Pain…Why? Chelsea Does it Again

For the fourth season in a row, Everton has upset Chelsea in the Premier League. After Burnley shocked the league with two goals in the last 10 minutes of its match, Everton was desperate for a result in order to protect the integrity, and history of the club. The downfall of the Blues recently has been some individual mistakes that end up resulting in an outcome that should not happen. A few weeks ago against Arsenal, Chelsea gave the Gunners several massive chances to score which they ended up converting. While Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta can be forgiven for his uncharacteristic play in the back, he gave the Toffees a lifeline when the team had the opportunity to push Everton into a deeper hole given the Burnley result. The Blues are now just three points clear of fourth-place Arsenal in the table, as Chelsea once again proves why it is far from being a contender for the Premier League title.

C/O: Reuters

Following the defeat, manager Thomas Tuchel spoke about his frustration, stating, "We hate to lose, we are responsible for it, it was our responsibility in Old Trafford to not have more - we struggle to have consecutive clean sheets and top performances and that is why we lost today...We have to be without mistakes, disciplined in our positions, and don't make mistakes. When you have that much possession, we did not play our best match but we were in control, and then we gave a goal away and it kills the game for us because it is everything the opponent wants. It is a huge pattern in our season."

Winning the West Ham match at the death looked to be the turning point for Chelsea as it headed towards the end of the season. A scrambling and desperate Everton side headed by former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was the perfect recipe to find some success and grab hold of third in the league. Against a side like the Toffees, giving them a goal on a platter is not beneficial at all for the rest of the match. Everton was not going to get more than one goal against the Blues, and giving them the first one allowed them to sit back and protect a one-goal lead with as much belief as it could. Dominant outings destroyed by one or two mistakes that end up costing the entire match has been the story of the season for Chelsea. Limiting these errors, and executing when the opportunity presents itself will elevate this team to a whole new level, but right now the hope is grim after a loss to a club of Everton’s caliber.

English international goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was without a doubt the man of the match for Everton as he made some of the best saves of the entire season so far. Putting his entire body, including his head on the line for his team is what is necessary for these types of circumstances where the Toffees are in desperate need of points. Pickford's energy was contagious with the rest of his team and the fans at Goodison Park. Heading into Sunday afternoon, there was very little faith that this team could save itself from catastrophe, but following his stunning performance against Chelsea, Pickford made them believe. The electricity in the crowd, and the sheer relief showed Everton is what the relegation battle is all about. The rest of the run-in for the Toffees seems daunting as the squad has to go on the road to attempt to prevent one of the most historical downfalls of the 21st century.

There was no question that Tuchel was irate at the end of the match with another mediocre performance after another. A draw against Manchester United during the mid-week in a match where they dominated but only held the lead for two minutes, and a collapse at home against their rivals, Arsenal. During the span of an entire season, the Blues are known to have a letdown match, but in 2022, it has become a regular occurrence. The £126,500,000 striker never found his way off the bench and into the match for the Blues even though the team continued to struggle when it came to finishing.

Werner and Havertz are a quality one-two combination up-top, but they have proven time and time again that they are just not clinical enough to be the main focus of an attack. United gave the Blues plenty of space on the wings, but Everton pressed high and made the backline work to create any movement going forward. Pulisic and Ziyech are quality complementary players, but the story of Chelsea not having an effective goal scorer continues even after spending a boatload of money on one over the summer. Despite some of the poor performances, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Mason Mount showed plenty of flashes of why this team has such a bright future ahead of it. Both of them attacked the defense with purpose and vigor, but most of the time it came to no avail with the final touch just not being there in the end.

After winning the Champions League title last season, the ceiling for 2022 with Tuchel at the helm was limitless. With Lukaku on board, the belief was that this group could contend for the Premier League title. That assumption has been squashed during the last few weeks as the entire league can tell the difference between Manchester City every time out, and what Chelsea brings. Consistency is salient for a team to contend for a title, and Tuchel and the Blues are anything but that this season.

C/O: NBC News/Getty Images

From stellar performances like the second half against Liverpool back at the beginning of the season to the woeful outing against Brentford right after the international break, Chelsea has always been a tough team to figure out. For the last two years, it just has looked like this team is just one goal scorer away from reaching that next level in the process. The Champions League was an added bonus, but in order to win the Premier League in the near future, the Blues have to limit costly mistakes against sides that are just waiting to pounce on them.

Chelsea has yet another tough match next week in the Premier League against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Bruno Lage and his squad have lost three straight league matches, but it always seems that Wolves has the Blues' number every time around. The last two matches between the two have resulted in 0-0 draws. The last time Chelsea beat Wolves was back in the last match of the season in 2020 when the Blues ended up clinching a top-four spot with a win. Lage and company provide many threats up top including the elusive Hwang Hee-chan, creative midfielder Rúben Neves, and arguably Wolves' most important player, Daniel Podence who is still recovering from an injury. With Arsenal breathing down Chelsea's neck, a win against Wolves is a must with an FA Cup final on the horizon, and the battle for a Champions League spot getting tighter and tighter.