Everton were soundly beaten by Chelsea on Saturday afternoon – as their Premier League record at Stamford Bridge continues to falter.
The Toffees had been in fine form prior to their trip to Chelsea, with Everton’s four wins from their previous five in the Premier League giving David Moyes a real boost in terms of potentially securing a European spot.
The Scottish boss would have been dreaming of a win at Stamford Bridge, but having never emerged with three points there in 20 Premier League attempts, that record will continue.
And it’s no surprise when looking at Everton’s striking statistics – with forward Thierno Barry having produced some pretty poor metrics going forward.
Everton striker Thierno Barry.
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport via Getty Images
Everton massively struggled to get Thierno Barry firing against Chelsea this weekend
As a precursor to Barry’s poor performance, it may appear as no surprise when Moyes typically sets his side up ultra-defensively when heading to big away grounds.
However, even for an Everton side that haven’t won in the blue side of the capital for over three decades in the league, Barry’s outing was poor.
The Toffees had 11 shots, three of which were big chances, and they forced Robert Sanchez into three big saves.
What did you make of Thierno Barry’s display vs Chelsea?
Thierno Barry stats vs Chelsea
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Yet Barry failed to register a single shot, had 11 touches of the ball – three of which were unsuccessful – and lost possession six times.
Winning just two of his seven aerial duels against the Blues’ formidable back four, Thierno Barry was always going to struggle against an aerially dominant Chelsea defence.
And, with just two successful passes in all 68 minutes of the game, it was a day to forget for the Frenchman.
Everton utilising Beto helped them keep hold of possession, his experience was key
David Moyes should have hooked Thierno Barry for completing just two passes, especially given another two were equally unsuccessful.
Barry didn’t attempt a single pass in his own half, and his hold-up play evidently wasn’t working.
Beto hasn’t fared much better this season, but he is better at running the channels – and, although he only attempted three passes in the 22 minutes he was on the pitch, they were all successful – all coming inside his own half.
Who was your most disappointing player in Everton’s loss to Chelsea? 😫
Chelsea v Everton - Premier League
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
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The Guinea-Bissau striker also won all of his aerial duels, faring better than Barry in just a third of the time.
It’s clear the young Frenchman is being trusted by David Moyes, but Beto has more experience than some of his attacking Everton teammates and he needs to be utilised in certain scenarios. Chelsea was evidently one of those.
Had he been on the pitch for longer, who knows where the Toffees could have ended up – having recorded more expected goals in the second half.
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