Everton 1-0

Independent:

Willian fires in vital deflected goal as Blues leave it late to maintain seven-point lead over Manchester City
Chelsea 1 Everton 0

Sam Wallace

It was unstoppable here, and when Willian scored in the penultimate minute of normal time the reaction on the Chelsea bench and among the players was that of a club who knew they had passed an important milestone. They had broken Everton at last and for Mourinho it prompted a march onto the pitch at the final whistle to shake the hands of his players rather than his usual scoot up the tunnel.
The night was not without its controversy and you could see in Mourinho's reaction to questions about the behaviour of Branislav Ivanovic that despite the glow of victory he was also spoiling for a fight. The Serb had rushed into a melee just before the goal and locked an arm around the neck of the substitute James McCarthy before thrusting his forehead into the player but was not punished by referee Jonathan Moss.
It had begun with a foul by Gareth Barry on Willian, the second yellow card of the Everton midfielder's night. Ivanovic's reaction was extreme and it was clear that the Chelsea manager saw the potential consequences when he announced in his post-match press conference that he would walk out if he was asked another question on the subject. He did just that during a BBC interview minutes earlier when the subject of Ivanovic came up.
Mourinho will doubtless point to the elbow that Robin Van Persie thrust at James Tomkins last weekend and by Friday he will probably have searched out a couple more examples. But the reality remains that this incident will, at the very least, be studied by the Football Association. It will not want another battle with Chelsea and Mourinho but it may have no choice.
Roberto Martinez had no hesitation in saying that Ivanovic should have been sent off. “If you want to be on top of the law, that's a red card,” he said. Even more galling for the Everton manager was that the Chelsea full-back was then central to the goal that ensued. It was his header from the resultant free-kick that Tim Howard punched towards Willian who drilled the ball in via a deflection off Steven Naismith.
The same Everton midfielder might have had a penalty against him in the first half for handball. Mourinho later claimed that Barry should have been sent off earlier, before half-time in fact. So the argument goes round and round with every team nurturing its own set of grievances and the FA pitched into the middle to make sense of it all.
As Manchester City ran away with victory against Stoke City, Mourinho was facing a cut in his club's lead at the top of the league to five points. In fact, he needed his goalkeeper Petr Cech, reinstated at the expense of Thibaut Courtois to save him in the second half with a brilliant instinctive stop from Romelu Lukaku before Chelsea went on to get all three points.
Everton also had a strong goalkeeping performance from Tim Howard, straight back into the team at the expense of Joel Robles. But Martinez's team are in are in a bad place at the moment and have just one win in nine league games.
As Mourinho said, Cech had two saves to make all game but both were vital. The first was the only chance the away team had before the break when Ross Barkley and Naismith worked the ball to Lukaku who should have done better with his shot. In those early stages, Chelsea almost overwhelmed their visitors but instead they failed to make the breakthrough that reflected their good work.
The Everton midfielder Muhamed Besic was booked within five minutes for a foul on Eden Hazard, a “soft” one according to Martinez who said that the low threshold set the standard for the rest of the game.
With Diego Costa sat in the stands for the third and last game of his FA ban it was clear again that the side lacked that cutting edge. Loic Remy took his place in the team and did little to reassure Mourinho. The first booking for Barry came when he thrust himself head-first into Cuadrado's midriff. Mourinho claimed Barry should have had another for a later foul on Hazard.
There was another appeal for Chelsea on 27 minutes when the young English centre-back John Stones wrapped an arm around the waist of Remy in the box and prevented the French striker from challenging properly for a cross from the right.
At half-time, Martinez took no risks with Besic and replaced him with McCarthy. Nemanja Matic had run the game from his position in front of the back four in the first half, but McCarthy prevented the Serb having as much of the ball after the break.
There was a good run and cross from Hazard just before the hour and whenever he was on the ball, it looked like there were possibilities for Chelsea. He had earlier drawn Seamus Coleman out of position and forced the full-back to foul him for a booking. Yet Hazard was on the ball too little for Chelsea. Matic struck a free-kick after the hour that Howard saved. Willian hit a shot over.
On 68 minutes Bryan Oviedo got the ball over from the left and Lukaku, completely unmarked in the six-yard area, had a clear sight of goal with his left foot. This was Cech's moment. The goalkeeper reacted instantaneously to block the ball with his foot and Chelsea escaped.
Mourinho has seen enough and unleashed Didier Drogba and Cesc Fabregas but it was not until the final moments of the game that they got their breakthrough. There was a goal for Matic disallowed when the ball took a touch off Ivanovic in an offside position. An increasingly fractious game eventually caught fire with Barry's red card and the ensuing chaos that saw Ivanovic put his arm around McCarthy's throat.
The goal came from a clearing punch from Howard that fell to Willian in the left channel. The Brazilian hit his shot low and hard and at the last moment Naismith thrust out a foot that put enough on the ball to take it past the Everton goalkeeper. The home bench erupted. These are the kind of win that every team that wants to be champions must produce.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Cuadrado, Hazard, Willian; Remy.
Subs: Drogba/Remy 70, Fabregas/Cuadrado 70, Cahill/Willian 90
Everton (4-2-3-1): Howard: Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Oviedo; Besic, Barry; Lennon, Naismith, Barkley; Lukaku.
Subs: McCarthy/Besic ht, Gibson/Barkley 74, Mirallas/Lennon 74
Referee: J Moss
Man of the match: Matic
Rating: 6
Booked: Chelsea Azpilicueta, Ramires, Fabregas Everton Besic, Barry, Coleman, McCarthy
Sent off: Barry

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Guardian:

Chelsea’s Willian leaves it late to take the three points from 10-man Everton
Chelsea 1 - 0 Everton
Daniel Taylor

Every season there are standout moments when everything falls into place for the team who will eventually finish at the top of the league. For Chelsea this seemed as if it could be one.
The clock was turning into its 90th minute when Willian let fly with his right boot. A seven-point lead was in danger of being whittled down to five and in the moments preceding the goal it was clear how the frustration had got the better of one of José Mourinho’s players.
Branislav Ivanovic is likely to get a three-match ban for that loss of control when he grabbed the substitute James McCarthy by the neck, then rammed his head into his opponent, as the two sets of players argued over the challenge from Gareth Barry that brought the Everton player’s second yellow card to end his night prematurely.
The referee, Jon Moss, also booked McCarthy, Ramires and Cesc Fàbregas for their parts in the confrontation and both teams stand to face a separate FA charge for not controlling their players, but the most important detail came next.
Fàbregas aimed the free-kick into the penalty area and it was Ivanovic who headed it on. Tim Howard punched the ball clear but Willian was lurking 20 yards from goal. His shot was struck with power, from the outside of his boot, but it was the deflection off Steven Naismith that helped it into the bottom corner and had Mourinho talking of a “beautiful” win.
The relief was considerable because Chelsea might have been behind at that stage but for a sensational save from Petr Cech to prevent Romelu Lukaku scoring against his former club midway through the second half. Everton had defended diligently, with John Stones excelling in front of the England manager, Roy Hodgson.
Howard had produced a series of fine saves and, however stroppy Mourinho was when it came to answering questions about Ivanovic, nobody should think it particularly spoiled his mood.
“I don’t remember a team to be champions without a couple of victories in the last minute,” he said. “In my case every time I won the league title I had a couple of matches where we won in the last minute. This was the first time this season.”
It was a breathless finale that also featured Nemanja Matic, the game’s outstanding performer, slashing the ball past Howard in the 86th minute only for his celebrations to be cut short because it had taken a deflection off Ivanovic, in an offside position, on the way to goal.
Chelsea’s manager was even moved to describe it afterwards as being “fantastically well disallowed”, though his praise for the referee went only so far. Barry, he said, should have been sent off in the first half.
Mourinho being Mourinho, the oddity was that he forgot to mention it might have been a much more straightforward night if the referee had seen Naismith use an arm to lever the ball away from Juan Cuadrado inside the penalty area, with only four minutes gone.
By now Mourinho’s issue with the Premier League’s referees and what he perceives to be a “campaign” against his club is familiar. He goes too far, undoubtedly, but this was one of the more justifiable grievances to go into his increasingly thick file of complaints.
Cuadrado slipped in seamlessly on his first full start, interchanging positions with Willian, and was full of quick, direct running. Yet there were also times when Chelsea missed Diego Costa, serving the final game of his three-match suspension, and Everton actually had the best chance of the first half when Aaron Lennon and Ross Barkley combined to set up Lukaku.
Mourinho had left out Thibaut Courtois because he had seen signs of fatigue in the last two matches. Cech is a remarkable man to have in reserve and reminded everyone why his manager still regards him among the top three goalkeepers in the business.
It was certainly a brilliant reflex save to turn Lukaku’s later chance over the bar, from almost point-blank range, after Bryan Oviedo’s low cross had picked out the former Chelsea striker. Lukaku will feel he ought to have scored but Cech deserves the acclaim and must have played his way into Mourinho’s thoughts for the Champions league tie against Paris St-Germain next Tuesday.
On the balance of play the victory was deserved, yet it also seemed harsh on Everton. Too often this season Roberto Martínez’s team have been undermined by their defending.
Phil Jagielka played here more like the assured competitor of old and Stones’ performance was epitomised by one of the game’s outstanding moments to take the ball off Loïc Rémy with a sliding tackle. Higher up the pitch, there was also an assured performance from Barkley.
Chelsea, however, had most of the second-half momentum. After the hour there was a burst of pressure that involved Howard making as many saves in the space of five minutes as he had done throughout the entire match to that point.
The American, playing his first game since Boxing Day, showed in those moments why Martínez had brought him straight back into the team at the expense of Joel Robles. He was finally beaten by a deflection and the point was not lost on Martínez that Ivanovic played a part in the “hurtful” late goal.

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 1 Everton 0: Willian seals it at the death for Chelsea
By Henry Winter

Chelsea persevere against stubborn Everton to grab crucial win for Premier League title race

These are not the performances of which memories are made but these are the results upon which titles are built. This was a night when Chelsea showed their perseverance, pounding away at an Everton defence in which Tim Howard and John Stones excelled, eventually breaking through a minute from time through Willian.
Chelsea’s hunger for the Premier League could be seen in all of their contributions; short of their creative best, lacking the cutting edge of the suspended Diego Costa, Chelsea kept going, kept hunting the goal as news came through that Manchester City were winning at the Britannia.
Willian ensured that Chelsea remain seven points clear of City with 13 games remaining. At the final whistle, Chelsea’s players celebrated loudly and were joined on the pitch by Jose Mourinho. They all knew the significance of this result, that this was another game successfully ticked off, another step towards the title. Willian took the headlines but Petr Cech took the players’ salute at the final whistle.
They were quick to congratulate a second-choice keeper still so good he would get in most Premier League clubs’ starting XI. Thibaut Courtois, Mourinho’s regular keeper this season, was on the bench and Cech certainly impressed. He made two saves from Romelu Lukaku, one in each half, both with his left foot. The second was particularly remarkable as it was at point-blank range, the 32-year-old stretching out his foot to clear after 68 minutes. An Everton goal then could have changed the outcome and given City more hope.
This was Cech’s fifth Premier League appearance of the season, guaranteeing a medal should Chelsea progress to the title. He has been on the field for 426 minutes in the Premier League this season and not conceded a goal, against Arsenal (replacing Courtois after 24 minutes), Hull City, Newcastle United, Swansea City and Everton.
Cech was one of the few on the field who was not embroiled in a fracas late on when Gareth Barry tripped Willian and received a second yellow to go with his first-half one for fouling Juan Cuadrado. Barry is due an unscheduled break now as his first yellow, his 10th of the season, brought an automatic two-game ban for the matches against Leicester City and Arsenal.
His sneaky stopping of Willian’s darting run infuriated Chelsea, and their players piled in. Branislav Ivanovic grabbed James McCarthy around the neck, appearing to bring his forehead towards the Everton player. A charitable interpretation would be that Ivanovic’s momentum ensured his head carried on towards McCarthy but Everton were aggrieved, and the Football Association could ask Jonathan Moss, the referee, to look at the incident again. It was a particularly strange action by Ivanovic as it was a free-kick to Chelsea and the clock was ticking down.
Mourinho was in no mood to discuss the incident afterwards. He was annoyed that Barry had not departed earlier, as he easily could have done for impeding Eden Hazard shortly after fouling Cuadrado. Chelsea should also have been awarded a first-half penalty when Steven Naismith handled.
It was 89 minutes of frustration for Chelsea but they kept going, kept looking for a way through. They were repelled for so long because Howard, returning to the side after six weeks out with a calf problem, produced some magnificent saves and Stones gave another display of composed centre-half play, reading moves well, intercepting danger decisively. He was so committed to keeping Chelsea out that he gave Bryan Oviedo a withering look when the full-back conceded a cheap corner from a Nemanja Matic cross. With Roy Hodgson watching, Stones again showed why he is England material.
This was one of those nights when Chelsea laboured without Costa to finish off their moves. Loïc Remy started but failed to trouble Howard.
Cuadrado impressed many Chelsea fans on his home debut. Light on his feet, quick to get forward, the Colombian enjoyed a promising 69 minutes, dribbling down the right, cutting inside, and linking well with Ivanovic, Willian and Hazard. Where Cuadrado also caught the eye was in his work ethic; after failing to convince Moss that Naismith had handled, he immediately went chasing the loose ball.
Chelsea were largely in control, with Matic dominating midfield. ­Willian, playing the central role off Remy, cleverly made a yard of space for himself and a curled a right-footed shot wide of Howard’s goal. Down the other end, Cech saw off Everton’s first attack of note.
Aaron Lennon briefly burst into life, passing to Ross Barkley, who was striding through the middle. Barkley passed to Lukaku, who advanced down the inside-right channel, but his low shot was repelled by Cech’s left foot. Back came Chelsea, with Cuadrado breaking through and shooting across Howard from right to left but wide.
Roberto Martínez made a switch at the break, removing Muhamed Besic for McCarthy, who had just received a lengthy pep talk from Duncan ­Ferguson. Everton really needed Lukaku to emulate Ferguson in his combative pomp, imposing himself on defences.
Lukaku was struggling to escape John Terry and Kurt Zouma, who put in one masterful challenge on the Everton striker, much to the delight of the home fans. Hazard then sped past Naismith and Bryan Oviedo but Howard saved, echoing his work for the United States against Belgium in the World Cup (although Hazard’s side eventually prevailed).
Then Matic whipped a free-kick over the Everton wall, but Howard was again equal to the challenge, stretching out his left hand to save. Howard then denied Willian.
Yet the save of the half came from Cech. McCarthy swept the ball first time to Oviedo on the left and the full-back transferred it low into the box. Lukaku met it strongly but
Cech showed all his enduring ­excellence to save.
The siege of Howard’s goal intensified. Willian drilled in a free-kick from the right that was punched out by Howard. He was beaten by a Matic drive but it was deflected off the offside Ivanovic. Then came that scuffle, which concluded with cautions for McCarthy, Ramires and Barry, who eventually departed.
Depleted in numbers if not spirit, Everton were finally breached. Ivanovic headed into the box, Howard punched clear but the ball fell to ­Willian, who returned it venomously, the ball flying via a slight deflection off Naismith between Howard and his left-hand upright.
Chelsea’s celebrations at the final whistle said it all. This was not a pretty win but it was a big win.

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Mail:

Chelsea 1-0 Everton: Willian leaves it late to break down 10-man Toffees after Gareth Barry sees red
By Neil Ashton

There was a moment, less than a minute into Jose Mourinho’s post-match appearance, when the threat was real and the mood was menacing.
‘One more question I leave, so I’m more concerned with my reaction, so one more question and I will have to go,’ claimed Chelsea’s manager. Mourinho was back in Campaign mode, driving the Chelsea battle bus towards another ridge in the road. He left us with another cliffhanger.
Because this is Chelsea, because this is Mourinho, the repercussions and the recriminations will last for days. How sad that is.
Mourinho had just been asked about the moment in the 88th minute when Gareth Barry’s dopey challenge on Willian caused an almighty rumpus in front of the two technical areas.
In real-time Mourinho jumped out of his seat, followed wearily and predictably by the concertinaed figures of coaches Rui Faria, Steve Holland, Christophe Lollichom and Silvino Louro. Ramires was waving an imaginary card at referee Jonathan Moss, for which he was booked, and Chelsea’s bench were demanding the return of capital punishment down there.
Scenes like that make you want to cough up blood. What followed was the ugly side of the game, with players from Chelsea and Everton puffing out their chests and pretending they are all hard as nails. For the FA the focus this morning will be on Branislav Ivanovic, the Chelsea defender who was accused on social media of biting Everton substitute James McCarthy. The video is inconclusive.
Instead he is likely to be charged with violent conduct for shoving his head into the side of McCarthy’s left ear before Chelsea’s captain John Terry and Didier Drogba could eventually drag the doofus away. Lovely player and all that, but even the great players lose it from time to time.
‘Don’t make me laugh, don't make me laugh,’ scoffed Mourinho when he was asked by television after the game for his verdict on the events.
This is classic Mourinho territory, with every defence mechanism under the sun kicking in as he contemplates the prospect of a three match ban for his right-back.
What we do know is that the referee, who sent off Barry for a second booking for his chop on Willian, could not possibly have seen the incident between Ivanovic and McCarthy.
It was only two weeks ago, here at Stamford Bridge, when Michael Oliver failed to spot Diego Costa stamping on Emre Can during their 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semi-final.

That was enough to send Mourinho nuclear and there is likely to be another mushroom cloud hanging over Stamford Bridge if the FA decide to punish Ivanovic. A retrospective three-game ban, which includes the Capital One Cup final against Tottenham, awaits.


The problem for Everton, on reflection, is that they failed to re-organise quickly enough to cope with the inevitable ball into the box after Barry had made his way down the tunnel.
Cesc Fabregas, on as a substitute for Juan Cuadrado, launched the free-kick into the box for Ivanovic to head towards Everton keeper Tim Howard.
The mistake Howard made was to punch it towards danger, into the feet of Willian idling on the edge of the Everton penalty area.
His corkscrew winner is a mere footnote.
A minute later, after Moss had signalled the end, Mourinho marched across the turf at Stamford Bridge to throw his arms tightly around Petr Cech in a bear hug.
Without Cech between the posts against Everton, who knows whether Willian would have gone on to score Chelsea’s winner in front of the Matthew Harding Stand.
On another night - and goodness knows the public deserves a well-earned rest from Chelsea’s disciplinary problems - we would be talking about Cech’s masterful performance.
They won this game, their 18th in the league this season, because Cech twice saved brilliantly, one in each half, from the feet of Romelu Lukaku. For the first, he threw out a left leg to deflect Lukaku’s effort wide of his post when Ross Barkley had split the Chelsea defence with a measured pass beyond Kurt Zouma and Terry.
He had to be on his game again in the second half when Lukaku, unmarked six yards out, should have put Everton in front. Cech’s save was breathtaking. Thibaut Courtois will be sweating, he has to be ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Paris St Germain in the Parc des Princes. It is no longer clear cut.
‘He touched the ball twice, he was a spectator,’ claimed Mourinho and it was difficult to argue.
‘This is what we need - competition with Petr and Courtois. The focus must be permanent and also a keeper can be tired - it can affect your nervous system.
‘Petr worked hard and I believed he was the best option for the team became John Terry was ill in the morning. I wanted leadership.’ Mourinho has redefined the term at Chelsea, braying at everyone and anything after maintaining their seven point lead over Manchester City.
His team could easily have been ahead in the first half, particularly when Stephen Naismith’s bizarre ball juggling act in the Everton penalty area went unpunished. It should have been awarded.
Instead we are sitting in the Court of Mourinho again, a place where the Portuguese coach sits as judge and jury. But what of the law? As we have discovered, Mourinho makes that up as he goes along.

MATCH ZONE BY SAMI MOKBEL
Petr Cech was preferred to Thibaut Courtois in Chelsea’s. Jose Mourinho probably wouldn’t call it a dropping, but that’s what it seemed like. Courtois took his place on the bench, suggesting there was no injury to the Belgian. With the Champions League clash against PSG on the horizon, on Tuesday to be exact, it’ll be interesting to see who the Special One plumps for. Mourinho has enough time to think about his decision with Chelsea without a game this weekend following their shock FA Cup exit to Bradford.
Ray Wilkins was at the Bridge to watch the club he served as a player and coach. He was sat just behind the dug-outs. Perhaps it rekindled memories of his bygone days in the Blues technical area under Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti.
If Jose Mourinho told his charges to keep a particular eye on Everton midfielder Steven Naysmith, here’s why. Ahead of the encounter, the Scotland international had scored in three of his last four Premier League appearances against the Blues. It would had been Naysmith’s handball in the first-half that caught Mourinho’s eye, though.

Chelsea: Cech 7.5, Ivanovic 6.5, Zouma 7, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 6.5; Ramires 6.5, Matic 7.5; Cuadrado 7 (Fabregas 70, 6.5), Willian (Cahill 90+2) 8, Hazard 6.5; Remy 6.5 (Drogba 70, 6).
Subs not used: Luis, Ake, Courtois, Loftus-Cheek.
Manager: Mourinho 7
Booked: Azpilicueta, Ramires, Fabregas
Goal: Willian 89

Everton: Howard 7.5; Coleman 7, Stones 7.5, Jagielka 6.5, Oviedo 7; Naysmith 6.5, Besic 5 (McCarthy 46, 6.5), Barry 7, Lennon 6.5 (Mirallas 74, 6); Barkley 6 (Gibson 74, 6); Lukaku 6.5
Subs not used: Robles, Kone, Garbutt, Alcaraz.
Manager: Martinez 6.5
Booked: Besic, Barry, Coleman, McCarthy
Sent off: Barry

Attendance: 41,592
Referee: Jon Moss
Man of the match: Willian

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Mirror:

Chelsea 1-0 Everton: Willian breaks 10-man Toffees' resolve with dramatic late winner
John Cross

Roberto Martinez's men must have thought they'd weathered the storm but Willian's deflected strike snatched all three points after Gareth Barry's dismissal
Titles are won on nights like these.
Chelsea simply refused to give up even if they had to wait until the last minute before Brazilian playmaker Willian fired in the dramatic winner.
And it could not have been more typical Chelsea as it finished with a red card, a row and Jose Mourinho complaining about TV coverage.
This time it was BT rather than Sky as Mourinho did not appreciate questions as to whether Branislav Ivanovic should have been sent off.
Ivanovic appeared to head butt James McCarthy in the mass brawl as Gareth Barry was dismissed for a second yellow card after conceding the free kick which led to Willian's winner.
Chelsea rarely do things the easy way but the other side is their sheer resilience, never-say-die spirit and their refusal to settle for a draw is why they sit seven points clear of Manchester City.
City have reeled them in before but, from being level on points on New Year's Day, Chelsea have rediscovered a winning mentality and desire which was typified by their victory at Stamford Bridge.
Even when Chelsea are not at their best - and Petr Cech, Nemanja Matic and Eden Hazard aside they certainly didn't hit top gear last night - they still get their job done.
Cech justified his surprise selection ahead of Thibaut Courtois with a stunning point blank save from Romelu Lukaku. Cech is now just three behind David James' Premier League record of 170 clean sheets.
Hazard also never stopped running as he showed a desire which drove Chelsea forward and kept them going even when Everton were defying them at every turn.
Everton keeper Tim Howard almost single handedly kept Chelsea at bay with a string of stunning saves and it looked as if they had survived until the last gasp drama.
Howard was brilliant all night as Chelsea went close early on through Matic, Willian, Juan Cuadrado and Loic Remy while Steven Naismith was lucky to escape after a clear handball in his own area.
But after Chelsea failed to find the early breakthrough, the more solid Everton's defence became and Lukaku was their outlet as he also forced a fine save from Cech in the first half.
Despite Hazard's determination and Matic dominating midfield, they toiled and laboured. In fact, Everton should have taken a 68th minute lead but Lukaku's close range shot was blocked by a stunning reflex save with Cech's feet.
On came the big guns as fit-again Cesc Fabregas and Didier Drogba were introduced as Chelsea went in search of a winner. They thought they had it after 86 minutes when Matic's shot hit the net but it was flagged offside after hitting Ivanovic on the way through.
It boiled over when Barry saw red for a trip on Willian and Ivanovic then appeared to put his head into the back of the McCarthy's head as an ugly brawl broke out.
But referee Jon Moss did not take any action and you just knew that Ivanovic would play a part in the winner. Fabregas lumped the resulting free kick into the box, Ivanovic headed on, Howard punched the ball away and Willian lashed it home through a crowd of players from 20 yards.
The whole stadium went crazy as Chelsea celebrated the 89th minute winner as if they had won the Premier League already and, in truth, last night was one hell of a step towards doing exactly that.

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Express:

Chelsea 1 - Everton 0: Willian strikes late to snatch all three points for Mourinho's men
Tony Banks

Willian scored a deflected goal to claim all three points for Chelsea
Jose Mourinho’s side were stuttering and stumbling until the Brazilian let fly with a low shot from the edge of the area that flew past the defiant Tim Howard.
But Chelsea last night owed a massive vote of thanks to veteran goalkeeper Cech.
The 32-year-old was recalled in place of the dropped Thibaut Courtois, and he produced two saves right out of the top-drawer to stop Blues old boy Romelu Lukaku. Had it not been for the Czech, Everton could have won this game long before Willian’s precious strike.
Mourinho sprang a surprise as he dropped Courtois for the first time since the Belgian came back to the club in August  after erratic displays at Aston Villa and against Manchester City.
Cech came in, and £26.8million January signing Juan Cuadrado made his full debut – with the injured Oscar dropping out.
Chelsea started strongly as Nemanja Matic strode through two tackles to shoot just over, and Everton were lucky when Steven Naismith appeared to clearly handle Willian’s cross, but got away with it.
The Brazilian curled a shot just over the angle as Chelsea got into their rhythm. But then Lukaku, on his first visit back to Stamford Bridge since leaving permanently in the summer, showed his power as he pounced on Ross Barkley’s pass and forced Cech to save with an outstretched foot.
Everton keeper Howard produced an equally good save to keep out Loic Remy’s flashing header. But as Chelsea poured forward the chances kept coming, and the Frenchman then skidded a shot just wide of the post.
Then Eden Hazard’s low shot was well saved by Howard at the second attempt as the pressure continued to mount. Everton boss Roberto Martinez’s ensured his side mostly had 10 men behind the ball as they fought off the siege.
The Colombian Cuadrado showed speed going forward but kept running into blind alleys, as did too many of his colleagues. He got into good positions, but then took one touch too many.
Hazard was one who became more direct, and he fired in a shot that Howard had to parry away. But the American World Cup hero produced an even better stop when he tipped Matic’s free-kick round the post. He was there again when Willian curled in a shot from the left.
But Everton were then foiled by the save of the night. As Chelsea failed to clear a corner, Bryan Oviedo fired in a low cross, and when Lukaku shot from five yards, somehow Cech once again saved with an outstretched leg. The old man had fully justified his recall with two pieces of brilliance.
Even when Matic’s shot was deflected in, Branislav Ivanovic was offside. It was that kind of night. Gareth Barry’s sending off for two yellow cards at the death looked likely to make little difference.
But from the free-kick Howard punched clear, and Willian met the ball on the edge of the area. It may well be a crucial moment in this season’s title race.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Cuadrado (Fabregas 70), Willian (Cahill 90), Hazard; Remy (Drogba 70). Booked: Azpilicueta, Ramires, Fabregas. Goal: Willian 89. NEXT UP: Paris Saint-Germain (a), Tue CL.
EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Howard; Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Oviedo; Besic (McCarthy 45), Barry; Lennon (Mirallas 74), Naismith, Barkley (Gibson 74); Lukaku. Booked: Barry, Besic, Coleman, McCarthy. Sent off: Barry 88. NEXT UP: Young Boys (a), Feb 19 EL.
Referee: J Moss (West Riding).

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Star:

Chelsea 1 Everton 0: Willian strike keeps Blues marching on
David Woods

Up until the 89th minute, the American keeper had looked set to thwart Chelsea almost single-handedly, topped by a couple of super-saves.
He was matched, though, by the returning Petr Cech, who produced two excellent stops himself, both with his feet from Romelu Lukaku, after coming in for the axed Thibault Courtois.
Cech’s performance led boss Jose Mourinho to walk 30 yards to congratulate him at the end of this tight tussle.
Willian’s goal came just after Gareth Barry was sent off for tripping him, having picked up a caution in the first half for felling Eden Hazard in similar circumstances.
The dismissal sparked some fiesty scenes with rival players squaring up to each other en masse and Branislav Ivanovic face into face with James McCarthy.
Despite all the posturing, referee Jonathan Moss was able to calm things down before showing red to ex-England star Barry.
When it came to beating Howard, it took a deflection off Steven Naismith, after Brazilian Willian shot from 20 yards, sending the ball into the bottom left corner of the stranded keeper’s goal.
The Chelsea bench went bonkers, all except for Mourinho, who immediately pointed to Gary Cahill, telling him to get ready to come on, with Willian being replaced.
Some might say Chelsea won ugly, but, in fairness, they tried to play football throughout.
But Roberto Martinez’s Toffees proved harder to chew this time round, having been thrashed 6-3 at Goodison in August.
There was a full debut for Chelsea’s £26m Colombian Juan Cuadrado, who looks set to fit in well.
But it was former Chelsea striker Lukaku, who had the first serious chance, in the eighth minute.
Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon - making his full debut on loan with the Goodison outfit - picked out Ross Barkley.
And his clever pass into Lukaku’s path allowed him to drive in a fierce low shot which Cech somehow deflected over his bar with an ankle.
Howard clutched a Hazard shot at the second attempt and then forced Howard to beat away at his near post with a snapshot.
The bearded stopper did even better soon after to hurl himself to his left to beat away a curling free-kick from Nemanja Matic.
He maintained his fine display with another impressive leap to his left, to knock clear a Willian bender, again with one hand, before it could sneak inside a post.
Not to be outdone, Cech proved he was no back number, with a sensational reflex save in the 69th minute.
Bryan Oviedo sent in a low ball from the left and Lukaku sidefooted with his left towards goal from six yards. Somehow Cech twisted his body to block with his left foot. Lukaku could not believe it.
Howard was beaten by a Matic drive just before the goal, but it was correctly rubbed, having taken a deflection off the offside Ivanovic.
Sadly for Howard the next deflected shot did count, much to battling Everton’s despair and the delight of the home faithful,
They went away all talking about how important king Willian’s goal will be if Chelsea win the league, with nearest rivals Manchester City winning 4-1 at Stoke.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Cuadrado (Fabregas 70), Willian (Cahill 92), Hazard; Remy (Drogba). Subs: Courtois, Luis, Ake, Loftus-Cheek.
EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Howard; Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Oviedo; Besic (McCarthy 46), Barry; Lennon (Mirallas 74), Barkley (Gibson 74), Naismith; Lukaku. Subs: Robles, Kone, Garbutt, Alcaraz.
REFEREE: Jonathan Moss.