Everton legend Duncan Ferguson is off to a great start as the Toffees recorded a famous victory over Chelsea at Goodison Park.
Richarlison continued his great run of form by towering over the Chelsea rearguard to power a header past Kepa Arrizabalaga for a shocking early lead for Everton in the encounter. The Blues grew into the game but Ferguson's men were able to keep Tammy Abraham and his cohorts at bay till halftime.
In the second half, it was deja vu for Chelsea as Everton doubled their lead early in the half, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin profiting from a poor piece of defending from Kurt Zouma.
The Blues proceeded to mount a comeback, with Mateo Kovacic scoring his first Premier League goal in Chelsea's colours. The Toffees, however, scuttled any chances of Frank Lampard's men getting a point from the fixture, as Calvert-Lewin latched onto a loose ball to poke the ball past Kepa for Everton's 3rd goal.
With other Premier League fixtures yet to be played, Chelsea remains in 4th on 29 points, and Everton climbs to 14th place on 17 points. In this article, we analyse the reasons why Lampard's men fell at Goodison Park.
#3 A fresh start
Some call it 'the Solskjaer effect' and others call it 'new manager syndrome', however, having a new man at the helm often sparks a flame within the dressing room and the team goes on to successfully ride the high into matches, reversing their fortunes for the better on the pitch.
Marco Silva was dismissed this week after a run of poor form, and Everton legend Duncan Ferguson was appointed a caretaker manager. Big Dunc was thrown headfirst into the heat of battle, with his first test being former Premier League champions Chelsea.
His tactics were spot on, and his passion on the touchline was electric. He played direct football, and he switched from 3 at the back. The manager also reinstated Theo Walcott and Morgan Schneiderlin into the first team.
Call it the 'Solskjaer effect' or no, but what's clear is that Big Dunc's passion (hugging ball boys and enthusiastically egging his players on from the touchline) seemed to have been infused in the players, and he appears to have the Midas touch with regards team selection and tactics.
#2 A quick start for Everton
The Blues were dealt a sucker punch twice in the encounter, as Everton took the initiative early on, either side of halftime.
It was the perfect start for Duncan Ferguson and his new charges, as Richarlison towered above Andreas Christensen to score the opener with just 5 minutes on the clock. It was the ideal way to calm frayed nerves as the Toffees began life after Marco Silva against a big opponent like Chelsea.
In the second half, the word must have been for more of the same, as the Toffees once again blindsided the Blues with an early goal once again, as Calvert-Lewin struck 4 minutes after the restart. Those goals were just what the doctor ordered.
#1 Inefficient display from Chelsea
Frank Lampard's charges have received critical acclaim this season, as the club rode the wave of the transfer ban to showcase more than a few members of their infamous 'loan army'. It's been a commendable season so far, however, a lack of quality in certain areas, and a hint of inexperience in other areas has been Chelsea's undoing on occasion.
The Chelsea rearguard has been a bother particularly, and in this encounter, they were outmanoeuvred severally due to avoidable defensive errors, with Kurt Zouma particularly coming in for stern criticism.
In attack, the Blues were kept at bay by a resilient Everton performance, however, with the huge amount of possession Chelsea had, they should have done better. Lampard's men had 69.8 per cent of the ball, but they fluffed their lines severally, only mustering 4 shots on target out of 15 attempts.
The Blues were restricted to shots from outside the area more often than not in the encounter, however, a hint of calmness would have done the Chelsea attack a lot of good.