5 Chelsea players who underperformed against Everton | Premier League 2021-22
Having picked up only a single win in their last three matches, COVID-19-hit Chelsea hosted a depleted Everton side in the Premier League on Thursday.
The Blues were without Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Mateo Kovacic, with all of them testing positive for the deadly virus. Ben Chilwell also missed the clash through a knee injury.
Everton, on the other hand, did not have the services of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lucas Digne, Andros Townsend, Seamus Coleman and star striker Richarlison. The absentees dampened the spirit of the game to an extent and both teams struggled to hit top gear.
Chelsea thoroughly dominated proceedings in the first half. Everton’s withdrawn approach favored the Blues midfielders, allowing them to create plenty of chances. However, with most of their key players missing, Chelsea did not capitalize on the chances they created and went into the tunnel goalless.
The goal finally came through Mason Mount in the second half. The Englishman expertly guided the ball past Jordan Pickford to put the hosts ahead. Unfortunately, the lead lasted only three odd minutes as Everton promptly bounced back with an equalizer through Jarrad Branthwaite.
Chelsea tried their best to turn the game around, but they lacked the decisiveness to bag maximum points at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
The draw has kept Chelsea in third place, four points adrift of league leaders Manchester City.
Here are the five players who contributed to another bad day at the office for Chelsea:
#5 Cesar Azpilicueta
Chelsea’s right center-back Cesar Azpilicueta did not have an eventful night against Everton. He was largely untroubled at the back and added next to nothing to the attacks.
Thanks to Everton’s hesitancy, Azpilicueta had an abundance of space to exploit, but the Spaniard simply decided not to.
Abraham ⚽️
Azpilicueta ⚽️
Victory in Europe two years ago today! ✊ https://t.co/ibGNJN19Xd
Azpilicueta had only one shot that was off-target, lost possession 11 times, and provided no key passes or crosses. An unusually subdued night by the usually-adventurous defender.
#4 Ross Barkley
Former Evertonian Ross Barkley got the chance to impress off the bench on Thursday night. He made a couple of runs in the hope of making an impact but fell short thanks to his wasteful distribution.
He also gave the ball away cheaply and could not trouble the keeper even once in over 25 minutes.
ENOUGH WITH YOUR STEP-OVERS, ROSS BARKLEY, JUST PASS THE DAMN BALL
Barkley had only 26 touches, produced 15 accurate passes, and lost possession seven times. He also won only two of his four attempted duels.