Chelsea tightened their grip on fourth place in the Premier League with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Mason Mount got the Blues up and running in the 14th minute with an excellent swivel and finish just inside the penalty area, before Pedro added a second seven minutes later when he was put through on goal by Ross Barkley before slotting home past Jordan Pickford to put Chelsea in the driving seat at half-time.
Frank Lampard's side started the second period in an equally rapid fashion, and put the game beyond the visitors within the first 10 minutes after the restart. Willian fired home from the edge of the box, before teeing up Olivier Giroud for a simple finish to add a touch of gloss to the scoreline.
Positives
The hosts completely blew away a sluggish Everton side by slickly working their way through the lines and operating at a pace that the visitors just couldn't live with, and back-to-back clean sheets in league and cup games suggest work on the training ground to improve a leaky defence is starting to bear fruit.
Negatives
If we're being hypercritical, Chelsea could well have had six or seven, but Pickford made some decent saves in the Everton goal to spare his side any further embarrassment.
Manager rating out of 10
8 -- Injuries somewhat forced Lampard's midfield selection, but an all-British engine room of Billy Gilmour, Barkley and Mount had way too much dynamism and verve for an Everton side that looked woefully short of ideas to stop them. A great day was made even better for the former Derby boss when he gave another two Chelsea youngsters their senior debuts.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Kepa Arrizabalaga, 6 -- A quiet return to the Premier League fold after a spell out of the side, in a game that saw him have very little to do in the way of testing saves.
DF Cesar Azpilicueta, 6 -- A walk in the park for the experienced Spaniard, who had an easy day in the office thanks to the minimal threat Everton offered on the left wing.
DF Antonio Rudiger, 6 -- Effectively marshalled the pacey Richarlison at the back, and confidently brought the ball out to begin his side's attacks.
DF Kurt Zouma, 6 -- Put his side in trouble in the first half when he was robbed of the ball in dangerous territory, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin wasted a golden opportunity to punish the Frenchman and get his side back into the game.
DF Marcos Alonso, 6 -- Occasionally sloppy on the ball in the first half, but found his feet in the second and had a steady game.
MF Billy Gilmour, 7 -- Looks like he's being playing in the Chelsea senior team for years, and played his part in the first two Chelsea goals with neat passes in the build-up, while effectively breaking up Everton's rare forays into the home half.
MF Mason Mount, 7 -- Forced a decent save from Pickford in the opening minutes of the game with a volley from 10 yards out, before producing a lovely turn and finish from just inside the box to put his side ahead to cap off an excellent first 15 minutes from his side. Failed to recover from a knock he took early in the second half, and was replaced on the hour by Reece James.
MF Ross Barkley, 8 -- Looked in the mood to make an impact against his former club, and did just that when he produced a gorgeous through ball to release Pedro into space for his side's second, before laying the ball off for Willian to score Chelsea's third.
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MF Pedro, 7 -- An assist to his name courtesy of a simple pass to Mount in the penalty area, before racing away and excellently firing home a goal of his own to put Chelsea firmly in control.
MF Willian, 8 -- A constant threat on the right-hand side with his searing pace, and had the Everton backline chasing shadows all afternoon. The Brazilian capped off an excellent display by rifling home from the edge of the box to make the score 3-0 early in the second half, and then provided an assist shortly after with an inch-perfect cross for Giroud to slot home a fourth. Replaced by Faustino Anjorin for the final 20 minutes.
FW Olivier Giroud, 7 -- Provided a great focal point for his teammates and brought his wingers into the game with some excellent link-up play. Got a deserved goal of his own in the 54th minute when he got on the end of a Willian cross to stab home. Replaced in the closing stages by Armando Broja.
Substitutes
Reece James, 6 -- The right-back slotted into the midfield role that he excelled in during a loan spell at Wigan last season.
Faustino Anjorin, 6 -- His first touch in the Premier League was a volley he ballooned high and wide, but we can put that down to a rush of adrenaline on his senior bow.
Armando Broja, N/A -- A first taste of Premier League football for the young Albanian, but he didn't have quite enough time to make an impact.