Chelsea v Everton: Premier League – live!
Welcome to our coverage of fourth versus fifth. It’s a huge game in the race for a place in next season’s Champions League, between two teams very much on an upward trajectory.
At the start of the season, you would have thought fourth would be about par for Chelsea, give or take. Things didn’t go to plan under Frank Lampard, but his replacement Thomas Tuchel has turned it around, and only Manchester City have earned more points than Chelsea since his arrival. Everton meanwhile are certainly exceeding pre-season expectations in fifth, and are looking for their tenth win on the road this season, a total not matched since 1987, the last time they won the title.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are hoping to complete their first league double over Chelsea since 1979, having won 1-0 at Goodison in December, a Gylfi Sugurdsson penalty the difference that day. Unbeaten away in nine matches, and currently on a three-game winning streak, their tails will be up. Only problem is, Chelsea are in a good place too, 11 games unbeaten in all competitions, and they haven’t been beaten by Everton at Stamford Bridge since 1994, the days of Paul Rideout.
Chelsea go into the game as favourites, and with a one-point advantage over their visitors. But Everton have a game in hand, streaks are there to be snapped, and a win today would seriously bolster their bid for a top-four finish. This could be a lot of fun. Kick off is at 6pm GMT. It’s on!
