Everton 3-6 Chelsea: Blues hit Toffees for six

CHELSEA maintained their 100% winning start to the season after overpowering Everton in a pulsating nine-goal thriller at Goodison Park.

Two goals in the opening three minutes from Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas gave the Blues the perfect start before Kevin Mirallas reduced the arrears before half-time.

Seamus Coleman scored an unfortunate own goal before Steven Naismith instantly halved the deficit and Nemanja Matic’s deflected drive restored Chelsea’s two-goal cushion again.

Everton substitute Samuel Eto’o netted against his old club with his first touch but late goals from Ramires and Costa wrapped up the win.

A topsy-turvy second half saw five goals in a frenetic eight-minute period which contributed to the division’s joint-seventh highest scoring match and served up a sensational advert for Premier League football.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will be disappointed by an uncharacteristic display at times when his side, who are considered as many people’s favourites for the title, were in commanding positions.

However, it was their devastating firepower that saw the early front-runners emerge from their first serious test of the campaign by racking up a fifth straight away win for the first time since 2009.

Everton earned their first win of last season at home to Chelsea in September but, after failing to hold onto leads in successive 2-2 draws against Leicester and Arsenal, are still searching for three points this time around.

And having previously bemoaned an apparent lack of match fitness, Roberto Martinez will be concerned by his side’s leaky defence, which has now conceded 10 goals in their first three games.

Martinez made one change to the team which collapsed in the final 10 minutes against the Gunners as Aiden McGeady replaced Steven Pienaar, who was forced off last weekend with a groin problem while on-loan winger Christian Atsu was ineligible to face his parent club.

With Fernando Torres joining AC Milan on a two-year loan deal, Mourinho was reliant on the troubled fitness of Costa, who sustained a minor muscle injury in training this week, to lead the line.

And the striker made an instant impact, preserving his record of scoring in every game since a £32 million switch from Atletico Madrid after just 35 seconds.

A well-weighted through pass from Cesc Fabregas released the in-form Spaniard to crash the ball underneath keeper Tim Howard – making his 300th Premier League appearance for Everton.

Chelsea, who wore black armbands as a tribute to lifelong president Lord Richard Attenborough, who died last Sunday at the age of 90, had lost on four of their previous five visits to the blue half of Merseyside.

But it got even better for the Blues just two minutes later when a Ramires cross found its way to the feet of Ivanovic, who clinically swept home from a seemingly offside position, via some shambolic Everton defending.

Things almost got worse for Everton before 10 minutes had elapsed when Howard clearly handled just outside his area as he raced to beat Costa to another Fabregas through-ball but it went unnoticed by the match officials.

After a woeful start, the Toffees eventually gained a foothold with Naismith firing past the post before they had a goal correctly ruled out for offside.

Sylvain Distin was flagged as he bundled home from close range after Romelu Lukaku, who failed to score in 15 Chelsea appearances before being sold for £28 million this summer, crashed a header against the crossbar from Gareth Barry’s cross.

Conceding just nine previous league goals in 2014, Chelsea comfortably repelled spells of Everton pressure but the hosts responded at the ideal time on the stroke of half-time.

McGeady worked the ball out to the overlapping Coleman and his fine right-wing cross was powered home by Mirallas into the far corner.

A positive start to the second period gave the Toffees renewed hope of producing a fightback but their defence was carved open again when Costa linked up with Fabregas and broke clear, only to be thwarted by the outstretched leg of Howard.

Just as Everton pressed forward, they shot themselves in the foot to lose a third goal midway through the half.

Eden Hazard embarked on a delightful run, cutting in from the left, and his shot was diverted in at the near post off Coleman to wrong-foot Howard, who was booked for expressing his anger at Costa’s celebration.

But, amid huge roars from the Goodison faithful, the Toffees reacted to the rallying cries by hauling themselves back in contention straight away.

McGeady charged towards the Blues backline before sliding the ball into an unmarked Naismith and the Scot, who scored the winner in last season’s corresponding fixture, stabbed a precise finish into the bottom corner for his third league goal of the campaign.

It did not take long for Chelsea to re-establish their two-goal salvo, however, as the ever-present Matic opened his account for the Blues with a low drive which nicked off the boot of Phil Jagielka before nestling beyond Howard.

Substitute Eto’o got in on the act with a debut goal for the Toffees against the club he netted 12 times for last term, stooping to deftly head home a Leighton Baines delivery from the next attack.

The extraordinary goal-laden spell continued at the other end as Ramires, returning to the Chelsea side after suspension, poked home an opportunistic finish after neatly exchanging passes with Matic to make it 5-3.

Everton’s hopes were extinguished for sure but the drama continued as Mirallas flicked an effort goal-bound from 12 yards which Thibault Courtois pushed onto the post magnificently.

As various substitutions littered the closing stages, Mourinho gave a late cameo to veteran Didier Drogba while new signing Muhamed Besic was handed his Everton debut.

And the Bosnian midfielder had a first touch to forget as Chelsea had the final say in the final minute of regulation time.

His misplaced back-heel was picked up by Blues replacement Jon Obi Mikel and the midfielder’s clever flicked pass presented Costa with the opportunity to convert a low angled finish past an onrushing Howard for his second goal.

There was still time for Eto’o to be foiled by a brave block from Chelsea skipper John Terry before referee Jon Moss called time on a fabulously entertaining encounter.

And having also seen off promoted sides Burnley and Leicester, the Blues are riding high at the top of the table with nine points and looking ominously down at their rivals heading into the international break.

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