Chelsea 1-1 Everton: Three Things We Learned

While the Premier League’s fixture list may have been somewhat decimated this weekend as a result of ongoing COVID-19 struggles, there are still a few games that have managed to slip through the cracks. One such example of that was Chelsea vs Everton which went down last night, with the Blues being unable to secure all three points against the Toffees at Stamford Bridge.

Instead, they were held to a 1-1 draw after Mason Mount’s 70th minute strike was quickly cancelled out by teenage defender Jarrad Branthwaite. Today, we’re going to take a look at what we believe to be some of the biggest highlights from what went down.

Pickford steps up

Pulisic, James, Jorginho and Mount all came close to opening the scoring but Jordan Pickford wasn’t about to let that happen without a fight. The England international put on a goalkeeping clinic and while he wasn’t quite able to keep the clean sheet he desired, he certainly sent a message to the masses that he wasn’t about to lie down and let the hosts walk all over him. This point was well-earned, and Pickford was at the heart of making it possible.

Hope for Everton?

This Everton side had a number of absences for a number of reasons and was forced to call upon youngsters and fringe players just to put out a team in the first place. The club knows and understands what kind of position they’re in under Rafa Benitez but even with that being the case, they still managed to dig deep and carve out yet another positive result. The win over Arsenal was nice and marked a real sign of progress, but this draw may end up being even more valuable when you consider how good Chelsea have been all season long.

Chelsea’s struggles continue

Chelsea have been stumbling so much lately that it’s not exactly a surprise to see them four points behind the pace of Liverpool in the title race. They’re also three points behind Manchester City, signifying that this could wind up being a two-horse battle by the time we reach the new year.

Wolves, Aston Villa, Brighton and Liverpool all serve as tricky opponents between now and January 2nd, with a League Cup quarter-final against Brentford thrown in there for good measure. The time to dig deep is now, and Thomas Tuchel knows now more than ever how tricky this season is going to be.