Our Everton jury have returned to have their say on the 2-0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea and the upcoming game against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium
David Moyes during Everton's defeat to Chelsea
David Moyes during Everton's defeat to Chelsea(Image: (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))
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Everton’s unbeaten start to the season ended on Saturday afternoon when they were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea. Pedro Neto scored twice in the second-half as David Moyes’ side endured an afternoon to forget at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Next up is a trip to the capital to take on reigning Premier League champions Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s side are currently three points behind leaders Manchester City the table, and eight ahead of the Blues.
And ahead of Saturday’s game at the Emirates Stadium, our Everton jury have returned to have their say.
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Mark McParlan
Saturday was just utterly horrendous, the poorest we have played all season. That second half was a toothless, gutless performance that got what it deserved. As soon as their first goal went in I checked out for the rest of the match and was extremely happy with my decision. Again, this is why we had to beat Hull.
The Christian Norgaard substitution was one of the worst in recent memory and destroyed our momentum. It was as if we’d brought an elderly supporter in an Everton shirt. Either he’s clearly unfit (in which case, what on earth were the manager and coaching staff playing at?) or his legs have already gone.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has had two nightmares in a row and now looks every bit the £4million average midfielder playing at right-back. Do we look at potentially recalling Jake O’Brien, again? My preference might be to see James Garner there, and a midfield shakeup.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Merlin Rohl before the match between Everton and Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium on October 17, 2026
Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Merlin Rohl before Everton's defeat to Chelsea(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images))
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We are surely due to see more of Hayden Hackney, whose promising early performances have instead seen him relegated from starting the opening match, to substitute appearances, to an unused sub.
On the wing, I understand the value of Merlin Rohl as a utility player, but using him there just overcomplicates things. Play a winger! Tyrique George, Brennan Johnson, and Tyler Dibling are all sitting there on the bench. Regretfully, there is zero alternative to Thierno Barry when he has an anonymous performance. It's so frustrating how we’ve ended up in this situation.
Anyway, this is all fantasy. Moyes will be too scared of Arsenal, and we probably won’t lay a glove on them. Including the dismal end of last season, we have won just 2 of our last 14 Premier League matches. Can anyone see that changing at Arsenal? If the Chelsea second half was no aberration, then we will soon be sliding down the table.
James Kellett
Everton’s first defeat of the season has left a sour taste in many supporters' mouths. On the surface, the Blues' 2-0 loss is nothing to be ashamed of, but the manner of the loss is.
Chelsea came to Hill Dickinson Stadium having not kept a clean sheet in the league since January. Pedro Neto proved to be the difference after scoring goals at each end of the second half.
In reality, it could have been a much easier afternoon for Xabi Alonso’s side, who did not face much of a threat from Everton, meaning their wait for a clean sheet was over.
The standards set by Evertonians are high, yet they’re not unreasonable. By no means do they expect a world-beating side, yet.
What is expected, however, is the ability to control a game at your tempo in your own home. Seeing your team offer so little attacking threat, especially in a home game, does not inspire much confidence in the club.
Emiliano Martinez has had surgery following a brutal collision with Jarrad Branthwaite.
Emiliano Martinez has had surgery following a brutal collision with Jarrad Branthwaite. (Image: (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images))
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Granted, Emi Martinez's serious head injury did stunt the Toffees’ momentum; however, that does not excuse why the Chelsea defence went 90 minutes without facing a dangerous spell of pressure on their goal.
There have been worse results in Everton’s short time at Hill Dickinson Stadium, yet they could not have picked a worse time for such a lacklustre display.
They will look to bounce back against the reigning champions Arsenal, at a ground that holds few happy memories for Evertonians, and shortly after the Blues have a pivotal Carabao Cup tie against Newcastle United.
A trip to Arsenal is a tough task regardless of form, but failure to beat Newcastle could spark a vicious cycle for David Moyes, meaning things could get ugly quickly for the Scotsman.
We are still in the realm of possibilities, and the defeat against Chelsea should be cast aside as a bad day at the office.
Yet the point remains: if Everton do not show an immediate reaction, David Moyes may well face his most intense scrutiny since returning to Merseyside in January 2025.
Paul McParlan
We went into Saturday's game against Chelsea unbeaten, but we knew this was going to be difficult and a real test of our tactics and resources. David Moyes has tried to emphasise the benefits of a smaller squad during his recent interviews but the reality is that there are gaping gaps in the team that have not been filled. The longer the campaign progresses, the more of an issue this will become.
This summer, Chelsea spent heavily to reinforce their squad, bringing in big money signings such as Morgan Rogers. In contrast, we sold our best player, Iliman Ndiaye and were left scrabbling around in the bargain basement on deadline day to source a suitable replacement. Chelsea have better players in most positions than us so we needed to be at our best to get something from this game. Sadly, we weren’t and we paid the price.
We offered little threat upfront and Thierno Barry missed our best chance, no surprises there! Chelsea brought on a substitute keeper, Mike Penders for his Premier League debut for the injured Emi Martinez, for the final 25 minutes. It was a golden opportunity to take advantage but we made little attempt to do so. Just like we failed to test Freddie Woodman in the Derby last season! For some reason we appear to be overawed when facing a replacement keeper.
Thierno Barry #11 of Everton F.C. heads the ball during the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, on October 17, 2026. (Photo by Mike Morese/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Thierno Barry wastes Everton's best chance of the match against Chelsea(Image: Mike Morese/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The decision to start Merlin Rohl was strange, and he failed to make an impact. Ainsley Maitland – Niles also struggled again in defence. Even Jordan Pickford has been below his normal standards and his distribution left much to be desired. Arguably, we were on the wrong end of some refereeing calls, which we often are when Paul Tierney is in charge, but we can’t keep blaming match officials for our shortcomings.
At Hull City last week, we gave away a goal at the start of the second half. We did the same again on Saturday! It was always going to be a struggle after that. With five minutes remaining David Moyes bizarrely opted to give a clearly unfit Christian Norgaard his debut. It was a calamitous call. He couldn’t keep up with the play, received a yellow card and gave away the free kick from which Chelsea scored their second goal. Was there any logic in bringing on a defensive midfielder when you are 1-0 down? One can only wonder what Hayden Hackney, Tyler Dibling and Charly Alcaraz must have been thinking.
We have now won two of our seven Premier League games and our levels seem to have dipped in the last three. Things don’t get any easier when the next fixture is Arsenal away and we haven’t won away in the league since 25 February.
Anyone fancy our chances there? No, I didn’t think so. Realistically a disciplined defensive performance and grinding out a 0-0 draw might be the best we can hope for. I would take that!