Kai Havertz impresses as Chelsea ease past Everton to strengthen top-four Premier League bid

Chelsea stretched their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions under Thomas Tuchel as they eased to a 2-0 victory over top-four rivals Everton in the Premier League on Monday.

Record signing Kai Havertz, making his first start since the end of January, saw his strike deflected home by Everton’s Ben Godfrey in the 31st minute to give the home side the lead.

Havertz was again then pivotal in Chelsea’s second as he drew the foul from Jordan Pickford in the penalty area to win a spot-kick, which Jorginho stepped up to slot home in the 65th minute.

Everton never really threatened to get back into it as fourth-placed Chelsea earned a fifth straight clean sheet at home since Tuchel took over, moving four points clear of the Toffees in fifth.

Everton looked comfortable early on as they defended in numbers to frustrate Chelsea, but one surprise move from Marcos Alonso opened the visitors up, with the Spaniard squaring for Havertz, who thought he had scored his first league goal since October, only for it to be given to Godfrey.

Chelsea continued to look supremely comfortable at the back, with Richarlison wasting Everton's best chance of the first half.

After the break, Havertz was again frustrated as he fired home after collecting a cross, but he was adjudged to have handled as he controlled. VAR agreed with on the on-field official David Coote.

The Blues did not have to wait long for another though, as Jorginho made it seven penalties for the season, with his unusual run-up making a reappearance. The rest of the match was a cruise as Chelsea continue their march under the new boss.

Thomas Tuchel is making a mockery of needing a bedding in period in the Premier League. He has given the impression the supposed best league in the world is easy.

His tactics are innovative, with his usage of Alonso a real weapon, but the rest is so much more simple as he has focused on making his side difficult to beat, first and foremost.

Even without the injured Thiago Silva, Chelsea look almost impenetrable. You just wonder how Atletico Madrid are going to get the better of this supreme defensive unit.

It turns out the record signing does have the talent after all. Given the freedom to work in and around Timo Werner, Havertz's movement made all the difference at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea: Mendy 7, Azpilicueta 7, Christensen 8, Zouma 8, James 7, Jorginho 8, Kovacic 7, Alonso 8, Hudson-Odoi 6, Havertz 8, Werner 6.

Subs: Kante 6, Pulisic N/A, Mount 6.

Everton: Pickford 7, Godfrey 5, Keane 6, Holgate 6, Digne 5, Allan 6, Gomes 5, Iwobi 4, Sigurdsson 5, Richarlison 6, Calvert-Lewin 6.

Subs: King 6, Bernard 6, Davies 6.

31’ - GGGGOOOOAAALLLL!!! Chelsea 1-0 Everton. Out of the blue, Havertz's goalbound shot is deflected home by Ben Godfrey. One for the dubious goals panel. Havertz will want to claim it on his return to the side, as he met Marcos Alonso's low cross, side-footed towards goal, with Godfrey powerless to avoid making the last touch, diverting the strike past Jordan Pickford.

42’ - SAVE! Alonso again taking up a fantastic position as he darts onto a long ball over the top, prods for goal, it takes a deflection, which almost wrong-foots Pickford, but the England stopper does well to adjust and make a smart save.

53’ - SAVE! Brilliant from Alonso as he goes for goal from a free-kick from a tight angle but Pickford springs across to tip the effort over.

58’ - CHANCE! Richarlison, who has been in great goalscoring form, lets the ball come across his body, but cannot wrap his foot around the strike and he slices wide from a great position. Huge opportunity.

64’ - PENALTY! Pickford gets it all wrong as he brings Havertz down in the penalty area. Spot kick to the hosts.

65’ - GGGOOOOAALLLL!!! Chelsea 2-0 Everton. The Jorginho hop, skip and jump returns to sending Pickford the wrong way and double the home side's lead.

86’ - DOUBLE SAVE! Werner is again denied by a fine save by Pickford, who gets up to make another brilliant stop of keep Kante's rebound out!

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 26 Premier League home games against Everton (W15 D11). Only against Spurs have the Blues had a longer unbeaten home run in top-flight history (27 between 1990-2016).

Only against Leeds (35 between 1946-2001) have Everton had a longer winless away run in the top-flight than they have at Chelsea, with the Toffees winless in 26 visits to Stamford Bridge since a 1-0 win in November 1994.

Only Maurizio Sarri (12 with Chelsea in 2018-19) and Frank Clark (11 with Nottingham Forest in 1994-95) have begun their Premier League managerial careers with a longer unbeaten run than Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel (currently P9 W6 D3).

Everton suffered their first away Premier League defeat since losing at Newcastle in November, ending their nine-game unbeaten run on the road in the competition.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has become the first manager in Premier League history to see his side keep a clean sheet in each of his first five home games in charge in the competition, while the Blues have kept five consecutive home league clean sheets for the first time since January 2015.

Only Liverpool’s James Milner in 2016-17 (7/7) has scored more goals in a single Premier League season with all of them coming from the penalty spot than Chelsea’s Jorginho this term (6/6).

Since Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge of Chelsea (27th Jan 2021), no goalkeeper playing for a top five European league side has kept more clean sheets in all competitions than Edouard Mendy (7).