Everton really need a win against Chelsea at Goodison Park on Sunday to boost their hopes of Premier League survival but there is encouragement for the hosts as they prepare for this crucial battle. While the Blues have only ever triumphed once at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League match, their longest-running winless streak in any given fixture in the competition since Paul Rideout’s header secured three points for them back in Joe Royle’s first away game on November 26, 1994, things are much better on home turf.
Everton actually enjoy a winning record at home to Chelsea in the Premier League – just – having triumphed in 11 of their meetings with 10 wins for the visitors and eight draws. For context, Manchester City are the only other members of the so-called ‘Big Six’ to have a losing record at Goodison in the Premier League era with 11 wins for the Blues, nine for the away side and five draws.
Manchester United have 17 wins at Goodison in the Premier League with Anthony Gordon’s goal three weeks ago giving Everton their eighth victory in the fixture with five draws. In the same competition, Arsenal have triumphed 12 times at Goodison with nine Everton wins and nine draws while their north London rivals Tottenham have secured 10 victories to Everton’s five with 15 draws.
READ MORE: What Jordan Pickford did in Everton training as Dominic Calvert-Lewin gets individual chat
READ MORE: What Farhad Moshiri must now do as Everton unite to fight relegation
In home Merseyside Derbies throughout the Premier League era, Everton have won seven (none since 2010), Liverpool 11 with 12 draws. Over the past three decades though, this latest encounter might be the Blues most-important against Chelsea given what’s at stake so here’s a look back at five of their memorable triumphs over more recent times.
Everton 2 Chelsea 1, November 25 2000
Here was a typically backs-against-the-wall type success for Everton if ever you wanted one and it completed a double success for them against visitors from London after they defeated Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal 2-0 at Goodison Park just a week earlier. Manager Walter Smith had been forced into a major revamp of his midfield during the summer of 2000 with Nick Barmby, Don Hutchison and John Collins all leaving the club and Thomas Gravesen, Alex Nyarko, Niclas Alexandersson and Paul Gascoigne all coming in.
However, all of the new quartet were out for this game and the Blues boss went for a tight 4-5-1 formation with an engine room consisting of Stephen Hughes, Scot Gemmill and Mark Pembridge with Danny Cadamarteri and Idan Tal in the wide positions. The hosts fell behind to the FA Cup holders in unfortunate circumstances deep into first half stoppage time as Sam Dalla Bonna got two bites of the cherry when his first shot ricocheted off David Weir straight back to him and he hammered the rebound low into the bottom right hand corner of Paul Gerrard’s goal.
Chelsea almost doubled their lead moments into the second half but this time Gerrard finger-tipped Eidur Gudjohnsen’s shot onto the post and within 25 seconds, Everton were up the other end of the pitch with Cadamarteri equalising by poking the ball past Ed De Goey after being threaded through by Gemmill. Kevin Campbell then hit the Chelsea post chasing down a Steve Watson free-kick but with his opposite number Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink then sent off for striking Michael Ball in the face with a flying elbow, Everton’s number nine was not to be denied his winner 16 minutes from the end with a delicately-placed left-foot effort after squeezing his way between French centre-back pair Marcel Desailly and Frank Le Boeuf.
Everton 1 Chelsea 0, May 22 2011
This was the infamous day that future Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti was sacked by Chelsea before he’d even left Goodison Park – just a year after delivering a Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season outside of Italian football – but for the Blues the game is more memorable for Jermaine Beckford’s recreation of another AC Milan legend’s famous solo goal when George Weah famously ran almost the entire length of the pitch from his own area to score against Verona in 1996. Everton had been reduced to 10 men after Seamus Coleman was sent off on 52 minutes for a reckless challenge on John Obi Mikel which was his second booking but like his fellow Londoner Campbell over a decade earlier, Beckford struck the winner with 74 minutes on the clock.
Snatching a loose ball from current Everton manager Frank Lampard, Beckford sprinted out of the hosts’ penalty area, skipped his way through several Chelsea opponents including Ashley Cole and John Terry in the centre of the pitch before coolly dinking the ball over the onrushing Petr Cech. It took his total for the season to double figures but proved to be his last goal for the Blues as he joined Championship Leicester City for £2.5million in August.
Everton 2 Chelsea 0, February 11 2012
Goodison Park loves a trier and perhaps Denis Stracqualursi wasn’t the only person inside the ground to shed a tear when the Everton cult hero finally scored what proved to be his solitary goal in a Premier League game. Steven Pienaar had fired the Blues ahead just five minutes into the contest, smashing into the roof of the net from close range on his second home debut having returned on loan following a year at Tottenham Hotspur but this afternoon was all about the Argentinian.
Back in the summer of 2011, transfer funds were tight at Everton. Manager David Moyes had not spent a penny all summer but on deadline day as Mikel Arteta moved to Arsenal for £10million while Ayegbeni Yakubu and the aforementioned Beckford went to Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City respectively, the Scot squeezed a couple of loan signing through the door.
Although just six months apart in age, in terms of talent and temperament the pair were like chalk and cheese. The gifted Dutch winger Royston Drenthe, who arrived from Real Madrid, looked devastating at times down the flanks but his time on Merseyside was blighted by disciplinary issues.
In contrast, Stracqualursi was a model pro, who realised his technical limitations as a player and just wanted to use this great opportunity as a chance to learn. Recalling his strike – a low shot first time at Cech who got a hand to the effort but couldn’t keep it out – the centre-forward told the Independent’s Simon Hart : “All my family at home in Argentina were watching and when I scored the goal it felt like touching heaven with my hand. It was a day that even now I can’t keep out of my mind. If you go to my parents’ house there’s a big photo of the goal on the wall there.”
Everton 3 Chelsea 1, September 12 2015
Steven Naismith wasn’t even picked by Roberto Martinez in the Everton starting line-up for this game but the Scot ended up scoring a perfect hat-trick against Jose Mourinho’s side. An injury to Muhamed Besic just nine minutes into the contest saw Naismith enter the fray as an early substitute.
The former Rangers man opened the scoring on 17 minutes, heading left-back Brendan Galloway’s lofted cross into the roof of current Everton understudy goalkeeper Asmir Begovic’s net. Naismith then doubled the hosts’ advantage on 22 minutes with a low left foot drive from 20 yards out after being fed by Ross Barkley.
A long-range blockbuster from Serbian Nemanja Matic reduced arrears 13 minutes later but Naismith would seal victory by completing his treble in front of the Gwladys Street, eight minutes from full-time with a right foot shot from a tight angle after again being picked out by Barkley.
Everton 3 Chelsea 1, December 7 2019
Ironically Lampard will be hoping his Everton side can produce a repeat of what they did to his Chelsea team when they came to Goodison Park for caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson’s first match in charge. With Marco Silva being sacked after a 5-2 loss to Liverpool that left the Blues in the relegation zone, the Blues’ tartan talisman’s in-your-face passion was the shot in the arm that both players and fans alike needed.
Ferguson was racing down the touchline in celebration just five minutes into proceedings when Richarlison headed his side in front and then swung a ball boy in the air when Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubled Everton’s lead four minutes into the second half. The hosts’ nerves jangled just three minutes later when Mateo Kovacic pulled a goal back with a long range effort but the points were secured six minutes from the end as Calvert-Lewin proved sharpest in the box during a goalmouth scramble to fire the ball through Kepa Arrizabalaga’s legs after the world’s most-expensive goalkeeper had given up possession with a poor clearance.
Afterwards, Ferguson said: “It was an unbelievable atmosphere for myself but it’s the players who need to take the pride and the praise.” Everton’s current crop now need to go out there and do it all again.
