Everton 2-0

Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Everton 0: Clinical champions cruise to comfortable win

Sam Wallace

As is his way on the touchline when the sun glares and the temperature rises, Antonio Conte did not even loosen his trademark black tie while he watched his team run all over Everton, to all extent and purposes a manager and a team in complete control of their destiny.

The champions were doing what champions do, brushing aside a team nursing ambitions of a top-six finish, and demonstrating the ruthlessness you would normally associate with Chelsea when there is a trophy to defend. Of course, the great collapse of 2015 under Jose Mourinho changed that certainty about the modern Chelsea but three games into their defence of the Premier League, Conte’s team now have two straight victories over good opposition.

It has been a summer of recriminations and blame at Chelsea, of targets missed and questions over those allowed to leave, but it was hard to detect that discord over 94 minutes in which Roland Koeman’s team were not even permitted a shot on target. Afterwards Conte reiterated his belief that there must be new additions before the window closes on Thursday night although anyone who does arrive will have his work cut out getting into this side.

That opening day aberration against Burnley is fading from memory with a game that was closely controlled from start to finish and all but over by the 40th minute when Alvaro Morata added the second to Cesc Fabregas’ first. In 90 minutes of striving, and a whole summer of rebuilding, Koeman was left staring into a fierce bank holiday sun wondering if the squad that he has at his disposal is quite what he thought it was.

Both clubs are still in flux as far as the August window goes but you would not known it to look at Chelsea where the parts of the machine worked as efficiently as they had all last season, turning it into a game corralled in Everton’s half for much of the first period. Come the end of the international break Chelsea might have added the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Danny Drinkwater to the squad, and Conte is adamant that the schedule in September alone will test his resources.

He acknowledged that “the club is working very hard” at giving him further options but it came with a reminder. “Don't forget when we start, next month, in September we have to play seven games,” he said. “I need to rotate my players because it's very difficult to play seven games in a month with some players. I think the club is working very hard to strengthen the squad. They know very well our situation. But, I repeat, I'm ready in every case to continue to work with this group of players.”

Koeman made much of the fact that this was his team’s third game in seven days, encompassing trips to the Etihad Stadium; to Split in Croatia and then Stamford Bridge. He has a list of absentees that includes Morgan Schneiderlin, Yannick Bolasie, James McCarthy, Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman and then had to drop Kevin Mirallas for what the manager suggested was another bout of the Belgian’s familiar complaint, that being a rank bad attitude.

Koeman could at least call upon Muhammad Besic, whose father was shot in a gun attack in his home country of Bosnia on Saturday, and the midfielder came on at half-time for Tom Davies who gave the ball away once too often for his manager’s liking. But Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson struggled to have an effect and ahead of those two, Sandro Ramirez found it hard going.


Everton will also address these difficulties over the next few days, balancing what is realistic in terms of signings with those who will come back in the coming weeks and months. There was mention after the match of Diego Costa as a potential signing with Koeman largely uncommitted on that subject – although whether Chelsea’s estranged centre-forward is the answer to Everton’s problems is one the club probably need more than four days to decide.

They scarcely asked a question of Chelsea until briefly in the latter stages when Idrissa Gueye struck a shot that Thibaut Courtois judged serious enough to push away for a corner – although even that one was not officially judged as on target. Everton will have to cope with commitments in Europe these next three months. Tired or not, the team lacked any ambition to take the game to Chelsea.

The first goal came when Fabregas hit his shot first time with the outside of his right boot from Morata’s knockdown, the persistence of the striker getting him to the ball at the second time of asking. It was Morata who got up the highest to head in the second five minutes before half-time when Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross from the right found him unmarked.

Moments before then, a foul on Victor Moses and Chelsea’s subsequent command of possession had convinced referee Jonathan Moss to play the advantage, much to Conte’s disgust. At that point he, to put it mildly, lost the plot, taking ten strides down the touchline to confront fourth official Andre Marriner who had to point out mid-rant that the club’s record signing had just doubled the lead. It was the only thing Chelsea’s manager had got wrong all afternoon.



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Mail:

Chelsea 2-0 Everton: Alvaro Morata and Cesc Fabregas score first-half goals as Antonio Conte's men cruise to a routine victory at Stamford Bridge

By Ian Ladyman for the Daily Mail

If Antonio Conte's view that he has not been allowed to recruit sufficiently this summer needed underlining ahead of deadline day on Thursday then this Chelsea performance will not help him.

So complete a victory was this, so perfectly executed, that it was at times like watching Chelsea from last season. You could be fooled in to thinking that they do not need anybody else.

This was not the Chelsea that lost so haphazardly here to Burnley on opening day and it was not the Chelsea that won against the odds and against the flow of the game against Tottenham at Wembley a week ago.


No, this was Chelsea of 2016-17, a performance of such dominance and completeness that it was reminiscent of the manner in which Conte delivered what was an unexpected Premier League title last time round.

The winning margin was two goals but it could have been more. Everton, listless after a heavy week at home and in Europe, were barely competitive and created one chance - wasted by the unimpressive Sandro Ramirez - all afternoon.

Chelsea dominated the ball and dominated the chances. In Cesc Fabregas and the Brazilian Willian they had the game's best two players.

They scored twice in the first half - beautifully through Fabregas and routinely through Alvaro Morata - and may have added to that had they been a little bit more clinical on a day of baking late summer temperatures in west London.


Conte's bench still looks thin, even with Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard to come back. This is Conte's worry, a lack of cover after the summer departures of Nemanja Matic and John Terry and the fractious absence of Diego Costa.

This relative lack of depth when compared to some of his team's rivals is what Conte fears will get Chelsea in the end and he may well be right. Last season was largely injury free and that is unlikely to happen again.

But here on Sunday, Chelsea were on cruise setting from almost the first moment to the last and it must be said that their response to that embarrassing first game defeat has been impressive. Conte may be badgering his employers for more behind the scenes but on the field at least his team are doing their best to give off an impression of continuity and calm.

Last week's win at Wembley was earned on the back of hard work and, it must be said, a little fortune. If that game was played again in a similar pattern, the result would no doubt be different.

Here at sunny Stamford Bridge, however, Chelsea were simply the better team. They were the better team by a long way.

Perhaps the last thing Everton needed after a game at Manchester City last Monday and a Europa League game on Thursday, was a game at the defending champions in unremitting heat like this. Certainly they looked leggy and short on ideas and against this background they spent the first 45 minutes chasing Chelsea shadows and, before long, the game.

Chelsea had looked rather patched up at Wembley last week. Here, they looked more balanced, with David Luiz at the heart of a recognisable back three and Fabregas and Willian able to build on the back of a platform built by N'Golo Kante.

From the beginning, it was far too much for Everton, who had played so well with 10 men at City. They may lost have a man early here, as it happened, as Idrissa Gana Gueye was booked for a late lunge at Fabregas that may have earned him a red.


Even with 11 they were struggling as Gueye and young Tom Davies were overwhelmed in the centre of the field. Fabregas, Willian and the masked Spaniard Pedro simply had too much room to play and Chelsea threatened at regular intervals before eventually taking the lead just before the half hour.

Pedro had sent one over-head kick over the bar after a cut back from Morata while Luiz and Willian both brought low saves from Jordan Pickford with shots that they may have struck slightly better just after the 15-minute mark.

Everton couldn't get a foothold in the game. They couldn't get hold of the ball in the midfield and when they did seek an outlet with a ball up to lone striker Sandro Ramirez, the Spaniard was outnumbered and couldn't keep it. Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson were supposed to operating either side in support but too often found themselves sucked deep in to their own half in search of the ball.

Chelsea looked as though they would score at any time and when they did break through it was a lovely goal. Fabregas worked hard to link up with Willian down the right and when played a one-two with Morata he dealt with an awkward dropping ball beautifully by striking it on the half volley with the outside of his right foot across Pickford and in to the far corner of the goal.

It was a beautifully constructed and finished goal and one that already looked as though it would be enough to finish Everton. As it happened, Chelsea scored again in the 40th minute as referee Jon Moss played an advantage to allow Cesar Azpilicueta to cross for Morata to head in from 10 yards.

It was a routine finish from the Spaniard but Pickford's role in the goal must be mentioned. The young goalkeeper advanced for the cross when he may have stayed on his line, making Morata's job a good deal easier than it may have been.

Amusingly, Conte had been initially furious at Moss' initial decision to play an advantage after a foul on the edge of the penalty area. Luiz would certainly have fancied a shot at goal from 18 yards. What this meant, though, was that the Chelsea manager was still raging at the fourth official when Morata headed home. Referee Moss did his best to catch Conte's eye as Chelsea celebrated but, strangely, the Italian didn't seem interested in acknowledging what had been the correct call from the official.

Nevertheless, at half-time this looked pretty much over. Everton had not managed to trouble Thibaut Courtois once in the Chelsea goal and when they emerged to create their first opportunity of the day in the 50th-minute Ramirez couldn't take it.

This was the former Barcelona player's second Premier League star and he seems still to be settling. The chance provided for him by a strong Rooney run down the inside left channel was a good one and a solid strike would have given Courtois a problem. But Ramirez pulled across the top of the ball and it was going well wide by the time it struck the covering Antonio Rudiger.

One felt that really had to go in for Everton to gather some unexpected momentum. Sure enough, play was soon focussed on the other end of the field and after Pickford erred in allowing a low cross from Azpilcueta to pass in front of him Chelsea almost scored from the resultant corner. The ball was cleared but Fabregas recovered it, poked it past Rooney and got the run on Phil Jagielka as he entered the penalty area only to snatch at his shot and shank it somewhat in to the side netting.

This was not turning in to Pickford's best afternoon. He made another routine save from Victor Moses on the hour but the young keeper had made mistakes also.

Ramirez made way for young Dominic Calvert-Lewin soon after that and it was a like for like replacement up front. Ramirez had run hard for an hour but largely to little effect. As for Rooney, the frustration was building and midway through the second half he was booked.

Later, he was seen taking a free-kick when he may have been better loitering with intent in and around the penalty area. After making such an excellent star to his second Everton spell, this was all reminiscent of his latter days at Manchester United. Too much effort for too little result. For Chelsea, the opposite was true.

Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Rudiger, Moses (Christensen 88), Fabregas, Kante, Alonso, Pedro (Bakayoko 75), Willian, Morata (Batshuayi 77)

Subs not used: Caballero, Kenedy, Musonda, Tomori

Goalscorer: Fabregas 26, Morata 39

Bookings: Moses, Azpilicueta

Everton: Pickford, Keane, Williams, Jagielka (Lennon 83), Holgate, Davies (Besic 46), Gueye, Baines, Rooney, Sigurdsson, Sandro (Calvert-Lewin 62)

Subs not used: Martina, Stekelenburg, Lookman, Kenny

Bookings: Gueye, Rooney



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Guardian:


Cesc Fàbregas and Álvaro Morata on target as Chelsea dispatch Everton


Chelsea 2 - 0 Everton


Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge


Chelsea enter the final week of the transfer window with much still to achieve in the market but momentum well and truly regained on the pitch. Confrontations with Everton have tended to bring the best out of Antonio Conte’s charges and the visitors, even with their ranks strengthened over the summer, were swept aside almost at will yet again by a team the Italian is desperate to reinforce. Conte must hope performances this dominant do not undermine his insistence with the board that strengthening is still desperately required.

In truth, a glimpse at Everton’s toils would actually justify his urgency. The champions benefited here from Everton having been overwhelmed as much by an onerous schedule as the home side’s persuasive football. The demands of taking on Manchester City, Hajduk Split and Chelsea within seven days proved beyond Ronald Koeman’s team, with weariness creeping into legs, fatigue into minds and sluggishness into approach play. Everton did not muster a single shot on target all afternoon and always appeared utterly incapable of retrieving the two‑goal deficit shipped before the break.

Chelsea bypassed them far too easily for comfort with Koeman, rendered ruddy in the searing afternoon sunshine, left to bemoan a lack of movement or incision. They will improve, particularly if the Dutchman secures the two players he feels are imperative – one at least must be a striker – before the cut-off. Chelsea want rather more than two new faces, with interest maintained in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Danny Drinkwater and the visitors’ Ross Barkley, currently in rehabilitation from a torn hamstring. A trio of England internationals would add further depth to the squad with Champions League football a few weeks away. Yet at least the first-team is functioning efficiently again after that unexpected stutter against Burnley on the opening afternoon. Normality has been resumed on that front.

This was a more imposing performance than that which defeated Tottenham Hotspur on the counterattack at Wembley the previous Sunday. Chelsea found their upbeat tempo early and did not allow the rhythm to waver until the lead felt impregnable with Willian, a figure rejuvenated after last season’s regular interruptions, forever driving them forward and too much creation and energy in midfield for Everton to combat. It never threatened to become a repeat of last season’s 5-0 mauling in this arena, a home win inspired by Eden Hazard’s slippery movement, but it was still not much of a contest.

Jordan Pickford had already thwarted a series of Chelsea efforts before Everton eventually cracked, their concentration fractured at a quickly taken free-kick. Willian found Cesc Fàbregas who exchanged passes with Álvaro Morata, the striker eventually nodding down his return, the midfielder’s finish crisply dispatched low across the goalkeeper with the outside of his right boot.

The lead did not check Chelsea’s intent. Victor Moses was duly crunched on the edge of the penalty area five minutes from the break; the referee, Jon Moss, opted to play an advantage Conte did not instantly recognise. The Italian was still berating the fourth official when Willian lost the ball and still, in the confusion which ensued, while César Azpilicueta crossed and Morata eased beyond a static Phil Jagielka to steer a header past Pickford. It was the record signing’s second goal for his new club, and reward for another afternoon of industry.

Conte revealed post-match that, after speaking with Roberto Martínez, Hazard will link up with the Belgium squad and potentially make his return from ankle surgery in the World Cup qualifier against Gibraltar on Thursday. “The player is happy to go and stay with the national team,” the head coach said. “He’s the captain. But the most important thing is to continue to work very hard to improve, then have the possibility to bring him to the bench after the international break and start to think he’s a new player for Chelsea this season.”

Everton had issues with their own Belgian forward Kevin Mirallas, whose absence from the matchday squad was apparently due to a poor attitude. “He is struggling to deal with moments of disappointment,” Koeman said. “I expect from everybody to be part of the team. If somebody is showing that he is disappointed and his attitude is not the same, then I make decisions.” In contrast, Mo Besic’s second-half appearance here came despite his father, Meho, having been shot, in the hand and leg, at the family home near Srebrenik. “I spoke to him on Saturday evening and he’d spoken to his father,” the Dutchman said. “He said he was ready and committed. After the game he will talk to his family to see what he needs to do.”

That contributed to a difficult build-up, though they would still have expected to muster more of a threat than this. Sandro Ramírez latched on to Wayne Rooney’s slipped pass but saw a shot deflected behind by Antonio Rüdiger, and Ashley Williams guided a header just wide of Thibaut Courtois’ post, but that was as close as Everton came to a response. Their own pursuit of a forward would appear to be just as pressing as Chelsea’s search for senior bodies.




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Independent:

Chelsea turn on the style to show why they're champions - and why they should be favourites to win the title again

Chelsea 2-0 Everton: This was timely reminder that the Premier League champions remain a supreme team and new look Everton still have work to do

Miguel Delaney


If the worry for Chelsea in the first week of the season was what they would be able to do without actual signings, the worry for everyone else after this game is how good they will be when they actually get them - as well as a fully fit Eden Hazard. This 2-0 win over Everton, after so much talk about lack of transfers and so much previous discussion about an abundance of problems, was a timely reminder of something that is much more of a football fundamental: Chelsea remain a supreme team.

It was both a display of why they are of course defending champions, but also why they should remain outright favourites for this season’s title. They were that good. There is the obvious caveat Ronald Koeman’s much-talked-up Everton are recovering from a midweek Europa League trip to Croatia after also claiming a draw at Manchester City, but Chelsea were in little mood to cut them any slack. Had it not been for some of the finishing, in fact, this could have been an even more emphatic win than last November’s 5-0 in the same fixture.

That was the match when Antonio Conte’s side properly proclaimed themselves as England’s best team for the first time, and this was one of their best performances in some time, certainly much closer to that victory than the opening-day defeat to Burnley.

Given some of the circumstances surrounding that near-farcical 3-2 loss two weeks, it also flips so much debate. The problems of that game now take on a different complexion.

Chelsea came up with a win as convincing as this without Hazard, without Tiemou Bakayoko starting and with three signings still expected to come. That is ominous. There is also the argument that Alvaro Morata still has a lot of adapting to England and this team to do. Some of the striker's touches here indicated that, and yet he still set up the opening goal and scored the next, to make it two goals and two assists in three matches so far. Quite the return for someone adjusting, quite the prospect.

Chelsea would have been 1-0 up much earlier had Morata not fluffed a simple pass to a completely free Pedro early on, but it was rendered irrelevant on 27 minutes when he headed a loose ball in the box onto Cesc Fabregas, who then elegantly swerved it around Jordan Pickford with the outside of his right foot from an angle. The Spanish playmaker was particularly brilliant in directing so much, while David Luiz dominated the pitch behind him. The pace of Pedro, Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso running through and around all of that, then, greatly enlivened the game.

It all meant Chelsea had simply been bombarding Everton at this point, Pickford having to batter away a number of efforts. So much of it was down to how Conte had them pressing Ronaldo Koeman’s side so high, but there are some questions to be asked about the Dutch coach’s own approach, given it was the same ‘pragmatic’ - and ultimately impotent - way he had them set up here last season. It was overly defensive, very dull, and so conspicuously slow, really reminding everyone that Everton still haven’t actually replaced Romelu Lukaku.

That was never more obvious in the second half when Wayne Rooney did well to burst through and tee up Sandro with a nice through ball, only for the striker to send a shot towards the by-line. Or, at least it might have made the byline, had he actually got anything like a connection on it.

It still would have felt little more than a consolation for Everton, as Chelsea were in full command and 2-0 up, with Morata having already nodded in Cesar Azpilicueta’s fine cross on 40 minutes.

Again, Koeman’s approach is understandable on the basis of the week Everton had, but less understandable on the basis of their signings. Good individual players as they all are, it does feel as if having Gylfi Sigurdsson, an admittedly revitalised Rooney and Sandro in the same attack is overkill, given that their overly notable lack of pace takes the sting out of any attack.

Koeman could do with more pace there. Chelsea meanwhile looked right back up to speed, with the promise of much more to come.