Cole Palmer showed his importance to Chelsea as the England international found the net to help the Blues end their struggling form with a 2-0 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer was left out of the squad for the midweek defeat at Atalanta as he continues to struggle with a groin injury, but he was fit enough to start against David Moyes’ in-form Everton and made an impact on the game early on.
Malo Gust’s incisive pass in the 21st minute opened Everton wide and Palmer made the most of it, firing powerfully past Jordan Pickford to give Chelsea the lead.
It was just a tonic for Chelsea, who were without a win in their last three Premier League games as their season threatened to collapse ahead of the Christmas period, but Mareska’s side were critical.
After a really good spell for Everton, which saw James Tarkowski head wide and Jack Grealish denying keeper Robert Sanchez from a tight angle, Gusto produced a sharp counter-attack from the home side to put them firmly in the lead at the break.
Chelsea’s dominance continued after the break, but Maresca did not want to take any chances with Palmer’s fitness, taking him off just before the hour mark.
Once again, Everton, who had the chance to go above Chelsea with victory, had chances as Grealish broke his lines after latching on to Carlos Alcaraz’s excellent cross, while Pickford had to be on top of his game to keep out Rhys James’ free-kick.
However, goals from the returning Palmer and Gust in the first half were enough to send Chelsea back to winning ways and up to fourth place in the Premier League table.
More to come…