Chelsea 1-0 Everton: 4 talking points from scrappy Stamford Bridge win

FROM STAMFORD BRIDGE - Nicolas Jackson's 27th-minute blast from the top of the box proved to be enough for Chelsea as they eked out a 1-0 win at home to Everton on Saturday afternoon.

"We need to learn to win games 1-0," Blues boss Enzo Maresca noted back in February. "Big teams know how to win 1-0. Sometimes when you are winning 1-0 and there's ten, 15 minutes to go, the way they manage the game and the ball, kills the game. It's something that we need to learn."

Chelsea's last four home victories have all been by that same slender scoreline, yet they certainly didn't "kill the game". A mixture of luck and last-ditch blocks ultimately afforded the hosts three crucial points in the race for Champions League qualification.

How the game unfolded

Everton tried to turn Saturday's lunchtime kick off into an arm wrestle of a game, getting a handful of blue shirt at each and every opportunity. Yet, it was the hosts who muscled their way into a first-half lead.

In a blistering forward thrust, demonstrating a direct approach which Chelsea fans have rarely been treated to in recent weeks and months, Trevoh Chalobah won the ball on the halfway line, Enzo Fernandez fired it into the stride of Jackson, who needed one touch to set himself before picking out the bottom corner.

The visitors were limited to one wayward header in the first half, but remained doggedly in the contest, hanging around like that party guest who doesn't own a watch, tediously lingering until they finally do head off with half your cutlery draw in their bag. There was a growing sense that Everton may also steal a point as the second half wore on.

Chelsea's one-goal advantage was made to look a lot more slender when Beto rattled off a crisp snapshot shortly after the hour mark, forcing Robert Sanchez into his first save of the match which, nevertheless, had to be a good one.

Jordan Pickford wasn't a total bystander himself, denying Noni Madueke with a strong wrist and catching a Marc Cucurella header underneath his crossbar. The England number one was beaten by Jackson again on the rebound in the closing stages, but had his blushes spared by a swift offside flag.

Sanchez flung out a meaty paw to dip away Dwight McNeil's volleyed effort in the 90th minute, preserving a victory which took Chelsea into fourth place, level on points with Nottingham Forest and just one behind Manchester City. Defeat left Everton 13th at the final whistle.

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Nicolas Jackson breaks his drought

The relief radiating off Jackson as he wheeled away to the corner was palpable. After 13 games, 32 shots and precisely zero goals, the mercurial Chelsea striker scored for the first time in 2025.

Maresca recently acknowledged that his side would be unable to achieve their goals for the campaign if Jackson continued to fire blanks. There will always be a jagged edge of his game - the proud graduate of the school of life rather than any footballing academy didn't play in his first pair of football boots until turning 16. That off-beat rhythm can seemingly confuse Jackson at times, but it unsettled Everton's backline even more on Saturday.

Maresca watches breach of principles

Four touches moved the ball 45 yards in little more than four seconds for Jackson's opening goal. The suspended Maresca, who watched the action unfold from the press box, peering beneath the low-hanging upper tier at the thin sliver of pitch actually visible, celebrated wildly. But it was a passage of play directly opposed to everything he stands for.

"If you attack quick, you are going to concede a quick attack and it's not our idea, it's not our football," Maresca huffed at the start of the season. Yet, attacking quickly was exactly what the Blues did for much of the contest, with the jet-heeled pairing of Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto haring down the flanks at every opportunity.

Caicedo back on the right

Earlier this month, Maresca hailed Caicedo as "the best defensive midfielder in the world". So, the only natural thing to do would be shunt that same player into the backline.

Caicedo has deputised at right-back on three previous occasions this term with wildly mixed results. After an encouraging outing against Aston Villa in December, Maresca's decision to move Caicedo back into midfield mid-match completely swung the 4-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. When the Ecuador international was shoehorned back into that role for Bournemouth's visit at the start of the year, he gave away a clumsy penalty.

Undeterred by that previous indiscretion, Caicedo hurtled into his defensive duties on Saturday, making sure he was as tight and uncomfortable as a hair shirt for any Everton player unfortunate enough to find him draped across their back.

Iliman Ndiaye was so convincingly suffocated by Caicedo that he was hooked at half-time after failing to take or create a single shot.

The James Tarkowski vacuum

It cannot be overstated how seismic the absence of James Tarkowski is for Everton. Moyes did the scenario little justice when describing it as a "big blow". Everton haven't started a single Premier League game without Tarkowski since he signed for the club three years ago. Frank Lampard was in charge the last time the Toffees didn't have the towering defensive totem in the team.

Jake O'Brien admirably filled the void alongside Jarrad Branthwaite in the middle of the backline, but his central shift forced Moyes to turn to Nathan Patterson. Making his first Premier League start of the season at right-back, the Scot did not have an enjoyable afternoon chasing Noni Madueke's headband, constantly coming out second-best in a one-on-one duel Chelsea repeatedly sought out.

The left-footed winger, unusually lining up on the left side for the first time this season, wore a wry grin of frustration when he sauntered off the pitch in the 75th minute after being foiled by Pickford on four separate occasions.

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