Chris Beesley with the big talking points after Everton’s superb 3-0 home victory over Chelsea in the Premier League
05:00, 22 Mar 2026Updated 05:25, 22 Mar 2026
Iliman Ndiaye of Everton celebrates scoring a goal, to make the score 3-0 against Chelsea, with his team-mate Idrissa Gueye(Image: Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Everton moved up to eighth in the Premier League table, only three points behind neighbours Liverpool, with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium, on a night to remember.
A brace from Beto and a beautiful curling effort from Iliman Ndiaye settled the contest as David Moyes’ dream of securing European qualification all of a sudden became a little more serious.
Here’s our analysis on what was arguably the Blues’ best performance of the season, just in time for the run-in.
Sene-goals
Like the ultimate VAR choker, Everton pair Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye were handed the bombshell earlier this week along with their Senegal team-mates that two months on from their Africa Cup of Nations triumph, the result of the final was now being reversed to crown Morocco as champions after the victors’ earlier walk off.
While football was stunned by the bizarre precedent that has been set by the U-turn, Blues fans waited with anticipation to see how their duo would be respond on the pitch.
Regardless of whether their efforts – that were met with both men being afforded a hero’s return at Finch Farm and a presentation from both the club and its supporters – will now count for nought, they offered an emphatic response on the pitch here.
Gueye, who previously lifted the trophy during his time with Paris Saint-Germain, rolled back the years to not only keep Cole Palmer under wraps but then play a pivotal role in Everton’s crucial second goal.
Not only did the 36-year-old show the tenacity to win the ball by the halfway line but then display the energy to burst forward and pick out Beto with a clever pass.
But if that was impressive, then what about Ndiaye?
The spark is back with the Blues’ magic man. This was his first goal from open play since his spectacular solo strike at Sunderland and showed just what he’s capable of when given the opportunity to show his skills.
When it comes to finding the net from open play on home turf, this was Ndiaye’s first since the inaugural competitive game at Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton & Hove Albion last August having followed that landmark up after the last two goals at Goodison Park.
And didn’t he enjoy it! And rightly so, too. Hopefully he’s now got his eye in.
Pickford ton up
Jordan Pickford bounced back strongly from his mistake at Arsenal to keep his 100th clean sheet for Everton – and he had to work hard for it.
In truth, the England number one was mostly still operating at his usual stellar levels at the Emirates Stadium, but such is the lot of a goalkeeper that it was his blunder in dealing with a cross that crucially allowed the Premier League leaders to break the deadlock in the 89th minute.
There were no such lapses in concentration here from the 32-year-old as he was the measure that everything Chelsea threw at him, including several stinging shots, with captain Enzo Fernandez twice having to be denied in spectacular fashion.
Pickford’s stunning display was in sharp contrast to another messy showing from the last line of Liam Rosenior’s defence, Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea’s head coach demands a lot of his custodian, but perhaps he should just leave him to stick to the goalkeeping because the way he is expected to operate on the ball, he keeps playing himself into trouble. But saying that, he wasn’t too hot with his hands either, allowing the ball to squirm through his clutches for Beto’s second goal.
Only eight players have scored 100 goals for Everton in the club’s history but the century club for clean sheets that Pickford has joined is even more exclusive. He becomes the fifth member of that elite group, and the second to have played under David Moyes, joining Neville Southall (269); Gordon West (155); Tim Howard (133) and Ted Sagar (120).
Biggest win
This was Everton’s joint biggest win at Hill Dickinson Stadium to date, but it was also a landmark victory over Chelsea. Having stopped the rot against Burnley last time out, this was far more of a statement of intent from Moyes’ men as they not just bolstered their European hopes but put themselves, for the time being at least, within touching distance of a Champions League qualification spot.
The other teams vanquished so far by the banks of the Mersey have been Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest, but here was a member of the ‘Big Six.’
Some may not like that tag but for a considerable amount of time now it has been a financial reality. One thing is for sure, many Evertonians went into this fixture feeling justifiably angry that Chelsea had seemingly been treated leniently compared to their own club when they escaped a points deduction this week after making £47million in secret payments to unlicensed agents.
Everton’s wait going back over 31 years to pick up three points at Stamford Bridge has been well documented but while they have a decent home record against the west London outfit, this was their biggest win over them since October 10, 1987.
Back then, when Marrs’ Pump Up the Volume was number one in the UK charts, Everton were the reigning champions and Chelsea were in a season that ultimately saw them doomed to relegation.
John Hollins’ side actually arrived at Goodison Park five places above Colin Harvey’s troops in the table but were ultimately blown away 4-1 thanks to braces from Graeme Sharp and Adrian Heath.
This time around, the 21st century Blues pumped up the volume at their new home.