Chelsea is becoming more accomplished with each tour. Thomas Tuchel transformed their mentality with and without the ball and his last tactical adjustment in the attack worked perfectly. Bringing Kai Havertz as a fake nine was a masterstroke. The German, who debuted for the first time since January 27, played his best game with the blue shirt and was involved in both goals, as Chelsea won an impressive victory in the race to finish in the top four, dismissing the passive Everton with ease.
Although a point separated the teams at the beginning of the game, the gap in the classes was huge. The satisfaction for Tuchel, who has yet to prove defeat in the first 11 games, was immense. The Chelsea coach is not afraid to experiment and, although he was surprised to suggest that Havertz could be an option as a central striker last week, the maneuver worked against Everton, whose defenders were confused by the 21-year-old’s skill and movement. years and an easy way to find space in dangerous positions.
It was a good performance by Havertz, who has been fighting since transferring £ 62 million from Bayer Leverkusen last year, and another sign of Tuchel’s intelligence. This is a manager operating at a high level. Tuchel has scored victories in recent weeks, beating Liverpool and Atlético Madrid ahead of this resounding victory and the difference in Chelsea’s defense since Frank Lampard’s departure in January is remarkable.
They have conceded two goals since firing Lampard, and their commitment to the clean sheet was underlined by a few strokes from Reece James when Everton pressed during the final round, for approval by the home bench.
Chelsea, who look increasingly menacing in fourth place, controlled the game. Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic set the tone in midfield, winning and using the ball wisely, and Everton was soon pushed back. With James Rodríguez and Abdoulaye Doucouré absent, the visitors lacked ambition and the concentration on containment left Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison to feed on the attack.
Faced with a low block, it was a typical Chelsea performance at the beginning: a lot of possession and little incision. There were many hasty decisions in the final third and it looked as if the hosts had no one to join their attacks with Mason Mount, who is suspended for Atlético’s visit to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League Round of 16 next week, with a rare rest. .
Everton seemed more and more comfortable with the passing of the first half. There was a feeling, however, that Chelsea would eventually call for a moment of clarity.
Tuchel risked being criticized by moving Timo Werner to the right and choosing to play without a traditional striker, but Chelsea are confident in the process and take the lead when they increase their pace in the 31st minute. It was a beautiful move, starting with Callum Hudson-Odoi meeting Marcos Alonso with a beautiful pass on the left. The full-back finally had room and his inviting cut reached Havertz, who timed his run well and his side kick deflected from Ben Godfrey for a goal against.
The move freed Chelsea, who did not have a second when Jordan Pickford fired Alonso’s shot wide. The goal was a justification for Tuchel, who wants his team to continue to rotate possession while looking for openings. Chelsea was confident in their technical ability, playing defense even when under pressure, and was also disciplined, offering Everton little room to create.
The pattern continued into the second half. James punched a shot to the side and Havertz had an invalidated volley for handball.
Everton, still hopeful of qualifying for the Champions League, rarely bothered Chelsea. Andreas Christensen was once again undisturbed in defense and Kurt Zouma was strong on the left side of the defense. Everton had no pass and it was a waste when the opportunity finally came, with Richarlison shooting wide, with only Édouard Mendy to hit.
It was a crucial mistake. Chelsea continued to probe and moved away when Alonso launched Havertz, who bypassed Pickford before being shot down by the goalkeeper. Jorginho came over to send Pickford the wrong way and the game was done.
Although Werner missed a late chance, it was all very polite and clinical.