To be fair, Everton couldn't have expected to keep their unbeaten record running forever in the Premier League, but this will matter not to David Moyes after a poor performacne against Chelsea.
Unbeaten across their opening six games of the season, Everton had no response to Chelsea's second-half double, withering instead of rallying.
REUTERS/Phil Noble
The Merseysiders need more inspiration in attack, but Moyes isn't getting his team selection right at the moment, with too many starters flattering to deceive against Xabi Alonso's side.
Everton player ratings vs Chelsea
There goes Everton's unbeaten start to the season - and in limp fashion at that. Chelsea boast a wealth of attacking quality, but there's no question that the hosts were far too timid in fighting for an equaliser after Pedro Neto scored right after the break.
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Everton Player Ratings vs Chelsea
Player
(GK) Jordan Pickford
(RB) Ainsley Maitland-Niles
(CB) Jarrad Branthwaite
(CB) James Tarkowski
(LB) Vitalii Mykolenko
(CM) James Garner
(CM) Harrison Armstrong
(RW) Merlin Rohl
(AM) Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
(LW) Jack Grealish
(ST) Thierno Barry
Moyes might have succeeded in creating an industrious, well-oiled outfit, but there's no question that Everton lack flair and imagination in attack, too often reliant on the dancing feet of Jack Grealish.
The forwards were blunt in front of goal, but the defenders were the major culprits against a frightening Chelsea frontline who didn't even enjoy their most fluent game under Xabi Alonso.
This is on Moyes, but Everton's substitutes also failed to inspire any kind of second-half turnaround. Brennan Johnson flattered to deceive once again, and Christian Norgaard never should have been introduced for his Everton debut.
How Norgaard played vs Chelsea
Norgaard never played more than a bit-part role for Arsenal, and it looks like he could suffer a similar fate for Everton, if that disastrous debut is anything to go by.
REUTERS/David W Cerny
An experienced Premier League star, the Dane was immense for Brentford, a crisp passer and combative presence at the heart of the engine room. It looks like he's a way away from that level, earning for himself a yellow card when unleashed in the second half, also inexplicably stifling a three-on-one Evertonian attack.
Welcomed for his wealth of Premier League experience, Norgaard will need several more weeks to be brought up to speed, but he certainly has the potential to play a significant part in this campaign for Everton.
REUTERS/Phil Noble
That said, Norgaard shouldn't have started. Why Moyes started him is a touch confusing, especially when considering their was a more appropriate alternative sat on the bench.
Everton star must already want a transfer request
Everton left a lot to be desired during the summer transfer window, but Moyes needs to make better use of the players welcomed, with Hayden Hackney bound to be frustrated by the fringe part he has been assigned thus far in the Premier League.
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Moyes' decision to hand Norgaard minutes in the second half was baffling. He's still not fit, and it proved a head-hanging debut for the 32-year-old. Considering Hayden Hackney sat through the outing as an unused substitute, questions must be asked.
Signed from Middlesbrough for more than £16m, Hackney chose Everton despite the vested interests of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, but he has averaged 26 minutes per game thus far, this time kept on the bench despite the Toffees' need for inspiration after the interval.
Hackney must be bemused as to why he isn't playing. Not since the opening day of the Premier League has the former England U21 international started a game. He is one of the most talented progressive passers in the country, but Moyes' determination to keep him out of the starting line-up is bound to convince him that he made the wrong career decision when picking Merseyside during the summer.
Analyst Tactically Matt said that Moyes' decision to unleash Norgaard over Hackney made "little to no sense", and there's no question that the 2025/26 Championship Player of the Season will angle for change if the manager continues to overlook him.
Perhaps Hackney's ball-playing expansiveness runs counter to the pragmatism so deeply rooted in Moyes' tactical set-up.
If that's the case, why was he signed? If Hackney doesn't start playing a more prominent role in the Premier League, this will go sour rather quickly.