Pedro Neto scored twice in the second half to guide Chelsea to a 2-0 victory over Everton, bringing the hosts’ unbeaten start to the Premier League season to an end.
Despite an entertaining opening 45 minutes, neither side found the net, although Moises Caicedo struck the woodwork. Chelsea, however, took control after the interval, with Neto delivering a decisive performance.
The winger broke the deadlock within the first minute of the second half before sealing the victory in the 90th minute, capitalising on Everton’s defensive errors.
Everton began brightly, with Emiliano Martinez holding onto Merlin Rohl’s powerful low effort before being called into action again to deal with Thierno Barry’s glancing header from a set-piece.
Jack Grealish then forced the goalkeeper to tip his bouncing volley over the crossbar. Shortly afterwards, Vitalii Mykolenko created space brilliantly to set up Barry, whose effort on the turn was directed straight at Martinez.
Following a few heated exchanges, Chelsea ended the first half strongly. Caicedo came close to opening the scoring when his powerful effort from a corner crashed against the crossbar, despite being unmarked.
Maxence Lacroix also threatened from another set-piece just before the break, but his flicked header was cleared off the line by Harrison Armstrong.
Chelsea wasted little time after the restart. Morgan Rogers combined effectively with Jorrel Hato down the left flank, and his deflected cross was turned into the net by Neto to give the visitors the lead.
Rogers remained a threat, but Rohl blocked his first-time effort. Palmer later tried to catch Pickford off guard with a shot from the edge of the penalty area, only for the ball to sail into the stands.
Martinez was carried off on a stretcher in the 75th minute after sustaining a head injury. Everton attempted to increase the pressure on Mike Penders late in the game, but Chelsea nearly extended their advantage when Pickford made himself big to deny Joao Pedro following a counter-attack led by Palmer.
The visitors eventually found their second goal ahead of 11 minutes of added time. Jordan Henderson’s free-kick struck the defensive wall, but Everton failed to clear the danger, allowing Neto to react quickest and guide the ball into the bottom-left corner.
Neto finds his groove on Merseyside
Chelsea had struggled in recent visits to Everton, winning just one of their previous nine Premier League away matches against the Toffees before this encounter, alongside two draws and six defeats. They also suffered a 3-0 loss in their first visit to Hill Dickinson Stadium last season.
However, Xabi Alonso’s men secured consecutive league victories with Saturday’s result. They scored as many goals in this match as they had managed across their previous nine visits to Everton, although they had to withstand periods of pressure, particularly before half-time.
Chelsea had scored twice within the opening three minutes against Bournemouth in their previous outing, making their slower start against Everton unusual. It was the second-longest they had waited for their opening goal in a Premier League match this season.
The first half was tense, producing five yellow cards, but the contest became calmer after the break, with Neto’s opener helping to settle Chelsea.
The Portuguese winger has now scored 12 Premier League goals for Chelsea in 76 appearances, surpassing the total he recorded for Wolves across 111 appearances.
The brace also marked the first time Neto had scored twice in a single game in his 187th Premier League appearance.
While the goals and victory will satisfy Alonso, Chelsea’s defensive performance could prove even more encouraging. The visitors recorded their first Premier League clean sheet in 23 matches, finally ending their lengthy wait for a shutout.
