Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Everton: Blues Humiliated as Pressure Rises on Rosenior

Chelsea’s final match before the international break ended in disaster.

Chelsea were humbled by Everton. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images.

Chelsea were thrashed by Everton on their return to Premier League action, slumping to a deserved 3–0 defeat on Merseyside following another disastrous performance.

Liam Rosenior was desperate to witness a response following midweek humiliation at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, but Chelsea’s lackadaisical first-half performance at the Hill Dickinson Stadium was deservedly punished when Beto’s delicate finish opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark.

Things went from dire to truly dismal for the Blues after the restart. Beto doubled his tally, as his powerful shot squirmed through the legs of the unconvincing Robert Sánchez, with a fine effort from Iliman Ndiaye compounding Chelsea’s misery in the 76th minute.

Another embarrassing loss places Rosenior firmly under the microscope and dents Chelsea’s hopes of Champions League qualification. Missing the opportunity to take advantage of dropped points for Manchester United and Liverpool, the west Londoners enter the international break stuck in sixth place.

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The Problems That Won’t Go Away

Chelsea are in trouble. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Having just shipped eight goals across two legs to PSG, while also entering Saturday’s fixture with just one clean sheet from their past 14 games, Chelsea needed to tighten their defensive line. Injuries to Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James exacerbated Rosenior’s issues, but his back four and goalkeeper was made up of £231 million ($308 million) worth of talent. There can be little sympathy for the Chelsea boss despite fitness problems.

However, from the first kick on Merseyside, Chelsea were decidedly sloppy in defense. Lax passing encouraged Everton’s press and home crowd, with Sánchez almost gifting the hosts an early goal following yet another gaffe. The Spaniard’s blushes were spared by Lady Luck, but Beto would soon punish the Blues, one straight through-ball feeding the forward—a goal remarkably similar to that conceded against Newcastle United last weekend.

Beto’s second of the afternoon further exposed Rosenior’s misfiring rearguard. Unpicked by a swift counter attack, the Chelsea backline was all at sea as Idrissa Gueye bounded towards goal, Fofana failing to match Beto’s run (again) and Sánchez inexplicably unable to rebuff the forward’s shot as it trickled over the goal line.

Chelsea’s forwards must shoulder some blame, too. After back-to-back blanks, a star-studded attacking unit once again struggled against a compact low block, the likes of Palmer, Enzo Fernández and João Pedro all coming up short when Chelsea needed moments of inspiration. Their underperformance was not as glaring, but they must still accept justifiable scrutiny for their ineffectiveness.

Pressure is certainly mounting on Rosenior with the honeymoon period well and truly over. Managers don’t get long to prove themselves at Stamford Bridge, and the Chelsea boss will need to turn things around soon to avoid succumbing to the same brutal fate as his predecessors.

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

Wesley Fofana struggled on Merseyside. | Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Robert Sánchez—5.0: Fortunate to get away with another massive blunder early doors and will deservedly come under fire again for Beto’s second strike. Chelsea have serious, serious issues in between the sticks.

RB: Malo Gusto—6.6: Cole Palmer’s preference for drifting centrally opened up the right flank for Gusto, but the right back struggled to take full advantage of the advanced positions he adopted. Withdrawn at the break, perhaps owing to the illness that sidelined him midweek.

CB: Wesley Fofana—6.3: Beto raced off the Frenchman to open the scoring, Fofana reacting too late to match the Everton striker’s incisive run. Guilty of not being close enough to the forward again when he notched his brace—epitomizing another dire display from the under-fire defender.

CB: Jorrel Hato—6.6: An unconvincing presence in defense whether operating at center back or left back, continually looking erratic in possession and sheepish when facing powerful forwards.

LB: Marc Cucurella—6.0: Caught way upfield in the lead up to Everton’s second goal as he joined the rest of his defensive teammates in producing an uncertain display.

DM: Roméo Lavia—6.9: Punched some neat passes into the final third as he tried to energize Chelsea’s attacking play. One of Chelsea’s brighter sparks.

DM: Moisés Caicedo—6.0: Defended doggedly in the first half before being shunted to right back after the restart, where he found life difficult against Ndiaye. One of few positives for Chelsea is that Caicedo avoided a yellow card—which would have resulted in a two-game suspension.

RW: Cole Palmer—6.6: When goals aren’t arriving from the penalty spot, they’ve rarely been seen this season in the Premier League. Another tame showing from Chelsea’s talisman in their time of need.

AM: Enzo Fernández—6.8: Unfortunate to be denied a first-half equalizer by Jordan Pickford’s wonder save and then brought a fine fingertip stop from the Everton stopper on the hour. Two moments that summed up a frustrating evening for Fernández and his teammates.

LW: Pedro Neto—6.5: Returning from his domestic suspension, Neto proved a toothless addition to Chelsea’s floundering forward line.

ST: João Pedro—5.9: Spent much of the encounter in isolation and was sloppy on the rare occasions he received possession. Grew increasingly frustrated with his lack of service as the minutes passed.

SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (46’ for Gusto)—6.3: Spent much of the evening trying to pick a fight, rather than trying to inspire a comeback.

SUB: Andrey Santos (57’ for Lavia)—6.3: Didn’t do too much wrong on an individual basis but hardly tightened things up in midfield.

SUB: Estêvão (70’ for Neto)—6.7: Offered some spark from the bench, causing issues with several wicked corner deliveries.

SUB: Liam Delap (78’ for Delap)—6.0: Hardly involved after arriving with the match already over.

SUB: Tosin Adarabioyo (78’ for Caicedo)—6.5: Rarely troubled as the match petered out.

Subs not used: Teddy Sharman-Lowe (GK), Josh Acheampong, Mamadou Sarr, Dário Essugo.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Robert Sánchez will come under fire once more. | Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images.

• Oh, Robert Sánchez. The Spaniard deserves sympathy as he endures a rotten run of form but his performances are becoming a major problem for Chelsea. Each mistake moves him closer to the exit door, with the Blues certain to replace him over the summer transfer window.
• Welsey Fofana is another in the midst of a difficult period in Chelsea blue, and the center back was abysmal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Bullied by Beto throughout, he underwhelmed for both of the striker’s goals and wasn’t much more convincing in possession. Rosenior will have to turn to his other defensive options after the international break.
• Chelsea’s attackers were simply not at the races. Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Alejandro Garnacho were all more or less anonymous throughout, Rosenior desperately needing more moments of quality from his forward stars. For the third game on the bounce, Chelsea have failed to find the net despite their immense options.
• There were few glimmers of light during a dreary evening on Merseyside for Chelsea, but the performance of Roméo Lavia offered pleasant viewing. The injury-prone midfielder was starting only his second league game of the season and served up a reminder of his talents when fit and healthy, both in his attacking play and defensive solidity. Rosenior must continue to manage his minutes moving forward, but it’s a step in the right direction.

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The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Misery

Another bad day for Chelsea. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images.

• Chelsea allowed nine shots on target and can hardly be surprised that Everton scored thrice after conceding a glut of good-quality chances.
• At the other end, their 1.11 xG tally and four shots on target underscore another tepid attacking display. They rarely looked like scoring against their stubborn hosts.
• The 3–0 scoreline marks Chelsea’s biggest loss to Everton since 1987. Another hefty defeat for Rosenior’s men comes at the end of a truly miserable week.

Statistic	Everton	Chelsea
Possession	36%	64%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.98	1.11
Total Shots	10	12
Shots on Target	9	4
Big Chances	2	3
Passing Accuracy	82%	89%
Fouls Committed	5	7
Corners	3	9

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