All Football

Everton 0-1 Chelsea

After huffing and puffing for 40 minutes against an organized Everton side, Chelsea finally took the lead through Michael Essien for the second time this week. However, unlike on Monday, they managed to hang on for the win to claw to within two points of Manchester United…
Chelsea?s title challenge lives to fight another day after a narrow victory over Everton at Goodison Park. In a game of few chances, a first half goal from Michael Essien was enough to secure victory for a nervy-looking Blues side and ensure their title dream lives on.

Much had been made before the game about the scheduling of this match but both sides shrugged this off and the game began brightly with Chelsea and Everton zipping the ball around nicely, the visitors just edging proceedings.

Although Chelsea were enjoying some decent possession down both flanks and moving Everton across the pitch, they struggled to find a quality final ball and their crossing in particular consistently let them down.

Everton meanwhile were coping fairly well with whatever Chelsea threw at them whilst still looking dangerous at times from set pieces. Manual Fernandes forcing Petr Cech into a hurried save from a free kick which bounced awkwardly right in front of the goalkeeper.

Yet with five minutes to go before half-time Chelsea?a dominance finally paid off and they scored with their first shot on target. Some neat interplay down the left ended with Essien passing to Wright-Phillips, whose return pass was blocked but fell kindly to the Ghanaian who finished neatly past Howard to give the visitors a lead they just about deserved.

A more determined Everton emerged for the second half but still they struggled to create anything from open play. Without the creative influences of Tim Cahill, Leon Osman and Mikel Arteta, David Moyes?s squad looked shorn of invention and too often Johnson and Yakubu were left stranded or forced to chase lost causes.

Indeed it was only from set pieces that the home side looked as though they might trouble Petr Cech but too often Fernandes? delivery lacked quality and Carvalho and Terry were happy to mop up anything that came their way.

David Moyes attempted to shake things up by replacing the ineffective Johnson and Pienaar with Anichebe and Gravesen but still Everton struggled to test Cech in the Chelsea goal.

However as the game progressed and Chelsea failed to extend their lead, the home side sensed a vulnerability in the visitors, the game against Wigan still fresh in their minds and the fragility of their lead all too evident.

Fernandes flashed another free kick just wide of Cech?s post and Avram Grant responded, replacing Wright-Phillips for Makelele in an attempt to tighten his team up and avoid any repeat of Monday night.

In the end Chelsea did just enough and Everton were unable to carve out that one chance that might have made the difference. Although Avram Grant will be delighted with the result he will be disappointed with the number of promising situations his side created and then spurned due to a lack of quality in the final third.

For Everton the result sees their dreams of finishing fourth now disappear and indeed they will have their work cut out to ward off Portsmouth and Aston Villa in the race to finish fifth.

Chelsea, meanwhile, still have the title in their sights and the visit of Manchester United to Stamford Bridge to look forward to next weekend. In the meantime, however, there is the small matter of a Champions League semi-final against Liverpool.

Goals: 1-0 Chelsea (Essien, 41)

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Neville, Carsley, Fernandes, Pienaar (Anichene, 62), Johnson (Gravesen, 62), Yakubu.

Subs: Wessels, Baines, Rodwell.

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole, Wright-Phillips (Makelele), Mikel, Essien, J Cole (Malouda, 76), Anelka, Kalou.

Subs: Hilario, Shevchenko, Alex.

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Gill Clark

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