Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo has admitted Everton made it "very difficult" for the Blues in their 0-0 draw at Goodison Park. The away side had to settle for a point, leaving them trailing Liverpool who extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points on Sunday.
Chelsea had been on a winning streak with five successive victories before their trip to Merseyside, raising eyebrows as potential title challengers. Chelsea's squad, refined and driven by Enzo Maresca's leadership, has seen players like Adarabioyo take central roles in the team's defensive line-up.
Adarabioyo reflected on a range of difficulties faced in the match against the Toffees, not least the adverse weather conditions, reports the Mirror. Speaking with Premier League Productions, he said: "It was very difficult. Everton are one of the best teams at keeping clean sheets and we are one of the best at scoring.
"The first half was very difficult with the weather but we showed fighting spirit. We are having a good run and are full of confidence. We will keep on pushing."
Maresca likewise spoke positively about his team's performance, indicating he found more satisfaction in the draw with Everton than in last weekend's victory over Brentford. "That was a real game," the Italian expressed with satisfaction.
"I am very happy because the performance of the boys was fantastic. Sometimes you have to play a different game and we are learning to play a different game. They are one of the best teams in Europe in terms of clean sheets."
Despite dominating possession, Chelsea, with talents like Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto and Nicolas Jackson, failed to break down their opponents. Everton's Sean Dyche reflected on the match, saying: "I said before game Enzo Maresca has done a fine job and they have certainly shown the power they have got. We could have nicked it. It was two teams going at it in the right way. You have to be willing to put a shift in and I think that was on show today."