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MOTD: Chelsea 3-3 Everton

By on January 16, 2016

John Terry surely couldn’t have imagined a more breathtaking 700th appearance for Chelsea. Twice he turned the ball into the back of the net in Chelsea’s topsy-turvy 3-3 draw with Everton, first via an embarrassing own goal and then second with a ninety-eighth minute equalizer to avenge his earlier mishap. The first sent him tumbling into the back of his own net, and while the second – the latest goal in an EPL match since 2011 – lifted him into the stands to celebrate with the fans.

All six goals in the third 3-3 draw in the Premier League this week came in a blistering second half, Terry on either end of the scoresheet. Everton took a rapid 2-0 lead with two quick-fire goals, only for Chelsea to draw themselves back by the sixty-sixth minute. Although Kevin Mirallas had appeared to give Everton their first-ever Premier League double over Chelsea with a goal at the death, Terry’s back-heeled effort, which replays showed to be a yard offside, revived Chelsea’s spirit deep within stoppage time. Though it was only a point, the result felt like a happy chapter-ending in Chelsea’s troubled season-long saga.

Yet the second half also exposed all of the problems faced by manager Guus Hiddink. Their defending was sloppy and offense riddled with stray passes, and the hints of The Blues’ title-winning season were only evident in brief moments of attacking flair and lethal finishing in the second period.
Lest it be forgotten, Chelsea’s conservative, title-winning football last season wasn’t nearly this exciting. Perhaps a second period akin to the sterile, sluggish first half would have suited The Blues better.

Almost a month into Hiddink’s tenure at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had already drawn 2-2 twice prior to tonight’s thriller and although they appear to be reinvigorated in spirit, a mere glance at the league table is enough to bring The Blues back down to earth. They have sat in fourteenth place each of the past four game-weeks, and have only improved their standing by one position since the Dutchman took charge of the dressing room, with four draws and a solitary league win against Crystal Palace.

Tonight they fielded a formation that would have been considered defensive last season, with Nemanja Matic and John Obi Mikel rooting the midfield and Cesc Fabregas operating in an attacking-midfield role, yet their bearings were lost after Terry’s own goal in the fiftieth minute.

As far as their fighting spirit can take them, without the luck of the draw and perhaps a smidgen of home-field bias from the officials, Terry was fortunate to have an opportunity to bring Chelsea back from behind for the second time in the ninety minutes; a factor they cannot count on heading into a visit to cross-town rivals Arsenal next weekend. Since Huddink took over, Chelsea have not made up a single point on The Gunners, who are well out of sight at this point.

Imperfect football might be the most exciting football, but it’s not going to drag Chelsea back up the Premier League table. But man, what a goal and what a match.

Photo credit: Julian Mason, via Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.