Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Everton took place at Hill Dickinson Stadium, despite the injury to goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who sustained a head blow. Pedro Neto's brace secured three points for the team, and the defeat marked Everton's first of the season.
Pedro Neto opened the scoring in the first minute of the second half and sealed the success in the additional 11 minutes allocated to assist the injured Martinez. The Argentinian player was involved in a strong head-to-head collision with Everton defender Jarrod Brantsweith and was taken to the hospital.
Chelsea manager Khabi Alonso stated: 'As far as I know, he left the stadium conscious. He is currently in the hospital for precautionary tests, so we will see.' This first away win allowed Chelsea to climb above Everton in the top four and also recorded their first clean sheet in 23 Premier League matches.
Alonso added that the team needed such a win away from home, noting the professionalism and serious approach of the players: 'We played very professionally, very seriously, looked solid. It is a very good win.' He also emphasized the need to maintain this form and secure more clean sheets in the remaining matches of the season.
After a slow start to the game, the intensity increased when Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong made a tackle on Josh Acheampong, which was the first of five yellow cards in the first half. This incident energized the home crowd and prompted Everton to play better.
Tierno Barry also demonstrated inefficiency in front of the goal, directing a header after a Jack Grealish cross too close to Martinez. Although Chelsea often shows a fast start under Alonso, the threat only arose in the fourth minute before halftime when Moisés Caicedo powerfully struck the crossbar following a well-organized corner kick.
Everton was incensed that Morgan Rogers avoided a second yellow card shortly before halftime after a strong collision with England teammate James Garner. This proved to be a critical moment, as the visitors started the second period with high activity.
Jorrel Hato delivered a ball into the box that reached Neto, who managed to control it and send it low past Jordan Pickford. Chelsea had been unable to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League since January, but the team rarely faced problems from Everton, who was weakened by Martinez's absence.
Everton manager David Moyes noted that 'I just felt that Chelsea had a bit more flair and ability that we lacked at crucial moments today.' Martinez's injury jeopardized Chelsea's momentum, which dominated the second half. Belgian Mike Penders replaced Chelsea's starting goalkeeper, playing his first Premier League match, but had little impact on the game's flow, other than dealing with several desperate Everton crosses.
On the other hand, Pickford made an excellent save, denying Joao Pedro. Nevertheless, Chelsea scored the second goal when Neto calmly sent the ball into the lower corner after Jordan Henderson's free-kick was blocked by the Everton wall.