Everton battled to claim a well earned point in their draw with Chelsea on Saturday evening.
The Blues were held to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, with Ellis Simms netting a late equaliser. The result leaves Everton in 15th place in the Premier League table going into the international break.
Joao Felix opened the scoring for the home side, before Abdoulaye Doucoure equalised for Everton. Chelsea then retook the lead through a Kai Havertz penalty, with another defeat seemingly on the cards for Sean Dyche’s side.
PLAYER RATINGS: Ellis Simms the hero and Abdoulaye Doucoure superb against Chelsea
VERDICT: Sean Dyche has just found two unlikely Everton heroes and priceless commodity in relegation fight
But in the closing minutes, Simms stepped up to score a late equaliser to secure a vital point for the travelling Blues. Plenty of national media outlets were in attendance - here is a round-up of what they said.
Julian Bovill, via the Mail Online
“At one stage against Everton, there was so much confidence flowing through Chelsea that even Graham Potter indulged in a bit of showboating.
“As a ball looped up into the air and over his head as he stood in his technical area, Potter nonchalantly leant forward, let it drop and back-heel volleyed the ball into play.
“Chelsea were deservedly 1-0 up at the time through a fine strike from Joao Felix who also showed off some fancy footwork throughout at Stamford Bridge.
“But if there is one thing Potter has learned in this job is that Chelsea are not yet in a place where too much can be taken for granted.
“And so it proved, once again.
“Everton levelled a first time through Abdoulaye Doucoure to test whether Chelsea really were back after the three successive wins which suggested they might be.
“And after Kai Havertz restored Chelsea's lead again from the penalty spot, young striker Ellis Simms came off the bench to force in his first senior Everton goal to earn the Toffees another crucial point in their battle to beat the drop which they celebrated long and hard at full-time.
“They had earned it through a combination of their defiant defending to limit Chelsea to their two goals and also their response to going behind twice, a situation that seemed to stir them rather than deflate.”
Sam Wallace, via The Telegraph
“The Graham Potter renaissance was almost onto its fourth straight victory with one minute of the regulation 90 left when the old frailties that have gripped new Chelsea came back to remind their manager just how far there is left to go.
“They had already had to handle one Everton comeback, but a second felt excessive for a team that had dominated most of the possession and just about all of the chances. The Everton substitute Ellis Simms had been on the pitch for nine minutes when he took his chances with a run at Kalidou Koulibaly and found the £35 million defender very much not his equal. A shot at goal, another flappy hand from Kepa Arrizabalaga and the boy from Oldham had a priceless point for Everton.
“Potter will know only too well that these are the kind of games that the old, cussed Chelsea would grind through: a desperate opponent, a set-piece threat and perhaps just a couple of big moments in the game that needed defending. Indeed, Everton finished the match with just three attempts on target, a shade over 30 per cent of the ball and Simms’ first goal for the club he joined aged 16.
“Now 22, he is a strong runner and an obvious last roll of the dice for Sean Dyche with nothing to lose in the final moments. But really, for Potter’s players this was a game that should have been sealed long before Kai Havertz’s penalty in the 76th minute renewed their lead. They go into the international break in tenth position and the momentum of the preceding three victories now diminished by another evening when they could not find a way to win.”
Jonathan Wilson, via The Guardian
“Heroes come sometimes in unlikely forms. Ellis Simms has been a forlorn figure since returning to Goodison Park from his loan spell at Sunderland, but he came off the bench to score an equaliser that at least lifted Everton a point clear [two points clear] of the relegation zone, even if they remain fourth bottom [15th]. It’s so tight in the bottom half, though, that a win would have lifted them to twelfth.
“Simms had scored seven goals in 17 games on loan at Sunderland earlier in the season before being recalled by Frank Lampard shortly before he was sacked.
“The one real opportunity Sean Dyche had given him was away at Liverpool, when he was asked to play a lone strike role that really didn’t suit him. Big he may be, but chasing lost causes is not his style. Here he showed what he can do with players near him, picking up the ball on the left, drifting infield, and finishing via Kepa Arrizabalaga’s hand. As such, this joined the lengthy list of Chelsea games this season that they have dominated but failed to win.”
Tom Roddy, via The Times
“Kai Havertz held his hands to his head like bunny ears, stuck his tongue out towards Jordan Pickford and peeled away in celebration. That old swagger seemed to be back at Stamford Bridge, with a fourth successive win for Chelsea seemingly on the way, yet Everton and Ellis Simms struck the fatal blow with a late equaliser that leaves Chelsea heading towards the Mickey Mouse leagues of Europe now.
“Graham Potter’s side may have been drawn against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals this week, but they head into the international break 11 points off qualifying for the same competition next season.”
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