Cole Palmer purrs again as Chelsea put poor Everton to the sword
There has been a resurgence within the Chelsea ranks recently, with the side coming into this contest boasting their longest unbeaten PL run of the campaign.
Anyone who has watched the Londoners regularly will know their performances have been far from assured, however, and there were more signs of defensive frailty as Everton pushed up the pitch in a fast-paced opening.
Pochettino's men may have been punished 10 minutes in, only for Beto to lift his effort over from merely yards out with the Blues’ defence sleeping.
But one consistent in Chelsea’s disappointing season has been the form of Palmer, and it was the Englishman who once again set the game alight with a 16-minute hat-trick.
His first was the pick of the bunch, as after nutmegging one Everton defender, Palmer then played a clever one-two with Nicolas Jackson before curling in a delightful effort from 20 yards.
Just five minutes later, the forward nodded in from close range after Jordan Pickford’s block.
Palmer completed his hat-trick before the half-hour mark courtesy of a dreadful error from the Toffees’ keeper, with Pickford’s inexplicable pass out allowing Palmer to pounce before he lifted a dipping long-range effort over the head of the retreating stopper.
Despite later seeing a goal disallowed – with Beto clearly offside before heading in – Everton struggled to deal with Chelsea’s young forward throughout.
Palmer, who enjoyed one of his finest nights yet, had extra reason to celebrate as he became the first Blues player to register double-digit goals and assists in his maiden campaign.
Wanting a piece of the pie, it was Jackson who struck a fourth before the half was out, swivelling in the penalty area before unleashing a fierce half-volley into the bottom corner.
Sean Dyche rang the changes at HT with a triple substitution but this had little effect with a lowly Everton struggling to remain afloat. With less than 10 second-half minutes gone, Palmer, still hungry for more, forced Pickford into a smart stop when played in by Connor Gallagher.
But the forward, who probably had an eye on levelling his goal tally with Erling Haaland in the race for the golden boot, capped off a delightful performance by wrestling the ball away from teammates and sending Pickford the wrong way with an ice-cold spot-kick.
It was a desperate evening for the visitors, who would concede a painful sixth before the night was out when Alfie Gilchrist rifled home following another questionable Pickford save.
But considering Everton haven’t triumphed here since 1994, Dyche was unlikely to have seen this contest as a ‘must-win’ in their battle against relegation.
The Toffees remain in a sticky situation, however, and after recently receiving another points deduction time will tell if they are to survive the drop.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)