In Week 34 of the Premier League, Chelsea hosted Everton at Stamford Bridge. The Blues, sitting sixth in the table, needed a win to stay in contention for a Champions League spot. Chelsea faces tough competition from Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester City for the coveted top-four finish.

Starting Lineups

Chelsea: Robert Sánchez, Malo Gusto, Benoît Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Roméo Lavia, Enzo Fernández, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Ângelo Gabriel, Nicolas Jackson.

Everton: Jordan Pickford, Nathan Patterson, Michael Keane, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Idrissa Gueye, James Garner, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Jack Harrison, Dele Alli, Beto.

Match Summary

Chelsea started strongly, showing more urgency to score, but had to wait until the 13th minute for their first real chance. Within two minutes, Madueke could have given Chelsea a two-goal lead. First, his header narrowly missed the target, and then Pickford made a stunning save to deny Madueke’s shot.

Chelsea broke the deadlock in the 27th minute with a stunning strike from Nicolas Jackson, rewarding their dominant play. The first half ended without further incident, with the hosts taking a 1-0 lead into halftime.

Everton pushed forward in the second half, dominating the first ten minutes but failing to create clear chances. Chelsea regained control but struggled to extend their lead.

In the 63rd minute, Beto had Everton’s best chance, but Sánchez made a brilliant save. Later, Madueke nearly doubled Chelsea’s lead, but Pickford palmed his low shot away for a corner.

In the 84th minute, Jackson thought he had scored his second, but the assistant referee correctly ruled it out for offside.

The referee added four minutes of stoppage time, but no further goals were scored. Chelsea secured a vital 1-0 win, temporarily moving into fourth place with 60 points, while Everton remained 13th with 38 points.