'A win is a win' for Tuchel after Chelsea's tough opener against Everton

Chelsea put the troubles of a harrowing 2022 season behind them by fighting their way to a 1-0 win at Everton on Saturday thanks to Jorginho's penalty.

Manager Thomas Tuchel had warned last week that Chelsea were "not ready" for the new season after a gruelling tour of the United States, which included a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal, left his squad drained.

However, a new era at Stamford Bridge under the ownership of Todd Boehly and his group is picking up pace off the field with the signings of Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka in recent days joining new arrivals Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly.

Sterling, Koulibaly and Cucurella made their debuts as Chelsea ended a run of four consecutive defeats at Goodison Park despite a patchy performance.

"We have struggled in the last seasons to get points here and we have the points," said Tuchel.

"A win is a win, it's the most important thing, but we have to get better. We are maybe not at the highest level. We have brought players in but they came in late, pre-season was a bit turbulent but the last week of training was promising."

EVERTON RATINGS: Jordan Pickford - 6. Relatively quiet evening for the England shot stopper. He had no chance with the penalty, and made a couple of routine stops from Chelsea set pieces. However, he also made a worrying spill in the build-up Raheem Sterling’s offside goal. AFP

Chelsea peppered the home goal with 13 corners in the first half but the goal remained elusive. Just as the interval approached, Jorginho converted from the spot after Ben Chilwell has been fouled to give the visitors the lead.

It was redemption for Italy midfielder Jorginho, who saw his penalty saved by Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford during