Everton got off to a losing start in their Premier League campaign when they went up against Chelsea at Goodison Park. Thankfully, the gloom hanging over the opening day setback was short-lived and the club delivered some promising signs that things can only get better.
What are those signs? We will get to that in a bit. Much like last season, the Toffees were second best on home soil, they were second to the visitors in almost every department;
- Shots taken at goal and on target; Everton (8 taken and 4 on target) and (15 taken and 6 on target); they ranked fourth worst in the league over the weekend;
- Chelsea bathed in the possession with 63% ball possession while the home side only managed a percentage of 37%;
- Everton’s passes = 335, Chelsea = 566
- Frank Lampard’s men ranked 14th in the EPL for completed passes while Tuchel’s men are placed fourth after Matchday 1
Included in the similarities to last season, they had to start without the service of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and totally lacked in front of goal because of it. The issue of him leaving is as great as the issue of him not being available for selection because of injuries.
They need to act in the market and add a new striker as they did with haste to pull off one of their biggest surprise additions, not only in their recent past but especially in this transfer window.