Nicolas Jackson struck in the first half as Chelsea beat Everton 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to extend their unbeaten home Premier League record against the Toffees to 30 matches.
In a must-win game as far as their UEFA Champions League hopes were concerned, the Blues began the game well but came up against a resilient Everton back line. The closest Noni Madueke came early on very nearly had Jordan Pickford in trouble. It took Chelsea until just after the half hour when Trevoh Chalobah dispossessed Beto in midfield and set up Enzo Fernández to feed Jackson, whose precise finish nestled in the bottom corner.
The hosts kept attacking, but Abdoulaye Doucouré wasted Everton’s best chance of the first half. Madueke continued to be a constant threat following the restart and Pickford had to make several important saves to keep the visitors in the game. Robert Sánchez, back in goal for Chelsea, was also crucial, with sharp stops from Beto and Idrissa Gueye.
Jackson thought he had a last-gasp second only for it to be chalked off for offside, but Chelsea held on, winning back-to-back league games to at least temporarily nudge back into the top four ahead of a massive UEFA Conference League semi-final and a daunting Premier League finish. Everton, meanwhile, have suffered successive defeats after an impressive run of form.
