Everton continued their remarkable run despite a 10-point Premier League penalty, winning 2-0 against Chelsea on Sunday to move the Toffees four points clear of the relegation zone.
Abdoulaye Doucouré opened the scoring before Lewis Dobbin’s opening Everton goal handed Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino another devastating defeat.
Without the penalty imposed for breaking financial rules, which Everton dispute, Sean Dyche’s side would currently be four points above Chelsea in mid-table.
Pochettino made changes to his squad after a disastrous performance in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in midweek.
But the Argentine is struggling to resolve his side’s lack of precision in attack, despite the club spending £1 billion ($1.3 billion) over the last three transfer windows.
Chelsea were able to count on the return of Conor Gallagher after suspension, while captain Reece James, Benoit Badiashile and Armando Broja all came on, with Pochettino making four changes.
However, James’ injury-plagued season continued to struggle, as he had to leave the field at halftime.
Chelsea dominated the first half but once again suffered from a lack of attacking power.
Enzo Fernandez tested Jordan Pickford with a strike from outside the box before the England goalkeeper made a spectacular save to deny Cole Palmer a superb goal from distance.
Broja was far more effective than Nicolas Jackson as an attacking option for Chelsea, but did not solve Pochettino’s need for an effective finisher.
The Albanian missed his best chance when he sent the ball over the goal late in the first half following a tempting cross from Mykhailo Mudryk.
Everton returns to form –
Everton crushed Newcastle 3-0 to move out of the relegation zone on Thursday but were slow to get going.
It was only in the second half that the hosts had a shot on target, with Dwight McNeil’s fine strike from outside the area being saved by Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea did not heed this warning and were completely outpaced by Everton’s next attack.
McNeil’s through ball was adjusted perfectly for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and when his attempt was blocked by Sanchez, Doucouré was there to score the rebound.
The Malian midfielder scored the goal on the final day of the previous season that saved Everton from relegation, and his six goals this season go a long way to extending their 70-year stay in the English top flight.
Pochettino called on Jackson and Raheem Sterling as substitutes to try to save the match.
However, Everton comfortably maintained their advantage before adding a second goal in stoppage time.
Chelsea substitute goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic missed from a corner and Dobbin sent the ball into the back of the net, sparking a huge celebration.
This third victory in eight days capped an exceptional week for Everton, who almost erased the heaviest sporting sanction in the history of the Premier League.
This seventh defeat in 16 league games since Pochettino took charge places Chelsea in the bottom half of the table, just behind their neighbors Fulham.
The former Tottenham manager has asked for patience as he attempts to assemble a squad of expensive young talent.
However, Chelsea coaches often don’t have much time to turn things around and the pressure is now on Pochettino to quickly find solutions to his team’s problems.