The Premier League has returned, and it came back with a bang. The league kicked off with a feisty London derby between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park, which ended 2-0 in favour of the Gunners. Saturday started off with a shock result at Craven Cottage as Fulham held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in which the Merseyside club trailed the Premier League newcomers twice. Other notable results included the shock win Bournemouth earned over Aston Villa and Newcastle United winning against the new boys Nottingham Forest. The evening kick-off between Everton and Chelsea was the last game of the day and it turned out to be the weekend’s ugliest.
There were doubts about whether the trend of mediocrity would continue for the Blues with Goodison Park being their bogey ground. All the madness of the transfer window and with players coming back from injury, it all seemed too much. Thomas Tuchel went with an experienced back line of Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly with Reece James and Ben Chilwell on either flank. The midfield comprised of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, which was a bit surprising as it lacked any creativity and that was evident from the get-go. Everton also played with a back three, which saw the Toffees rely on counterattacks to trouble the Blues.
It was not the prettiest of games to watch for the neutrals as Chelsea lacked that creative edge and Everton was sitting back hoping for that one magical chance. The home side came close to scoring a couple of times, only to be denied by Edouard Mendy. The breakthrough finally came when Abdoulaye Doucoure fouled Chilwell in the box to award Chelsea a penalty in stoppage time of the first half, which was converted by Jorginho. In the second half, Everton came out guns blazing and had Chelsea under pressure. It came to no fruition as the visitors took home all three points in the end, putting an end to the losing streak on the blue half of Merseyside.
Here’s how each of the Blues fared in a tough game against the Toffees:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 8/10
Edouard Mendy had quite a busy day at the office as he was forced to make a couple of brilliant saves. One from James Tarkowski in the first half and one in the second half when he saved Doucoure’s shot as the home side was on top and pilling on the pressure on the visitors. All in all, not the best performance from the Senegalese international as he struggled a bit in a few instances, but it was a good start to the season with a clean sheet.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Right centerback): 6/10
The Spaniard signed a new contract with the club a few days back, which at least for the short term, will be very beneficial for the club. The Spanish international went straight into the starting line-up following the deal. From the get-go, it was clear to see that Azpilicueta was struggling to cope with the pace of the Everton attackers. In the second half, Azpilicueta did improve a lot but he still needed the help of his fellow defenders to sometimes help him out. It was not the best performance, but it did the job for the day as he played an important role in the clean sheet.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 8/10
By far the best Chelsea player out there on Saturday was the Brazilian veteran, Silva. The positioning of Silva was out of this world. He had vital interceptions that canceled out several counterattacks from Everton that kept Chelsea out of danger throughout the game and ensured that the clean sheet was secured. The commentators rightly called him the “Rolls Royce of Brazil.”
Kalidou Koulibaly (Left centerback): 7.5/10
Koulibaly made his full Chelsea debut at the weekend and he did not fail to impress. His imposing presence on the pitch could be felt everywhere. The timing of the challenges made by Koulibaly was consistently sublime and under pressure, the Senegalese international was as calm as anyone could be. His forward pass to Chilwell is what put the left wingback through on goal for the eventual match-winning penalty. Overall, a great start. Hopefully, the cramp he suffered—due to which he had to be taken off—is nothing too serious.
Reece James (Right wingback): 6/10
Usually one of the most consistent performers of the team, Reece James, just looked off the pace for some reason at Goodison Park. Maybe it is because of the new season and him not being sharp enough, but it was clear to see with all the misplaced passes in the first half. He also had some bad corner deliveries. Overall, this was one below-average performance from James.
Jorginho (Central midfielder): 5.5/10
The man with ice in his veins is back for Chelsea as it was Jorginho who would convert the penalty which secured all three points and a rare victory at the Goodison Park. In the midfield, Jorginho was pulling all the strings, but quite a few times the Italian international was caught lacking. His lack of pace and physicality were exploited by the opposing attackers. Being the first match of the season, one cannot expect everyone to be fully fit and ready to go, so job well done by Jorginho.
N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 5.5/10
N’Golo Kante has always given everything in games and his work rate can never be questioned. Defensively, the French international was one of the best on the pitch when it came to intercepting the ball and taking it away. But one of the frustrating parts of his game on Saturday was his forward passes. Kante’s forward passes were very weak, but he made up for it with good defensive contributions, especially toward the end of the game.
Ben Chilwell (Left wingback): 6/10
Before the game, Tuchel doubted whether Ben Chilwell would even start or not. To the surprise of everyone, the England international started and played a good 65 minutes of football. The left wingback look far from his best and he largely lacks the pace in his game after recovering from his long-term injury last season, but his instincts are still sharp. They especially were when the penalty turned out to be the only goal of the game. Now with Marc Cucurella in the side, Chilwell can be eased into the starting XI, rather than be hurried in the starting rotation.
Mason Mount (Right winger): 5/10
Chelsea’s two-time defending Player of the Season never looked settled into the match, from the get-go to the time he was brought off. Apart from Mount’s long-range effort in the first half which was comfortably saved by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, the right winger was as anonymous as any player could be. Mount never got the hang of the game and he was barely involved in any of the forward play as the Toffees’ narrow defensive structure kept him out. All of this resulted in the England international being replaced in the 65′ by Christian Pulisic.
Kai Havertz (Center forward): 5/10
The German international had a very quiet night at Goodison Park. He could not influence the game much due to the defensive shape of Everton—similar to Mount—all credit to Frank Lampard for that tactical strategy. Kai Havertz rotated his position well with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Mount, but he could not have a decisive contribution. Overall, a night to forget for the makeshift No. 9. Havertz was then replaced by fellow forward Armando Broja in the 75′.
Raheem Sterling (Left winger): 7/10
Sterling made his Chelsea debut with his start and now fans should understand why Tuchel called him a priority signing. Sterling possesses a trait that has been lacking in the team since the departure of Eden Hazard, which is the ability to take on players. With Sterling, the Blues now have a player who can do the following. The England international attempted the most dribbles (four), but some concerning aspects of his game were the times he was dispossessed from the ball (seven). Other than that, it is easy to see that Sterling will be the most important player for Tuchel this season along the front line.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Right wingback): 6.5/10
Ruben Loftus-Cheek came on for Chilwell in the 65′ and he slotted in the right wingback spot, just like he has been doing during the preseason and did toward the end of last season. This gives spectators a hint as to what the manager thinks his best position is going forward, which also gets the Englishman the most minutes. Loftus-Cheek never looked out of place and he troubled the Everton back line during his short cameo.
Christian Pulisic (Right winger): 5/10
Christian Pulisic came on for Mount in the 65′ and the American tried to pressurize the Toffees’ back three. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do much to trouble them throughout his time on the pitch. Luckily, the fresh pair of legs were somewhat useful for the Blues as the team tries to regain full match fitness.
Marc Cucurella (Left wingback): 6.5/10
Marc Cucurella came on for Koulibaly in the 75′ due to the Senegalese international being taken off due to a cramp. Just as the new signing came on, supporters could see that the Spanish wingback looked to be the best player on the pitch with his pace and sharp passing—it was a welcomed addition after Chilwell’s shaky performance. Fans must be looking forward to him playing more regularly in the team as the weeks go on.
Armando Broja (Center forward): 6/10
Broja came on for Havertz in the 75′ and the Albanian international showed some glimpses of good turns and touches to make the Chelsea supporters excited. It was good to see the manager trusting Broja and giving him some minutes on the pitch after the center forward was injured for most of the preseason tour.
Conor Gallagher (Central midfielder): N/A
Conor Gallagher came on to replace Jorginho in the dying minutes of the game, but he didn’t have enough time to influence the game.
What rating would you give to each of the players? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!