A spirited Everton side fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Chelsea on the opening Saturday of the Premier League season.
A boisterous Goodison Park crowd at kick-off was quelled by the lengthy medical treatment Ben Godfrey required ten minutes into the match. The Everton centre-back flew into a challenge on Kai Havertz with such force he injured himself, leaving the pitch on a stretcher.
Chelsea enjoyed a monopoly of possession but struggled to eke out open play openings of note. The Blues were often able to pick out a teammate between the lines of Everton's 5-4-1, but the recipient of that pass invariably lost possession as a new-look forward line spluttered through its first competitive outing.
With plenty of space for a strikerless front three of their own to run into, the Toffees threatened in transition, forcing both Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly into multiple last-ditch blocks and interceptions.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Ben Chilwell posed a different question for the Everton rearguard for once, sneaking into the box with an underlapping run which lured Abdoulaye Doucoure into a clumsy grapple. Jorginho - minus his customary hop - converted the spot kick.
Chelsea's unease in the lead was underlined by the repeated time-wasting warnings referee Craig Pawson gave them with just an hour on the clock.
As the match ticked into its final ten minutes, substitute Marc Cucurella found a rare patch of space in Everton's half, firing a ball across the box which Raheem Sterling met, only to see Vitaliy Mykolenko block with a flying lunge - much to the forward's astonishment.
Thomas Tuchel's side ultimately squeezed out all three points but could only convert a penalty against an Everton defence which had two of its starting back-three forcibly replaced through injury by the end.
Everton vs Chelsea player ratings
1. Everton (3-4-3)
GK: Jordan Pickford - 6/10 - On his 200th appearance for the club, Pickford couldn't replicate his Euro final heroics to deny Jorginho from 12 yards.
CB: Ben Godfrey - N/A - Played the wayward back pass which led to his injury, trying to remedy the situation too eagerly.
CB: Yerry Mina - 6/10 - Threw his considerable weight around in a muscular display.
CB: James Tarkowski - 6/10 - Getting touch-tight to Sterling whenever possible, Tarkowski rarely let both player and ball get past him.
RWB: Nathan Patterson - 6/10 - Dogged and determined down the right.
CM: Abdoulaye Doucoure - 4/10 - Wrapped two guilty arms around Chilwell during his first lapse in concentration.
CM: Alex Iwobi - 6/10 - Lining up in an unfamiliar midfield role, Iwobi was often the extra body around the ball, subtly shuttling around.
LWB: Vitaliy Mykolenko - 7/10 - Dealt well with the threat of Reece James and Mason Mount down his flank, keeping the score down with a brilliant block.
RW: Dwight McNeil - 5/10 - Struggled to get his teeth into the contest.
ST: Anthony Gordon - 6/10 - Aerially amateur but electric with the ball on the turf.
LW: Demarai Gray - 5/10 - The author of multiple nearly-balls which didn't quite reach a teammate in front of goal.
SUB: Mason Holgate (18' for Godfrey) - 7/10 - Thrust straight into the action, Holgate headed away a glut of crosses.
SUB: Dele Alli (61' for McNeil) - 4/10 - Infuriatingly ineffective at the sharp end of the pitch.
SUB: Ruben Vinagre (70' for Mina) - 5/10 - Replaced the second member of Everton's back-three to be forced off by injury.
Manager: Frank Lampard - 7/10 - Frustrated his former side with a compact shape that still had the capacity to threaten on the break.
2. Chelsea (3-4-3)
No mistake! 💥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 6, 2022
Jorginho sends Pickford the wrong way just before the break! pic.twitter.com/sWWn3kSEmi
GK: Edouard Mendy - 6/10 - Hardly commanding when coming for crosses but demonstrated razor-sharp reactions.
CB: Cesar Azpilicueta - 6/10 - Very aggressive off the ball, snapping around the ankles of the blue shirt he had a firm grip of. Although, did get too tight at times.
CB: Thiago Silva - 8/10 - Superb positionally, Silva showed no signs of decline despite entering his second decade as a professional footballer.
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly - 7/10 - A no-nonsense debut with few risks taken but plenty of threatening moments snuffed out.
RWB: Reece James - 4/10 - Time and again failed to beat the near post marker with his set-piece delivery - much to his manager's evident frustration.
CM: N'Golo Kante - 5/10 - Frustrating tip-toed past one wave of blue shirts only to lose the ball in the next tackle repeatedly.
CM: Jorginho - 6/10 - Precisely picked out the bottom corner with a well-taken penalty.
LWB: Ben Chilwell - 6/10 - Unbalanced Everton's rearguard with a piece of unpredictability which was disappointingly rare.
RW: Mason Mount - 5/10 - Skirted around the fringes in an anonymous display that lasted barely an hour.
ST: Raheem Sterling - 6/10 - Given licence to roam, the summer recruit demonstrated devilish dynamism without quite providing the end product.
LW: Kai Havertz - 5/10 - Shunted off-centre, Havertz was on the periphery for much of the game.
SUB: Ruben Loftus-Cheek (65' for Chilwell) - 5/10 - Forced James onto the other flank, lining up at right wingback.
SUB: Christian Pulisic (65' for Mount) - 5/10 - Failed to make any discernible impact after coming on.
SUB: Armando Broja (75' for Havertz) - 5/10 - Stayed surprisingly wide with Sterling kept through the middle.
SUB: Marc Cucurella (75' for Koulibaly) - 6/10 - Punched his passes confidently, almost teeing up a second.
SUB: Conor Gallagher (90+9' for Jorginho) - N/A
Manager: Thomas Tuchel - 5/10 - Locked in a state of frenzied frustration throughout, Tuchel hasn't quite been able to convey his plans for some incision to his new frontline.