EVERTON FOOTBALL CLUB - News Archive

Everton 1-3 Chelsea

Everton suffered their first home defeat of the season, but despite losing 3-1, the score line doesn’t begin to accurately reflect the events of a stormy afternoon.

All Tony Hibbert, Alan Stubbs and Lee Carsley returned to the Everton side, with Chelsea recalling Enrique De Lucas and Marcel Desailly.

Within the first minute, there were signs that this game would be one to remember... Gary Naysmith headed wide from a Li Tie cross 32 seconds in.

Everton’s bright start however lasted for just five minutes, as Mario Stanic found space inside the penalty area to plant a firm, close-range header past Richard Wright into the net. The defence hanged there head in shame... Never should of Stanic have found so much space.

The Toffees continued to enjoy the better of the exchanges, but it was Chelsea who scored again on 28 minutes. Frank Lampard’s shot was parried by Wright and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink slotted home the loose ball.

The first two goals Everton had conceded were due to mistakes... maybe the Jerzy Dudek jinx had blown over to Goodison.

All credit to Everton, they reacted as if it was still 0-0, as Everton pressed forward at every opportunity.

Just before the interval, Tomasz Radzinski forced a good save from Carlo Cudicini but two minutes later a goal finally arrived.

Kevin Campbell, who gave an exemplary centre-forward display, played in Gary Naysmith and for the second time in four days the Scot found the net against Chelsea.

That was just the boost that Everton needed and they came out for the second period with all guns blazing.

Campbell beat Cudicini only for Graeme Le Saux to scramble the ball off the line and the Chelsea defender also did superbly well to keep out a goal-bound Carsley header. With the sell-out crowd urging the players forward, Campbell came even closer when his header rebounded off the crossbar and with five minutes left, Carsley’s flying header flashed wide.

Everton were looking a completely differant side than what they looked midweek.

However the excitment was completely ruined by referee Eddie Wolstenholme in stoppage time. Jesper Gronkjaer wrestled David Unsworth to the ground on the Everton left and as The Toffees defender tried to get back up onto his feet a scramble ensued that can best be described as unseemly.

The referee’s opinion however, was somewhat different. The home crowd was sure that the most Unsworth would recieve was a yellow, so sure infact a man behing me shouted "BLOOMIN HELL RHINO, HOW MANY YELLAS IS THAT!"

The ref waved a yellow card in the face of Gronkjaer, and then stunned Goodison by showing Unsworth a straight red!!!

Gronkjaer was an honest player... even he appealed to Mr Wolstenholme for leniency.

Everton had actually been awarded the free-kick and from it, Kevin Campbell was impeded inside the penalty area. But as expected, the referee incensed the home crowd by waving play-on and when Chelsea broke away, it was Gronkjaer, ironically, who eventually prodded the ball into the Everton net to make it 3-1.

Although almost heart breaking, Everton can pick an awful amount of positives from the game... If Everton play like that every week, then bring on Europe!.