Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta earns 4/10 after costly error leads to defeat at Everton

Chelsea were made to wait to secure a top-four finish as they suffered a 1-0 defeat on Sunday against Frank Lampard's Everton, who were fighting for Premier League survival at Goodison Park.

A tense first half saw not much created by way of chances, with Chelsea struggling to bypass a home side who looked to craft opportunities through individual wing play from Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray. Five yellow cards summed up the opening period as both sides were heavy with challenges as well as off-the-ball antics, and that made for a scrappy half where Chelsea failed to register a single shot on target.

A nightmare start to the second half saw Cesar Azpilicueta hesitate on the ball with Richarlison applying pressure, and the Brazil international claimed maximum value with a calm finish past Edouard Mendy. It was nearly 2-0 moments later when Vitaliy Mykolenko was presented with a golden chance, only to miss the target from close range.

Chelsea came close to levelling the scoring as Azpilicueta reacted first to Mason Mount's volley, only for Jordan Pickford to produce the first of two excellent saves in quick succession.

Those two chances for Chelsea turned out to be the best chances of the game for the Blues, who pressed forward in the seven minutes of added time, where Hakim Ziyech's effort drew another superb stop from Pickford, and Everton were able to hold on from that point as their defence dug deep to lock up what could be a crucial three points.

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Thomas Tuchel's side finally offered a response to Everton's bright start in the second half, and they were unfortunate not to score after Mount's volley struck the inside of the post.

Chelsea