It is tempting to suggest no-one inside Goodison Park foresaw Chelsea’s second-half capitulation, especially Evertonians waiting two years for a win over top-six opposition.
That would be disingenuous. For Maurizio Sarri and those Chelsea supporters watching incredulously in the away end, it was hideously familiar and painfully predictable. They have seen this in Wolverhampton. They witnessed it again in Manchester. Now the Chelsea roadshow took the inexplicable trick of stripping a once title-winning team of its identity to a disbelieving Merseyside audience.
A team that once demanded the most physically and mentally resilient performance of the season just to match, let alone defeat them, has been reduced to a group of psychologically suspect tippy-tappers. Everything Chelsea represented – mental strength, athleticism and that ability to stiffen their backs and plant their flag in the most hostile territory – has become a memory.
The visitors’ second half performance was dismal, defensive timidity matching a blunt attack, further confirmation how far this side has declined since their Premier League win two years ago. They still have so much individual class but it cannot compensate for visible imbalance and a worrying collapse under the first strain of pressure.
Not for the first this season, Sarri said it was a ‘mental’ problem, suggesting the side was ‘playing to its limit’ as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat.
“We played the best 45 minutes of the season,” insisted the Italian. “And then in the beginning of the second half, we stopped playing. I do not know way. We did not defend. It is not a physical problem. If you have a physical problem you can go down gradually, not in one second.
“It is difficult for the players to explain to me the change, and for me to explain to you the change. It is a mental block.”
Everton’s vast second half improvement merited the victory, Richarlison’s header breaking through before Gylfi Sigurdsson tapped in after his 71st-minute penalty was saved. When they clicked the exposing of Chelsea’s defensive frailties was impressive.
David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger were especially appalling having coasted through the first half, but it was the latter who faced the television cameras post-match to lay bare his frustration.
"It is unacceptable the way we came out [after the break] and we lost the game in 10 minutes," Rudiger told Sky Sports. "Everyone deals with it differently but it’s unacceptable and I’m sorry. We still have eight games to go but we cannot always say ‘next week,’ we really have to do better because we normally aren’t allowed to lose this match."
There was little hint of the deterioration in the early stages, Chelsea intent on testing the emotional balance of Jordan Pickford. After his problems in his native north east a week ago, England’s number one was back to his best when called upon, although most of his best work was dealing with shots from distance.
The visitors could have gone ahead on three occasions in the first seven minutes, Eden Hazard striking the post and Gonzalo Higuain’s tamer attempt cleared off the line by Michael Keane. Pedro and Jorginho also went close before half-time. It looked a matter of time before they broke through, suffering because of a combination of poor finishing and bad luck. It does not excuse what followed, although the dominance might have contributed to the subsequent problems, Sarri within his rights to preach the merits of patience during the interval. His players faced a different proposition 15 minutes later. The great Chelsea sides were adept at mid-game problem solving, reacting to changing circumstances and noise volumes. The modern incarnation withers.
The shift in momentum was fierce, Everton full of vigour. Chelsea were unresponsive. Goodison optimism flourished when Andre Gomes forced Kepa Arrizabalaga into a smart save a few seconds into the second half. Four minutes later, Everton led from a set-piece. Sigurdsson’s corner found Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Arrizabalaga’s block dropped to Richarlison, who finished with a header.
The second came on 71 minutes when Marcos Alonso tripped the Brazilian, Sigurdsson relieved to convert after his penalty was saved.
For returning Goodison graduate Ross Barkley this was an especially forgettable homecoming. his every touch was jeered as he lasted 65 minutes, the greatest surprise being it was Ruben Loftus-Cheek rather than Mateo Kovacic replacing him.
By then, Chelsea were bereft of ideas, Everton standing in appreciation for the latest young idol Richarlison.
Farhad Moshiri has indicated the new generation of youngsters will inspire the Goodison revival. That sometimes sounds like it represents a leap forward in imagination as much as league position. Calvert-Lewin is a work in progress, and Richarlison’s erratic form mirrors that of the team. Then you see the duo perform as they did in the second half here, with the confidence to terrorise defenders.
Silva said he was unaware of Everton’s appalling record against Champions League hopefuls.
“It cannot happen again,” he said. “It is not normal for a club like us to go so long without beating a strong side. It is up to us to work together to make it more normal we beat these types of side.”
This was an afternoon of fresh hope for Silva, and familiar concern for Sarri. He may now need to win the Europa League to prevent Chelsea competing for it next season.
“If you are talking about the first half we can (achieve) everything,” said Sarri. “If we play like the second half in the next eight matches we are in big trouble.” So is the Chelsea coach.