Everton will look to bounce back from last weekend’s sickening defeat at Arsenal when they host fellow Londoners Chelsea on Saturday evening.
The Toffees had more than matched the Premier League leaders for much of the game, so to lose in the way they did was cruel.
It could be argued that the opening goal was not helped by a slight misjudgement from Jordan Pickford, but it felt like more of a collective lapse in concentration at the end of a keenly-fought game. Ultimately, it was just one of those
games where one key moment went against the Toffees at the worst possible time.
Despite the initial disappointment, David Moyes said the players had taken heart from the performance throughout the week and morale remained high. They more than matched the best team in the league away from home, so the remaining fixtures should hold no fear.
A further boost was James Garner’s first call-up to the senior England squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. Garner’s development this year has been impressive and he deserves this moment. It also sends out a positive message to any potential signings that Everton is a place where you can fulfill your ambitions.
A win on Saturday will make it back-to-back home league victories for the first time at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and the first in all competitions since the opening two games against Brighton and Mansfield in August.
It has been a struggle at times down on the docks, not helped by some awful scheduling. This will be the first Saturday home league game since 20 December, though that game against Arsenal was an evening kick-off. You have to go back to the Nottingham Forest game on 6 December for a Saturday afternoon match.
But with sunny weather forecast and the return of the 1878s coach greeting, this is a chance to really make the place feel like home.
The opposition
With a wonderful sense of timing, Chelsea are Everton’s first opponents since the London club were punished for more than £45m of illicit payments to agents during the Roman Abramovich years. I say punished – a £10.75m fine, a one-year academy transfer ban and a suspended full transfer ban, with no mention of any ‘sporting advantage’ feels incredibly lenient given the offences, and even more so when you consider how aggressively the Premier League pursued Everton and later Nottingham Forest.
Evertonians were mocked in some quarters for suggesting that certain clubs were treated differently. For many, this will be a moment of vindication. But it will also leave a sour taste and bring back the bitter feeling of injustice and anger at how Everton were treated.
Chelsea may be happy with that outcome, but they will not be happy with their recent form. Liam Rosenior’s side have lost their last three – including an 8-2 aggregate thrashing by PSG in the Champions League – and have won just two of their last seven.
They do head north though boasting the second-best away record in the league, losing just four times on the road all season
The west London side are just five points ahead of Everton, making this a crucial match in the race for Europe. Looking down the league, six teams are within four points of the Toffees, meaning this would be an awful time to lose back-to-back matches.
Previous meeting
Chelsea 2–0 Everton, 13 December 2025
A hugely frustrating afternoon in London (sound familiar?), as Everton played well but paid the price for a lack of cutting edge (sound familiar?). After a bright start, Everton went behind with Chelsea’s first real chance thanks to Cole Palmer. The Toffees then wasted more openings before a rapid break saw Malo Gusto make it 2-0 just before half-time. Iliman Ndiaye hitting the inside of the post late on summed up the day.
Team news
Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski are back in training and in contention after missing last week’s game at Arsenal, though David Moyes has been strangely coy about the nature of their injuries.
Tyrique George is ineligible against his parent club. Charly Alcaraz is also sidelined, while Jack Grealish is out for the season.
Final word
Everton showed last week that they can compete with the best in the league, so they should not fear an out-of-form, albeit talented, Chelsea side. This is the first of three huge home games in the run-in and a chance to push themselves further into contention for a European spot.
