**Everton comfortably saw off Chelsea to return to winning ways.**
Beto opened the scoring shortly after the half-hour mark as he received James Garner’s through ball before chipping Robert Sanchez off his line.
The Blues’ No.9 doubled the lead midway through the second half with a low drive which Sanchez fumbled through his legs in front of the South Stand.
Iliman Ndiaye compounded the Londoners’ misery in the closing stages with a curling effort into the top righthand corner from just inside the penalty area.
David Moyes’ side moved up to eighth place in the Premier League, just three points away from the current final European qualification spot of fifth.
_Here were the key talking points from Hill Dickinson Stadium:_
Blues finally feel at home
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Evertonians must have felt like they had time-travelled on Saturday evening.
Their team’s biggest win over Chelsea since 1987, the club’s last title-winning year, told only half the story of the nostalgia trip by the banks of the Mersey.
Hill Dickinson Stadium’s first coach welcome turned back the clock to May 2022, when supporters rallied before the Blues faced the same opponents.
David Moyes’ side arrived at their current home through clouds of pyrotechnic smoke while the Premier League was offered no mercy within the stands.
The Londoners visited Merseyside fresh from a soft reprieve after openly flouting top-flight financial rules only served to fuel the home atmosphere.
They were further boosted by Moyes’ side producing their most complete display at Bramley-Moore Dock this term with the stars fully aligning.
Everton have enjoyed several moments at their new stadium but never have so many of Goodison Park’s much-loved features simultaneously coalesced.
But ahead of next month’s Merseyside derby, they finally feel fully at home.
Could the dream become reality?
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One of the early soundchecks at Hill Dickinson Stadium went viral after the Champions League’s anthem was piped through the stadium’s speakers.
Back then, in May 2024, Everton were still 12 months away from moving in and fresh from pulling off a third straight Premier League relegation escape.
It felt inconceivable European football would be within reach so soon after critics forecast it would be ‘the most expensive ground in The Championship’.
Who’s laughing now?
Continental qualification is now firmly in Moyes’ sights after his charges moved to within three points of the current final position of fifth place.
Sunday’s Carabao Cup final will see a Conference League spot revert to the Premier League while similar could happen with the FA Cup and Europa League.
A fifth Champions League position opening up through England’s coefficient means that Everton can dare to dream of the inconceivable becoming reality.
Maybe those sound engineers knew what was potentially around the corner.
Beto hitting form at right time
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More than most, one Everton player has underpinned Moyes’ second spell.
Beto’s ability to hit the goal trail during the Scot’s opening months back at the helm were a driving factor in staving off another end-of-season survival bid.
The much-maligned marksman put together a semi-prolific streak at the right time to ensure that Goodison bowed out in a largely stress-free fashion.
History appears to be repeating itself with Beto back among the goals with a brace against Liam Rosenior’s sorry side to set up successive home wins.
He anticipated James Garner’s superb through ball and executing a smart finish past an onrushing Robert Sanchez, who later fumbled his second strike.
Beto became the fourth player to score twice in a game at Hill Dickinson Stadium this season but, remarkably, the first of an Everton persuasion.
The Guinea-Bissau international continues to divide opinion and his streak may soon dry up, as has been a regular occurrence in his time at Everton.
Still, his current purple patch could go a long way in seeing Moyes ending his first full season since returning by securing a return to European football.