View: 9/10 wonderful, 10/10 team-mate even better - Everton player ratings vs Chelsea

Everton ran out 3-0 winners against Chelsea on Saturday, with Beto and Jordan Pickford putting in a pair of match-winning performances.

David Moyes’ side put their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal behind them on Saturday, with a big three points over Chelsea.

The Toffees closed the gap to Liverpool to just three points after their defeat to Brighton, and have significantly boosted their chances of finishing in the European places.

Beto scored his first goal on 33 minutes with a cheeky dink past Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea net, before adding his second just after the hour mark with a powerful low effort that the keeper couldn’t prevent from squirming through his legs.

Pickford also made a wonderful flying save to deny Enzo Fernandez from near-point blank range just minutes after Beto’s opening goal, keeping Everton’s three points against Chelsea safe as a result.

Beto deserved his Everton goals with wonderful Chelsea show

Beto has come in for significant criticism for Everton this season, and indeed for a considerable amount of his Toffees career.

The 28-year-old striker hasn’t been the deadly marksman Everton hoped they’d be getting when he signed from Udinese in the summer of 2023, and prior to Saturday, had scored just four Premier League goals this season.

However, the Guinea-Bissau international was excellent against Chelsea, with his industry and perseverance seeing him rightly rewarded with a very well-taken finish just after half an hour.

He almost capitalised on a mistake from Sanchez in the Chelsea goal 10 minutes in, with his pressing almost seeing the Blues keeper cough up the ball to him with an open net awaiting, but he was somehow able to scramble it clear.

Beto then grabbed his second of the game on 62 minutes, after a loose pass from Chelsea enabled Idrissa Gueye to drive forward with the ball before playing in Everton’s number nine.

He then smashed a low-driven shot straight at Sanchez from the right of the box, but the Spanish shot-stopper couldn’t stop it from going through his legs and rolling across the line.

His performance would be topped off with a brilliant assist for Iliman Ndiaye’s wonderful strike to make it 3-0, as Beto leaped to power on a header into the path of Ndiaye, who then curled one into the top corner to make sure of the win.

Beto has been a divisive figure among Everton supporters during his time on Merseyside, but if he can start putting in performances such as his Chelsea display more consistently, he’s sure to get many more fans on his side.

Jordan Pickford kept Everton points safe vs Chelsea

As if any Everton fan needed another reminder, but Pickford once again proved why he’s one of the Premier League’s very best goalkeepers against Chelsea.

The 32-year-old England international is running his own save of the season competition at the moment, and his stop to deny Fernandez on Saturday will be in the running to win that award.

Pickford then made another great stop from Fernandez on the hour mark, after the Chelsea midfielder fired a curling effort towards goal that the Toffees keeper dived across to get a big hand on it.

It was a goalkeeping performance that fully merited him earning his 150th clean sheet on Saturday, as Everton once again count their blessings that he’s in between the sticks for them.

Everton player ratings

Jordan Pickford – 9

Jake O’Brien – 7

James Tarkowski – 8

Michael Keane – 7

Vitalii Mykolenko – 7

James Garner – 8

Idrissa Gueye – 8

Dwight McNeil – 6

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 7

Iliman Ndiaye – 8

Beto – 10

Subs

Jarrad Branthwaite (for McNeil, 78) – 6

Thierno Barry (for Beto, 81) – N/A

Merlin Rohl (for Ndiaye, 90) – N/A

Tim Iroegbunam (for Dewsbury-Hall, 90) – N/A

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