Defeat at in last season’s corresponding fixture between Everton and Chelsea plunged Frank Lampard on the downward spiral that ultimately cost him his job but now he needs another home win at Goodison Park to help secure survival in his new role. Everton last hosted Chelsea on December 12, 2020 and in the first game in front of fans since coronavirus restrictions began, 2,000 Blues supporters made their voices heard as they cheered their side on to a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
It was the second time in as many years that Lampard’s Chelsea had been turned over at Goodison having suffered a 3-1 reversal in Duncan Ferguson’s first game in charge as caretaker manager the previous season but this time the loss would be far more damaging for the now Blues boss. It was the first of five defeats in eight matches that would result in his sacking on January 25, 2021.
While his replacement Thomas Tuchel subsequently delivered Chelsea’s second Champions League title at the end of the same season, Football.London’s Chief Chelsea correspondent Adam Newson explains the decision to axe Lampard caused plenty of uproar at the time. He told the ECHO: “Chelsea went into last season’s match against Everton at Goodison Park on the back of a 17-game unbeaten run in all competitions and top of the Premier League table. They just didn’t perform well that night and Everton outfought them and were far more intense in their game.
