Simply irresistible
Rampant Chelsea go top after thrashing Everton 5-0
This time last year Chelsea suffered their seventh league defeat away to Stoke City, their then-manager banned from the stadium, their team spirit absent without leave and the title defence already over – all of which makes the current transformation even more remarkable.
Top of the league on Bonfire Night and Everton’s defence still gently smouldering long after referee Bobby Madeley had called time on what was Antonio Conte’s team’s third successive league win, with 12 goals scored and none conceded. Led by the incomparable Eden Hazard who punched holes through this Everton team all over the pitch, and scored twice, Chelsea are the form team of the Premier League.
It was a dismal performance from Ronald Koeman’s Everton but vindication for his opposite number Conte who, with the help of a few signings, has tactically reimagined the Chelsea team from the shambles that Jose Mourinho left behind. Diego Costa, Pedro and Hazard were sensational in this demolition and their creativity and energy spoke volumes for the new 3-4-3 formation.
Conte has, so far, done exactly what was asked of him – renewing a Chelsea squad that the club always considered fit for purpose even in spite of their severe slump under Mourinho. They had the game won by half-time and they did not even get a moment’s trouble out of Romelu Lukaku, the old boy who destroyed them in the FA Cup in March.
Hazard conjured two fine goals but it was something else that caught his manager’s eye. “Eden is playing great football and he is showing his talent,” Conte said, “but the most important thing I’m seeing is that he is fantastic without the ball. He works very hard for the team, Eden, Diego and Pedro. The other players see their commitment when they don’t have the ball.”
The attitude of Costa, now the top goalscorer in the Premier League with nine, was notable especially given that an early tackle from Seamus Coleman cut his ankle deep enough for the blood to seep through his sock. The man from Brazil never wasted time getting retribution from Coleman but instead went about the more serious business of winning the game.
It was a bad day at the office for Koeman who called the game wrong tactically and his team, who seemed easily overawed, now find themselves with one win in their last six league games. There was not much you could easily recall Ross Barkley contributing to the game and Gareth Southgate will not have to linger long over the clips of the young Englishman’s key interventions.
Whatever it was that convinced Koeman to imitate Conte’s 3-4-3 formation, one could safely assume that 10 minutes into the game he was having his doubts and by the half-hour he had made up his mind to abandon it completely, although by then it was too late. Conte said later he had noticed Everton had tried to match his players up with their system but was too polite to point out how badly it had turned out for them.
“Chelsea have shown us a very high level of football in every aspect,” Koeman said, “how aggressive you need to play, quality on the ball, winning second balls. A big difference. I did not expect that on the pitch but it happened ... it’s my job to change the team or the players and it is a big lesson for everyone.”
Koeman used a three-man defence in his team’s draw at Manchester City, who he said at the time were the best side he had managed against, and on this occasion he defended his choice of system. “Everyone is very disappointed but it is only three points we lost. We need to react, we need to show that this is not our level. We can be better.”
His goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg was poor, letting the first one from Hazard past his left hand much too easily and Marcos Alonso’s second went straight through the Dutchman’s legs. Nevertheless, Koeman will have recognised that this three-man Everton defence was unable to defend down the flanks where both the opening
goals came from. Hazard doubled back on Ashley Williams and Coleman for the first and lashed a right-footed shot in the far corner. From the restart there were just 24 seconds before Alonso converted a cross from Pedro from the opposite side which had eluded Costa.
On that occasion it was the swiftness with which Chelsea switched the ball to the flanks, starting with Hazard who turned in the centre and then spread the ball out right to Pedro who crossed low. The Belgian was superb, turning sharply to dribble between Williams and Gareth Barry to begin the move.
The third goal was plain bad defending by Everton when they failed to deal with a corner flicked on by Nemanja Matic right to the feet of Costa who lashed the ball past Stekelenburg. By then, Koeman had substituted poor old Bryan Oviedo, his left wing-back, in favour of Kevin Mirallas. He moved Ramiro Funes Mori to left-back and set up as a conventional back four.
Hazard’s second was the best of them all, starting with an exchange with Pedro in which the Spaniard flicked a back-heel in the direction of his teammate. Hazard cut in on his left foot past Williams again and took the shot early, beating Stekelenburg at his near post. The fifth came when Costa drove forward on 65 minutes, played in Hazard and when his shot was saved, Pedro tidied up.
Later on, John Terry came on for his first league appearance since his ankle injury against Swansea City on Sept 11. The only time that Conte took his eye off the match was to applaud all four sides of the ground as they sung his name. Later he was asked for one word in Italian to describe the performance and paused to think for just a moment.
“Fantastica,” was the verdict.