Pedro Neto’s two goals handed Everton their first defeat of the season as Chelsea secured a 2-0 victory at Hill Dickinson Stadium, despite losing goalkeeper Emi Martinez to a head injury.
Neto opened the scoring just after half-time and sealed the win during eleven minutes of added time following Martinez’s injury. The Argentine collided heads with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and was subsequently taken to hospital.
Chelsea’s victory moved them above Everton into the Premier League’s top four. The match began slowly, but it intensified when Everton’s Harrison Armstrong clashed with Josh Acheampong, resulting in one of five yellow cards shown in the first half. The incident energised the home crowd and boosted Everton’s performance.
However, French forward Thierno Barry squandered a chance, heading Jack Grealish’s cross directly at Martinez. Chelsea threatened just before half-time when Moises Caicedo’s powerful shot hit the bar from a well-executed corner. Everton were incensed when Morgan Rogers avoided a second yellow card after a tackle on James Garner.
The decision proved crucial as Chelsea quickly took control at the start of the second half. Jorrel Hato’s low cross found Neto, who calmly slotted the ball past Jordan Pickford.
Chelsea had not achieved a Premier League clean sheet in 22 matches since January but faced little trouble from an Everton side struggling for attacking depth. Although Martinez’s injury interrupted Chelsea’s momentum, Belgian Mike Penders, his replacement, didn’t have much to contend with apart from a few crosses.
Pickford made a notable save from Joao Pedro. However, Neto secured his brace by neatly finishing after Jordan Henderson’s free-kick was blocked by the Everton wall.
