Jorginho’s first-half penalty got Chelsea’s Premier League campaign off to a winning start, as Thomas Tuchel’s men overcame a stubborn Everton to claim a 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.
Having been left without a striker through Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s knee injury and Salomon Rondon’s suspension, Frank Lampard’s hosts sat deep and successfully frustrated Chelsea early on.
But Everton’s resistance was finally broken when Jorginho converted from the spot on the stroke of half-time, and the Toffees were unable to find a way past Edouard Mendy despite an improved showing after the break.
That meant Chelsea won their Premier League opener for a third consecutive season despite failing to produce a fluid performance on Merseyside.
Everton suffered an early blow when Ben Godfrey was carried off with a serious lower-leg injury, but they forced Mendy into the first meaningful save through James Tarkowski’s 24th-minute header.
Chelsea debutant Raheem Sterling was denied by the offside flag 42 minutes in, having stabbed home after Jordan Pickford fumbled N’Golo Kante’s effort, but Chelsea made their dominance count nine minutes into a lengthy bout of stoppage time.
Abdoulaye Doucoure hauled Ben Chilwell down as the wing-back burst into the area, allowing Jorginho to convert neatly into the bottom-left corner as Pickford went the wrong way.
Everton found Mendy in inspired form as they looked to respond after the break, with the Senegal stopper denying both Demarai Gray and Doucoure with strong saves.
Ten minutes of additional time were signalled after a medical emergency in the crowd required a brief stoppage, but Chelsea’s experienced rear-guard stood firm.
What does it mean? Blues make another strong start
Tuchel repeatedly cut a frustrated figure throughout Chelsea’s less-than-ideal pre-season campaign, but the Blues, so often strong starters, produced a professional performance to win their Premier League opener.
Chelsea have now started 20 of their 31 Premier League campaigns with a win (drawn six, lost five), while Everton have suffered their first opening-day defeat since going down to Queens Park Rangers in 2011.
Everton pay the penalty as Jorginho converts
Jorginho was thwarted by Pickford during Italy’s penalty shoot-out win over England in the Euro 2020 final, but the 30-year-old kept his nerve to send the goalkeeper the wrong way this time around.
Eighteen of his 20 Premier League goals have now come from the spot, the highest percentage (90 per cent) among players to have scored at least 10 goals in the competition, while Chelsea’s tally of 139 successful penalties is the most in the division’s history.
Chelsea put Goodison Park blues behind them
Chelsea’s victory saw them end a run of four successive defeats at Everton, which had been their longest active losing streak against another Premier League side.
The Toffees, meanwhile, fell to just their second defeat in seven home league outings, having relied on their Goodison Park performances to ensure survival last term.
What’s next?
Chelsea face London rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in their next Premier League outing next Sunday, while Everton travel to Aston Villa a day earlier.
