Moments missed from Everton's 3-0 magnificent Premier League win over Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Everton defeated Chelsea 3-0 in what was their joint biggest win at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Beto became the first Blues player this season to bag a brace with goals in the 33rd and 62nd minutes before Iliman Ndiaye completed the rout on 76 minutes.
And it's a win that has put Everton in a fierce fight for European football with just a matter of points separating a whole host of sides in the Premier League.
It also ensured the Blues went into the final international break of the season on a high.
But then again, you knew all that. So here's a look at some of the potential moments missed you might have missed...
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s view from the bus
Following his £25million transfer from Chelsea last August, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been one of Everton’s players of the season and he’ll have enjoyed this emphatic victory over his previous employers.
The 27-year-old’s return to Stamford Bridge back on December 13 lasted just 16 minutes before he had to go off with a hamstring injury and the Blues would go on to spurn several good chances in a 2-0 defeat, but this was much more like it.
Fan group the 1878s organised a pre-match coach welcome on Regent Road before Everton’s team bus turned into the site at Hill Dickinson Stadium and this correspondent was at the scene to capture footage of the raucous welcome that Evertonians gave their heroes – complete with the usual accompaniment of blue smoke.
Dewsbury-Hall also recorded the view from inside the coach and shared it with his Instagram followers, declaring: “Set the tone for us today.”
The Nottingham-born player has embraced what it means to represent Everton since his move and back in November he remarked in an interview with the club: “The fanbase is so big and it means so much to the people, which I love because football’s my life and it feels like it’s their life as well. We’re sort of on the same page.
“I see how passionate they are and how much they want to win, and it just resonates with me because that’s how I live my life. I’m not saying that the other clubs weren’t like that, but I just feel like Everton’s on a different level.”
Yakubu and Cahill in the house
It wasn’t just World Cup winner Marco Materazzi who was looking on among the former Everton players who were guests for the game against Chelsea.
Ayegbeni Yakubu and Tim Cahill were stars for David Moyes first time around at the Blues and the pair were sat alongside each other during the match.
Before kick-off, Everton had shared footage of Yakubu being cheered as he emerged from by the Titanic Hotel, close to where the coach welcome took place with fans chanting: “Feed the Yak and he will score.” The Nigerian placed his hand by his heart, seemingly in a gesture of what the club means to him and then punched his fist in the air when supporters belted out his song.
When he and Cahill appeared together on the big screens at Hill Dickinson Stadium, they appeared to be having the most fun since they both bagged braces in the 7-1 thrashing of Roy Keane’s Sunderland in 2007, and observers pointed out that the way they pointed at each other was reminiscent of the well-known ‘Spiderman’ meme on social media.
Respect the ball – but it’s missing
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has found himself open to ridicule with his “respect the ball” remarks while his team embark on their pre-match huddle, but man in the middle Sam Barrott wasn’t going to fall into the same trap at Hill Dickinson Stadium that fellow referee Paul Tierney found himself in ahead of the west London side’s previous Premier League fixture against Newcastle United when Rosenior’s players formed a circle around him. Instead, Barrott deliberately rolled the matchball off the pitch to fourth official Tom Nield by the touchline.
Following the toss-up, Everton captain James Tarkowski could be seen asking about the ball’s whereabouts and Barrott points over to the West Stand.
Toasting the victory
Large bags or luggage such as rucksacks, briefcases, suitcases or suit bags are among the prohibited items that fans are not allowed to bring inside Hill Dickinson Stadium. What about toasters?
Even when they’re not plugged in, a large heavy object could potentially be quite hazardous in the wrong hands, but who would bring a toaster with them to the match? One Evertonian it seems as a photograph taken in the northern corner of the West Stand appears to show a Blues fan from behind with their arms aloft, holding up a Cookworks toaster box in their left hand and what looks like a packet of bread to be inserted into the toaster in their right hand.
The club’s account on X (formerly Twitter) saw the funny side by reposting the image with the caption: “So get your toast on and get moving,” as a tweaked lyric from the song Spirit of the Blues.”
Maybe there was something in the water down by the Mersey as when posting my half-time ratings, this correspondent gave Iliman Ndiaye a score of 6 and wrote: “A few pieces of fancy footwork but he’s hasn’t exactly had the Chelsea defenders on toast.”
This was happily bumped up to an 8 after his spectacular strike in the second half, but just what was going on with that supporter? Where did the box come from? That’s quite an item to sneak into a ground...