Hasselbaink off day leaves Chelsea lacking punch

Everton 0 Chelsea

The transformation in Chelsea this season has been their ability to earn results away from home. Notoriously bad travellers who waited until March for their first win on the road last season, they have already gathered 10 points away from Stamford Bridge this season, but yesterday never quite had the firepower to make this their third win.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who has virtually monopolised their goalscoring in the Premiership, was generally subdued at Goodison, although Gianfranco Zola could have secured all three points with a trademark free-kick four minutes from time.

That would have been harsh on Everton, whose odd-looking team selection carried rather more threat than might have been thought, but who could not find the target either.

There was much shaking of heads among the Everton faithful before the game at Walter Smith's selection of Duncan Ferguson and Paul Gascoigne on the bench, rather than in a starting line-up that would have looked more convincing for their presence. The obvious explanation, that they are both in that twilight zone between fit and not fit in which they have spent so much of their careers, held no water.

The bafflement deepened with the sight of Steve Watson, a career right-back, playing up front. Surely Smith was indulging in some sort of inscrutable joke. "He told me he played there before," the Everton manager said. "It must have been in a previous life, but I just needed a bit of physical presence."

Everton looked surprisingly sprightly in attack, with their lightweight striker Tomasz Radzinski getting a series of chances to run at goal. From one of them, after Watson had brought the ball down expertly, Mark Bosnich was forced to save. From the best opening, created by Scot Gemmill, Radzinski mishit his shot and saw it roll past the far post.

Bosnich was in action again, bailing his defender Jon Terry out of trouble after the half hour. Terry failed to control a clearance, Watson gave Gemmill the angle to shoot and Bosnich dived to parry one-handed.

Chelsea's main contribution to a lively first half had been an early moment of real class, Emmanuel Petit sending Zola away with a pass measured to perfection, Steve Simonsen saving from a narrowing angle.

Claudio Ranieri showed that he did not regard that as enough by making two changes at half- time. One of the new men, Boudewijn Zenden, whipped in a low shot that Simonsen fumbled, giving Zola, who had earlier fired over after twisting his way through the area, a clear chance. He delayed too long and his effort hit Simonsen on the elbow as the angle shrank.

Bosnich had to be at his best to tip David Weir's header from a corner over the bar, whilst the introduction of Ferguson, nursing an ankle injury, for the last 17 minutes saw Carlo Cudicini save bravely at his feet. Cudicini was on the field because Bosnich had strained his groin taking a goal-kick ­ a disappointing end to a good afternoon's work. At the other end, Simonsen made the most of his last chance to shine on his home Premiership debut, finger-tipping Zola's dipping, curling 25-yarder on to the bar to keep the game scoreless.

Ranieri acknowledged that his system had worked better in the second half. "In the end, a draw was the right result," he said. Smith echoed those sentiments. "Neither side can have any legitimate complaints."

Everton (4-4-2): Simonsen 7; Pistone 6, Weir 7, Stubbs 6, Unsworth 5; Alexandersson 5 (Ferguson 5, 73) Gemmill 6, Gravesen 6, Naysmith 5; Watson 7, Radzinski 6. Substitutes not used: Gerrard (gk) Pembridge, Gascoigne, Xavier.

Chelsea (4-4-2): Bosnich 7 (Cudicini, 79); Melchiot 6, Terry 5, Gallas 6, Babayaro 6; Dalla Bona 4 (Stanic 6, h-t) 6, Lampard 6, Jokanovic 5 (Zenden 6, h-t), Petit 7, Zola 7, Hasselbaink 4. Substitutes not used: Le Saux, Gudjohnsen.

Referee: M Halsey (Welwyn) 6.

Bookings: Everton: Gravesen. Chelsea: Babayaro, Jokanovic, Melchiot.

Man of the match: Weir.

Attendance: 30,555.