Palmer Ends Goal Drought as Chelsea See Off Everton

Cole Palmer marked his return with a crucial goal as Chelsea defeated Everton 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, ending a four-game winless run across all competitions in the Premier League.

The victory pushed Chelsea back into the top four, easing recent pressure on the side.

Palmer, who has struggled with injuries this season, missed Chelsea’s Champions League defeat to Atalanta on Tuesday as he continued his recovery from a two-month absence. The 23-year-old had initially suffered a groin injury before fracturing a toe after accidentally stubbing it on a door at home.

The England international made his first start since September in last weekend’s goalless draw away at Bournemouth and made an immediate impact against Everton.

Palmer opened the scoring in the 21st minute, latching onto a precise pass from Malo Gusto before beating England teammate Jordan Pickford at the goalkeeper’s near post.

Despite Everton enjoying the bulk of possession, Chelsea held firm, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez producing a fine save to deny Jack Grealish.

Everton’s dominance failed to produce an equaliser and Chelsea doubled their advantage against the run of play in first-half stoppage time. A swift counter-attack ended with Gusto converting a cut-back from Pedro Neto.

The visitors came close to pulling one back when Carlos Alcaraz delivered a cross to the back post, but an unmarked Grealish sent his effort wide. Chelsea nearly extended their lead when Reece James’s quick free-kick forced Pickford into a fingertip save.

Everton also went close late on as Iliman Ndiaye surged into the box, only to see his shot strike the inside of the post.

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