the Merseyside derby at Thiago Alcantara, Everton are still waiting for Richarlison to pay the cost of a penalty that derailed the team’s promising start. But perhaps the most pleasant aspect for Ancelotti was how this collective effort dispelled the feeling of overdependence on him.