Chelsea boosted their hopes of securing a UEFA Champions League spot after defeating Everton 1-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Premier League
Result: Chelsea 1-0 Everton
Date: 26 April 2025
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Blues coach Enzo Maresca made just one change from the win over Fulham last weekend, as Romeo Lavia returned in midfield as Reece James dropped to the bench.
The hosts managed to carve out the first chance of the game after 13 minutes when Madueke cut in from the left flank and unleashed a curling strike that forced goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into a fine save.
The Blues eventually got their reward in the 26th minute as Nicolas Jackson collected a loose ball just outside the area before firing into the far corner for his first goal in four months.
Everton, meanwhile, were second best throughout the encounter and really struggled on the offensive end, as they failed to register a single effort on target during the entire opening 45 minutes.
Toffees coach David Moyes responded with a change at the start of the second half, as Iliman Ndiaye was unable to continue and was replaced by Carlos Alcaraz.
The visitors had to wait until the 62nd minute for their first opening when Jack Harrison did well to play in Beto, who unleashed a first-time shot from the edge of the box but his effort was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Sanchez came to Chelsea's rescue once again with four minutes left on the clock, with the shot-stopper pulling off a great save to keep out Dwight McNeil's powerful volley after some good work by Vitalii Mykolenko.
The win sees the Blues move up to fourth spot, while they extend their unbeaten run to seven matchees in the league.
