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The Blues maintained the seven point gap behind them and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after a late winner from Willian was enough to beat Everton 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Jose Mourinho’s team had attacked throughout the match but as the second half wore on it looked more unlikely that the league leaders would score past Tim Howard in the Everton goal.
Chelsea had Petr Cech, restored to the starting line-up after Thibaut Courtois' error at Aston Villa, to thank after the veteran keeper pulled off a world class reaction save to deny Romel Lukaku.
But the moment Blues fans had been waiting for came just seconds after Gareth Barry was sent off for a second bookable offence after his cynical tackle on Willian.
Show all 22 1 /22Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings CHELSEA: Petr Cech A fairly safe game for the Czech goalkeeper. His experience told him that Everton wouldn’t have many chances but that when they did he would have to be alert. He was. He saved Lukaku’s close range shot incredibly in the second half. 6/10
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Branislav Ivanovic One of Chelsea’s most consistent defenders all season and in recent years. Won his battles well against Naismith. Could argue he gave Oviedo too much space when the left-back chose to drive forward. 7
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Kurt Zouma Very similar to the home game against Manchester City a couple of weeks ago. He was outstanding. The French defender was alert to almost every attack Everton created. And even when Lukaku broke free from Zouma’s control the defender was able to dart back and win the ball. Cahill will struggle to get back into the side if Zouma continues like this. 7
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings John Terry His experience continues to help Chelsea. Whenever his defence were under pressure, which indeed was rare, he remained focused and instructed his back four the way you would expect a captain to do: with authority and intelligence. 7
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta Had more enjoyment in the first half when Chelsea dominated the left side and he was allowed to push forward. In the second half he stayed back and Hazard lost quite a lot of support because of it. 7
Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Ramires Not one of his better games. His tackles were late and his distribution was poor. Due to the Brazilian’s rather casual approach, Lukaku was able to get into space before putting his sight’s on goal. It was a surprise that Fabregas didn’t start ahead of him. 5
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Nemanja Matic Assured going forward and vital when tracking back. He drew a foul from Besic in the first half after showing producing a lovely piece of skill and shortly before half-time when he controlled the ball inside his own area before going on a run that got his side out of trouble. 8
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Juan Cuadrado His full debut for the Blues and it was clear he has a lot of talent. Whether it was a drop of the shoulder or a silky pass, the Colombian demonstrated why Chelsea sought his signature last month. 6
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Willian Another frantic and frenetic performance from the Brazilian. His set pieces do leave a lot to be desired on occasions and they poor against Everton. They were either too close to Howard or failed to beat the first man. 6
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Eden Hazard A constant threat to the Everton defence. He switched sides in the second half when Cuadrado left the pitch and he was still just as effective. A goal would have capped off a superb display of skill and creativity. 8
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Loic Remy Always seeking to get in behind of the opposition defence. He didn't have as much success as he did against Manchester City but is was always a threat. 6
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings EVERTON: Tim Howard Did brilliantly to save Hazard’s deflected shot in the first half. His experience aided the likes of Stones who occasionally found himself out of position and having to face Hazard on the turn. 6
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Seamus Coleman A very difficult evening for the right-back. Hazard was in the mood to attack and so often did down the left flank which Coleman was defending. 6
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Phil Jagielka Typically composed performance. He didn’t choose to dive in when Juan Cuadrado and others held the ball on the edge of the Everton captain’s area. He also had the added task of organising a defence that was being attacked every five minutes. 6
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings John Stones Had to contend with Remy who never stopped looking for ways to bypass the Everton back four. Jagielka on more than one occasion had to cover for his central defensive partner. One redeeming moment was when he slid in to win the ball from Cuadrado. 6
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Bryan Oviedo He should be happy with his performance against Chelsea. Willian and Juan Cuadrado tried to toy with him but the Costa Rican, who was playing at left-back, stayed calm. Effective when going forward too. 7
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Muahmed Besic Beaten easily by Matic in opening stages. He also received a yellow card for cynical foul on Hazard. 5
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Gareth Barry This may possibly be Gareth Barry’s last season in the Premier League; you can see why. The former England international had a torrid evening against Hazard and Cuadrado. He was booked for a rather comical and clumsy tackle (if you can call it that) on Cuadrado. Received a second yellow and was sent off for a tackle on Willian. 4
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Aaron Lennon His full debut for Everton. The former Tottenham player is lacking a bit of match sharpness but maybe this was a little too early especially when he was forced to chase Willian all night. Too many errant passes. 5
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Ross Barkley Everton’s most exciting player against Chelsea. Whenever he received the ball he tried as best as he could to progress play by either going down the flanks or forwards to Lukaku. 6
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Steven Naismith Nowhere near as effective as his Belgian teammates Lukaku. He was positioned on the left wing and expected to cut inside but Ivanovic is not a daft right-back and read the Scotland international’s every move. 5
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Chelsea 1 Everton 0 - player ratings Romelu Lukaku He met his match against Zouma. Usually the Belgian forward is able to bully defenders off the ball but not the French defender. Failed to beat Cech from close range in the second. 6
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The Brazilian responded in ironic fashion by firing home a powerful effort low to the left of Howard who was rooted to his goal line
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