Sarri extends unbeaten run but is unhappy with side
Chelsea missed a chance to keep pace with their title rivals as Everton held on for a goalless draw thanks to Jordan Pickford’s heroics yesterday.
Maurizio Sarri’s side laid siege to the Everton goal in the second half, but found Pickford unbeatable as the England keeper made a series of fine saves.
The stalemate at Stamford Bridge left Chelsea two points behind Liverpool, who beat Fulham earlier on Sunday, with Manchester City having a chance to pull clear of the Blues against Manchester United later in the day.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Chelsea, who extended their unbeaten start under Sarri to 18 games in all competitions but couldn’t make their territorial dominance count.
Sarri is the first new manager to avoid defeat in his opening 12 Premier League games, giving him sole possession of a milestone he shared with Nottingham Forest’s Frank Clark going into this weekend.
But the Italian was far from impressed with his side’s performance. “In the last two or three matches we haven’t been approaching the games right,” he said.“At the beginning, we moved the ball too slowly, so it is easy for the opposition to defend and impossible for us to be dangerous.
“We have to accept the draw, at the end it’s a good point and we are still unbeaten.”
But the Blues will go into the international break regretting their lack of killer touch in a display that undermined their title ambitions.
It took 39 minutes for Sarri’s team to muster a shot on target when Marcos Alonso met Willian’s high free-kick with a thunderous volley that Pickford repelled with a fine save at his near post.
Eden Hazard tried to spark Chelsea into life immediately after the interval, drilling over an inviting cross that Alvaro Morata prodded goalwards, only for Pickford to make an excellent stop.
Gylfi Sigurdsson tested Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga with a dipping effort in a rare Everton attempt.
But when Hazard slipped a superb pass through to Willian, it seemed certain the Brazilian would break the deadlock, but he sent his shot inches wide.
Pickford twice came to Everton’s rescue denying Hazard on both occasions – one from a stinging drive and another tipped over at full stretch after the Belgian’s shot had taken a deflection.
Chelsea had Marco Silva’s men on the ropes and only the woodwork denied them when Alonso’s shot hit the far post.
Morata saw an effort rightly ruled out for offside and Hazard clipped a shot narrowly wide after racing through, as Chelsea’s frustration mounted.
Ross Barkley received a hostile reception from Everton fans when the Chelsea midfielder made his first appearance against his old club as a late substitute, but even his arrival could not end the visitors’ stubborn resistence.
Everton defender Michael Keane felt there was plenty of positives to take out of the match and that his his team were worthy of a draw.
“We stayed organised and kept our shape,” he said, after Everton’s wait for a Premier League win at Chelsea was extended to 24 matches over as many year. “We deserved the point. Jordan Pickford made a few good saves but they didn’t cut us open.
“It is down to the training and it is down to the talking and the organisation on the pitch.”
In yesterday’s other late game, Arsenal made it 16 matches unbeaten in all competitions as Henrikh Mkhitaryan earned them a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Ivan Cavaleiro had given the visiting side the lead in the match.