Everton's unbeaten start to the Premier League season is over after a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, with Pedro Neto scoring both goals. The loss at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday saw the Toffees drop to seventh in the table with 10 points from their opening seven games, a record of two wins, four draws and one loss.
Neto struck less than a minute after the restart and added a second in stoppage time, punishing a defensive lapse that captain James Tarkowski said his side had anticipated but failed to stop. "We knew the way they were going to get wide and pull the ball back a lot," Tarkowski told evertontv.
Tarkowski explained that while Everton handled Chelsea's wide play well in the first half, their organisation collapsed for the opening goal. He described Neto's late second, which came after a scramble, as feeling "a bit fluky". The defeat followed a run of two wins and two draws in the league, a sequence fans can review on the club's standings page. Their recent form across the last five matches reads two wins, two draws and one loss, which includes the 2-2 draw at Hull City on 11 October and the 1-0 victory over Ipswich on 19 September.
The match was also overshadowed by a nasty head injury to Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, which required lengthy treatment and drew concern after the final whistle. On the pitch, the result leaves Everton 11 points behind leaders Manchester City ahead of a tough trip to face second-placed Arsenal next weekend.
Sean Dyche's side, who have scored eight and conceded seven this season, must now regroup. Their next challenge is an away fixture against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal on 24 October. Top scorer T. Barry, with three goals this campaign, will be looked to for a response as Everton aim to bounce back from this setback. The team's overall goal difference of plus one will need strengthening in such a difficult away match.
This story first appeared at readeverton.com
