Live Blog

Fulltime Thoughts - Simply not enough upfront for the Toffees as injuries rear their ugly head once again. Bring on Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye and possibly even Conor Coady, we’re going to need them all and a striker or two too. Please, and thank you.

90+11’ - Freekick to the Blues, Cucurella booked on but for timewasting. Gray finds Tarkowski from distance, Mendy catches and there’s the final whistle. Everton lose 1-0 to start the campaign, first defeat in their season opener in ten years, and the visitors win at Goodison for the first time in the last five tries.

90+7’ - Broja lets Tarky run into him and goes over, gets a freekick. Chelsea take their time on it, James into the box, Broja header to the far post that Pickford collects and throws quickly.
Long ball hoofed up, Pickford and Tarky marshal it, but the then goalie loses the ball about thirty yards out. Pulisic tries to get into a shooting position and Holgate tugs him back getting a booking.

90+5’ - Chelsea counter, Sterling tries to play in Broja and Tarky slides in and collects, cool as you like. Needed that experience in the back.

90+3’ - Thiago Silva is limping, but they can’t make the change because they have used up their three stoppages for subs as well.

90’ - Vinagre fouled by Christian Pulisic and it’s a freekick from a good position. Gray will take it from the left, ten minutes to be added on. Into the box, Chelsea clear after it ricochets about. VAR check, no penalty. No issues there.

89’ - Play resumes and Chelsea win a corner, again. Sub Armando Broja swipes at it, well wide.

85’ - Another stoppage in play this time off the pitch. Medical staff from both sides as well as the authorities running over now. A chance for both sides to catch a breath.

83’ - Myko block! Cucurella cross met by Sterling in the box and the fullback slides over to block, the ball fizzes past Pickford’s right foot as he is wrong-footed. Goalie claims the corner.

81’ - Mykos is booked for bringing Havertz down on the run. Freekick from the edge of the box, new signing Marc Cucurella goes over it, and James hits it way over.

73’ - Patterson with a brilliant interception and run on, finds Dele with a chance to shoot, and he dallies on it and the chance is gone. Poor from a player of his calibre.

72’ - That injury means we have no more subs. The rules state you can get five substitutions, but only in three stoppages of play.

68’ - Mina goes down now when under no pressure. Looks to have twisted his ankle or something, and now won’t go off either as the seconds tick by. Ruben Vinagre is warming up, and coming on now. The Colombian wants to stay on but the physio will have none of it.

62’ - Audacious attempt from Myko doesn’t come off. He chests the crossfield ball very well, and tries a volley from distance, but it doesn’t quite come off.
More timewasting meanwhile from Chelsea, as the Blues did the last time around. James has already been booked.

61’ - Fresh legs on, as Dele comes on for McNeil.

58’ - Myko slides in on James, corner. Bounces in the box and hoofed clear by Tarky.

54’ - Another chance! Doucoure cross almost gets to Gordon, Silva’s touch just dribbles the ball to Mendy.

51’ - Everton counter down the left, McNeil gets into space and tries to find Doucs in the area, corner. Ball into the box, Iwobi’s shot blocked, goalmouth melee, Doucs shot blocked, it falls to Holgate, charged down and then eventually Mendy collects. That was a chance.

48’ - Iwobi with a delightful ball over the top for Gray to sprint onto, and he has a chance to shoot, Silva blocks and it’s a corner. Overhit, and out for a goalkick, argh.

46’ - Second half starts with more of the same.

Halftime Thoughts - Everton have been pretty responsible defensively, holding strong for the most part but a clumsy tackle gave away a penalty that is the difference as Chelsea lead 1-0.

52’ - Penalty Chelsea! Chilwell turns Doucoure and is into the box, Doucoure pulls him back and the Chelsea player goes down very easily. Pawson has no doubt though, VAR upholds the decision. Jorginho up to take it, Mina is getting in his face, and is now booked as we have a melee in the box.
Jorginho sends Pickford the wrong way, and it’s 1-0 to the away side at halftime.

48’ - Myko cuts out a pass for a corner from the Everton left this time. Cleared partly, James shot from outside the box blocked for a corner from the right now. James takes, Mina clears as Pickford comes for it, corner. Taken short this time, cross is headed by Koulibaly and Pickford gathers.

45’ - It’s going to be 8+ minutes of time added on after that Godfrey injury. Still no word on him.

43’ - Chelsea have the ball in the net and it’s offside! Sterling was off when the shot from outside the box was taken, and Pickford saved it very well.
Now Iwobi finds Gordon in space on the left, he goes past one man but can’t get a shot off and it’s blocked, ricocheted off him for a goalkick.

41’ - Two BIG moments there. Ball falls to Havertz outside the box, he sets up to shoot and Tarky blocks brilliantly. The rebound comes a long way out where Gray drops his shoulder and turns his man, Gordon is in acres of space with nothing but the goal in front of him, and Gray can’t get his pass to him... ahhhhh. The wisdom that comes with age from Thiago Silva.

38’ - Doucs starts and almost finishes a move. His interception set up by McNeil allowed him to find Gordon in space on the right, his cross back into the box is met by Doucs again, but blocked by the defence and no one is following up.

35’ - Gordon simply runs away from Koulibaly in the Everton midfield and the defender tugs him down by the shirt in full view of Pawson, who refuses to book the Chelsea player!

33’ - Sterling skins McNeil and his cross is blocked by Holgate for another corner. James takes, Holgate for another corner. James takes, this time Patterson gets to it and the Blues can clear.

31’ - Sterling off on a break, Mina pushes the ball away and then it looks like Iwobi pushes him over as they run for it. Danerous location for a freekick, James to take, Blues clear.

30’ - Goodison is getting loud again after the spell when things got very quiet after the injury.

28’ - Everton do really well playing out from the right under pressure, and eventually switch it over to the left, Myko’s cross is met by Gordon but its’ not a decisive touch.
The Toffees nick the ball off Koulibaly and Gray goes down under pressure, ref Pawson is not interested.

26’ - McNeil loses the ball in his own third to Sterling and gives away a corner. Taken short, Sterling dribbles and Holgate clears for a corner. This one is cleared too.

24’ - McNeil finds Gray on the right and he wins a corner. The big boys are all up for this one. McNeil to take, overhit and Mendy flaps at it, Myko puts it back in and Tarky’s header is saved well by Mendy, another corner!
This one is blown for a foul as Mina bundles over Ben Chilwell.

22’ - Sterling falls on the ball in the Everton box, and referee Craig Pawson calls it an Everton freekick for obstruction.

21’ - Good cross into the box and Koulibaly gets to it just before Gordon.
Thomas Tuchel is losing his mind about something on the Chelsea bench. He hasn’t stopped muttering or gesticulating since he stepped out onto the pitch.

18’ - Play resumes with a corner for Chelsea. Holgate right into it, clears for another one. Now Patterson clears it again, another corner. Taken short this time, Mason Mount shot and Pickford saves well low, Holgate clears for another corner.
Another corner, Holgate clears for another corner, the fourth now! James overhits this one and it goes out the other side finally.

10’ - It’s Yerry Mina in the middle of the back three, Ben Godfrey on his right and Tarky on his left.
A horrible mistake there from Godfrey with a back pass, Pickford actually doesn’t keep it in play and Godfrey’s comes sliding in to recover and clatters into Kai Havertz and he looks like he has hurt himself. The stretcher is on, this is really, really bad already.
Godfrey had called for medical help right away, I refuse to speculate but this is not good at all. His right ankle is strapped up and about seven minutes after the incident he is finally carried off, big round of applause for the defender as he leaves.

6’ - James Tarkowski runs into the back of Raheem Sterling and Chelsea have a freekick on the edge of the Toffees’ defensive third. James into the box, headed down towards goal but straight at Pickford.

5’ - Reece James gifts Gordon the ball in the middle and Everton move it around but can’t get it into a dangerous position.

3’ - Looks like it will be a fluid front three with Dwight McNeil on the right, Demarai Gray on the left and Anthony Gordon in the middle. Cross into the box almost falls for Vitalii Mykolenko but he can’t control it.

1’ - Everton steal the ball early in their own defensive third and a counter is broken up with a foul from debutant Kalidou Koulibaly.

Goodison Park is rocking today! Z-Cars and the players led by captain Jordan Pickford are met by a great roar.

There was a big welcome for the coaches earlier today, like has become routine now.

Lineups

Frank Lampard has picked his first starting lineup of the season and he’s gone with an interesting selection of players there.

Everton

Chelsea

Preview

Everton are back. In many ways this new campaign will look similar to the one that ended in the Toffees narrowly surviving the drop, but every season offers up that much more promise and it is with that hope that we return to Goodison Park today in the evening feature game on opening weekend as Chelsea FC come visiting.

The Blues are not that much different from last season, but having lost Richarlison and added James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil does change how they will look. Early injuries will mean that Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies and Andre Gomes are not available for Frank Lampard as he takes on his former side. Salomon Rondon is serving the last game of his three-game suspension while Allan and Seamus Coleman are still working their way back to match fitness.

Visitors Chelsea are also remaking their side after the transfer window losses of Anton Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Romelu Lukaku, with Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka coming in as well as a host of on-loan players returning to Cobham.

Match Details

Competition: Premier League Matchday 1

Date and start time: Saturday, August 6th at 9:30 a.m. PT / 12:30 p.m ET / 5:30 p.m. BST

Stadium: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 39,572

Weather: 65°F/18°C, partly cloudy, 1% chance of precipitation, 12 mph winds

How to Watch/Listen

TV: USA Network, Universo - United States; Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event - United Kingdom; DAZN - Canada, SuperSport Premier League ROA, SuperSport MaXimo 1, SuperSport MaXimo 2, Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports 3 Asia,

Radio: evertontv

Live stream: Fubo, NBC Sports App, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo Now, SKY GO Extra, ESPN Play Sur, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, DStv Now, Hotstar VIP, JioTV

Gamethread: Live blog above starting one hour before game time

*Royal Blue Mersey has affiliate partnerships and may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links provided.

Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Last Meeting

The Toffees last hosted Chelsea towards the end of the 2021/22 season on 1st May, winning 1-0 thanks to Richarlison’s goal and Jordan Pickford’s excellent goalkeeping to keep the Blues’s survival hopes alive as they were five points adrift of safety at the time. A raucous Goodison Park will make all the difference as Everton will look to keep their good streak against Chelsea going.