Chelsea may have finally run out of luck as they could only secure a point in their Premier League clash at home to Everton Thursday at Stamford Bridge.
Last time out, Thomas Tuchel’s men required a late penalty to secure maximum points against Leeds United but there was no such opportunities on Thursday as Everton did just enough to force their hosts to a pulsating 1-1 draw.
Jarrad Branthwaite scored the late equaliser for Everton to deny the Blues the maximum points they craved for.
After trying hard and failing to get the breakthrough in the first half, Chelsea started the second half brighter.
In the early exchanges in the second half, Ruben Loftus-Cheek failed to properly connect with a header from underneath the crossbar and Antonio Rudiger put one wide after James’ free-kick reached the defender at the far post.
Everton grew in confidence and were punished when Abdoulaye Doucoure was caught on the ball, allowing James to roll in Mount for a finish at the near-post.
With 20 minutes to go, it felt like a second was the more likely outcome for a relieved home team and yet Branthwaite popped up to steer a fantastic Anthony Gordon free-kick into the far-post.
Pickford once again denied Chelsea with an athletic diving parry of Thiago Silva’s header to round off a huge display for the Toffees and under-pressure boss Rafa Benitez.
With this loss, Chelsea are now four points behind table-toppers Man City.
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