Everton 0-2 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened

3.13pm BST

Andy Hunter was at the Hill Dickinson this afternoon. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM.

Related: Neto double at Everton leads Chelsea to victory marred by Martínez head injury

3.12pm BST

David Moyes talks to TNT Sports. “Not as good as we would have wanted … we hung in a little bit … we got a little bit unlucky with the goals … the one right after half-time was a blow … it wasn’t good defending but it takes a couple of deflections before it gets to Neto … the second one ricochets around … there was parts of the game we did OK … but mainly we didn’t offer enough … didn’t create enough or make enough chances … I can’t think of many [chances] so that would be the biggest indictment … Thierno [Barry] got a really good chance with his header … after that, I couldn’t think of too many more opportunities … Harrison [Armstrong] had a great tackle … the best part of the first half … people who watch football, football supporters, appreciate it … a big part of the game in our country … I didn’t see it back … but didn’t think it was a free kick … Morgan Rogers’ tackle on Jimmy [Garner] could have been questioned … I didn’t think the Harrison tackle was refereed correctly … I thought it was unfair … there are some positives but Chelsea had that little bit more flair and ability … we should have seen it out … but we gave away a soft first goal … we’ll go into the next game [at Arsenal] … we’ll take it on.”

3.01pm BST

More from Alonso as he speaks to TNT. “We are very happy with the result … the performance … we needed one of these wins away … very professional, very serious, looking solid … it is a very good win … we looked in control of the game … the team looked mature … we got the clean sheet … we knew it would be a matter of time but we got it … we need to get many more … the first one feels good … we need to keep going this way … Pedro [Neto] has great qualities … really happy for him … we have another three Premier League games until the next break … we go game by game … Tottenham at home will be a nice game, a nice one.”

Updated at 3.03pm BST

2.58pm BST

Alonso: Martinez 'conscious' and doing hospital tests Xabi Alonso gives TNT an update on Emi Martinez. “As far as I know he left the stadium conscious … right now he is at the hospital doing precautionary tests … so let’s see … but this is what I know so far.”

2.47pm BST

Chelsea’s win sends them fourth in the Premier League. They’ll stay there all weekend unless Brentford beat Liverpool in the upcoming 3pms or if Brighton lose 10-0 at home (!) to arch-rivals Crystal Palace (!!) on Sunday.

Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Man City 6 11 18 2 Arsenal 6 5 15 3 Brighton 6 13 13 4 Chelsea 7 4 13 5 Brentford 6 6 10 6 Everton 7 1 10 7 Leeds 6 3 9 8 Hull 6 2 9 9 Liverpool 6 0 9 10 Ipswich 6 -3 9 11 Newcastle 6 -3 8 12 Crystal Palace 6 -3 7 13 Man Utd 6 0 6 14 Coventry 6 -6 6 15 Nottm Forest 6 -3 5 16 Aston Villa 6 -5 5 17 Sunderland 6 -6 4 18 AFC Bournemouth 6 -6 3 19 Tottenham Hotspur 6 -6 3 20 Fulham 6 -4 2 Updated at 2.53pm BST

2.42pm BST

Pedro Neto speaks to TNT. “We are really pleased … a shame for Emi but we wish him all the best … this win is for him … a clean sheet in his honour … in the second half we adjusted some stuff … we are really happy … [his calm finishing] comes a little bit from the new coach of the [Portugal] national team [Jorge Jesus] who says when you are near to the area you have to pass to the goal … we came here with personality and good intention to win the match.”

2.38pm BST

Two calm slots from Pedro Neto bookended the second half, and decided this game. It was a proper scrap in the first half, but once Neto opened the scoring 44 seconds into the second period, Chelsea assumed total control. Moises Caicedo nearly scored one of the all-time great volleys, too; the side he captained were deserved winners. The only black spot for Chelsea was the worrying head/neck injury to Emi Martinez, who has been taken to hospital. Here’s to his full and speedy recovery.

2.35pm BST

FULL TIME: Everton 0-2 Chelsea Chelsea win at Everton! They don’t do that too often.

2.34pm BST

90 min +12: Neto, his work bookending this half, makes way for Quenda.

2.33pm BST

90 min +11: Palmer goes in late on Branthwaite, clipping the big defender’s toe. Just a ticking off from the referee, which is just as well, because he’s on a booking.

2.32pm BST

90 min +10: Chelsea are 60 seconds or so away from their first Premier League clean sheet since January! It’ll snap a 23-game run.

Related: Chelsea end wait for league win after João Pedro and Palmer sink Brentford

2.31pm BST

90 min +9: Owen Hargreaves names Pedro Neto as his player of the match. Not a huge surprise.

2.29pm BST

90 min +8: Barry crosses deep from the right, forcing Neto into the concession of a corner. Garner swings it into the mixer. Penders flaps and misses. He wants a free kick, but doesn’t get one, and a goal kick will do.

2.28pm BST

90 min +6: Chelsea sit back, holding their shape. Everton knock it hither and yon, but there’s nothing doing right now and time’s running out.

2.26pm BST

90 min +4: George slips Dewsbury-Hall into space down the left. Dewsbury-Hall chops past the cold-starting Lavia, and teases the ball through the six-yard box. Johnson extends a leg, but can’t connect. That was a fine move, so close to putting this match back in the balance. But here we are.

2.24pm BST

90 min +2: Chelsea make a triple change. Pedro, Hato and Caicedo make way for Welbeck, Palestra and Lavia.

2.23pm BST

90 min +1: There will be 11 added minutes.

2.23pm BST

GOAL! Everton 0-2 Chelsea (Neto 90) The free kick is in Palmer Country. Pretty central, 25 yards out. Palmer’s delivery isn’t all that, clanking into the wall. The ball drops in a crowded box to Neto, who takes a beat before passing carefully into the bottom left. A lucky break, but an exquisite finish!

Updated at 2.36pm BST

2.20pm BST

89 min: Norgaard tugs at Palmer’s shirt as the Chelsea attacker advances down the inside-right channel. Into the book he goes. An inauspicious start to his Everton career.

2.20pm BST

88 min: Mykolenko throws long from the left. Penders catches then drops, but eventually tidies up his mess. “One of recent changes for the better in football is that concussions are taken much more seriously than they were,” writes Kári Tulinius. “I don’t have to think far back to remember watching players keep going with clear signs of confusion, and them being treated as figures of fun. Hopefully Martinez recovers quickly from his injury.”

2.18pm BST

86 min: With Everton pressing for the equaliser, Chelsea launch a three-on-one counter. They butcher it, Pedro eventually bashing a shot from a tight angle straight at Pickford.

2.17pm BST

85 min: Everton make a double change. Grealish and Armstrong make way for Johnson and, making his Everton debut, Norgaard. “The booing by the Evertonions whilst Martinez was being stretchered off is infuriating,” writes Rob Coughlin. “It makes me want to turn off the match. I won’t.”

2.16pm BST

84 min: Penders passes the test with flying colours. The corner’s half cleared, then Garner swings in from the left. Penders takes command, racing to the edge of his box and punching powerfully clear.

2.15pm BST

83 min: George nicks the ball off Acheampong down the left, and wins a corner. Big test for Penders coming up, because he’s got a lot of blue shirts around him.

2.14pm BST

82 min: A speculative ball bouncing down the left. Rogers brings it down and looks to turn Tarkowski, who catches him from behind, just inside the box … but neither referee nor VAR show any interest in awarding a spot kick. That’s pretty strange. Chelsea have to make do with a corner, from which Palmer tries to curl into the top left from close range. Wide, but not by much. Everton have got away with one there.

2.11pm BST

80 min: TNT report that Martinez has been taken to hospital. There’s no other news of his condition.

2.10pm BST

78 min: That lengthy stoppage has understandably dampened the mood at the Hill Dickinson. The game’s restarted … but it’s not really got going again.

2.08pm BST

76 min: Branthwaite has clearly passed concussion protocols, because he’s continuing to play. TNT didn’t show the collision in close detail, which is for the best, but the aforementioned Owen Hargreaves reports that it was a big one.

2.07pm BST

74 min: Martinez is finally put onto the stretcher. He’s moving his arms, which is a good sign, but the poor man’s face is etched in serious pain as he’s carried down the tunnel. A smattering of boos, which is both odd and unwelcome. On comes Penders.

Updated at 2.27pm BST

2.05pm BST

73 min: The Chelsea fans aren’t exactly covering themselves in glory right now, with the old poverty chanting.

2.04pm BST

72 min: Martinez will be replaced by the highly-rated young Belgian keeper Mike Penders. On TNT, Owen Hargreaves compares him to Thibaut Courtois. No pressure in meeting those expectations, then.

2.02pm BST

70 min: Pickford ambles up the pitch to see how Martinez is. The goalkeepers’ union in action. The medical staff of course cutting no corners in their duty of care to the stricken keeper.

2.00pm BST

68 min: Branthwaite is back up on his feet. That’s the good news. But Martinez has taken a proper whack, and it will take a wee while for the doctors to carefully load the Villa keeper onto the stretcher.

1.58pm BST

67 min: Branthwaite is sitting up. Martinez remains prone, and on comes the stretcher.

1.58pm BST

66 min: Caicedo drags down Armstrong, 30 yards out on the left. Palmer is then booked, either for saying too much about the award of a foul, or punching the ball away in frustration. Either way. The free kick’s then sent into the mixer by Dewsbury-Hall. It’s a decent delivery, a ball there to be won. Martinez comes out, Branthwaite races in, and the pair clash heads. Ugh. On come the medical folk.

Updated at 2.12pm BST

1.55pm BST

64 min: Pedro glides in from the right and sends a shot wide left. He’s then caught late by Branthwaite, and isn’t too happy about it, but the referee tells him to get up. It wasn’t the most perfectly timed challenge, to be fair.

1.54pm BST

63 min: A bit more space for Grealish down the left, Tarkowski finding him with a long creamed diagonal. But he’s offisde. Everton are really struggling to get anything going in the Chelsea final third.

1.53pm BST

61 min: Grealish launches a couple of sorties down the left in short order. Neither of them come to much.

1.51pm BST

59 min: The xG at the moment: 0.32 to 1.03. So the scoreline is about right.

1.49pm BST

57 min: Rogers slides in Palmer down the inside-left channel. Palmer floats a chip over Pickford … and over the bar. That would have been a frisky one.

1.48pm BST

56 min: Nothing comes of the resulting corner. Chelsea have enjoyed 71 percent of possession in this second half.

1.48pm BST

55 min: Maitland-Niles, a look of hot displeasure flashed towards the bench from narrowed eyes, makes way for George. Rohl will drop back to right-back … and his first act is to block Rogers’ shot from ten yards. Neto with some great work down the right to set Rogers up.

1.45pm BST

53 min: Palmer cuts in from the right and shoots. Dewsbury-Hall blocks and the ball spins back to Pickford. Everton need to clear their heads and quick.

1.43pm BST

52 min: Acheampong advances down the right and sends a dangerous cross into the mixer. Harrison is forced to divert behind for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece, but this is all Chelsea. David Moyes is preparing a change.

1.43pm BST

51 min: Chelsea stroke it around. Well, that’s not going to help the mood at the HDS, is it.

1.42pm BST

49 min: That’s silenced a good proportion of the HDS. Chelsea fans the only ones to be heard at the moment.

1.40pm BST

47 min: Pickford stands with hands on hips. He’s fuming. That was a brilliantly incisive move by Chelsea, though once again Maitland-Niles hasn’t covered himself in glory. Hato slipped past him way too easily.

Updated at 1.41pm BST

1.38pm BST

GOAL! Everton 0-1 Chelsea (Neto 46) A mere 44 seconds into the second half, Chelsea take the lead! Rogers powers his way down the left, holding off Maitland-Niles before releasing Hato on the overlap with a saucy back-heel. Hato enters the box, easily zipping past Maitland-Niles, chasing back, and crosses low for Neto, who takes a touch and slots into the bottom right!

Updated at 1.42pm BST

1.37pm BST

Chelsea get the second half started. No changes. Meanwhile here’s Gary Naylor from his seat at the Hill Dickinson: “I’m not sure we’ll mark 24 years with ‘Remember the name! Thierno Barry!’ but we’ve a London club in the October sunshine again. Everton have never had so many technically impressive players - but Chelsea have more. Final score: 1-1.”

(The Rooney/Barry dynamic similarly applies to Tyldesley/Matterface) 1.25pm BST

Half-time postbag, courtesy of both of our readers. “Chelsea, with their ultra talented attacking front line, wants to play the beautiful game. Everton says no, how about a beer League shin kicking affair” – Mary Waltz (an Evertonian, please remember)

“You can’t really expect much dynamism when the toffees are playing the pensioners” – Richard Hirst

1.23pm BST

HALF TIME: Everton 0-0 Chelsea A huge load of nothing until Armstrong put in an old-school reducer midway through the half … since when it’s been super-feisty. A few challenges on the edge of legality. And Caicedo nearly scored one of the all-time great volleys. Great fun, with the usual think-of-the-kids caveat.

1.20pm BST

45 min +2: One corner from the left leads to another, and Pedro’s flick-on nearly squeaks into the bottom right. Armstrong clears off the line!

1.18pm BST

45 min +1: A bit of space for Neto, cutting in from the right and looping a shot towards the top right. Pickford tips over.

1.18pm BST

45 min: There will be three additional minutes.

1.18pm BST

44 min: Rogers was a little bit higher than Garner – he’s off the ground, and catches his opponent’s shin - and Garner comes off worst. Happily no serious injury. But Garner’s not happy, and the crowd are now beyond livid. This is fun.

Updated at 1.19pm BST

1.16pm BST

43 min: Garner and Rogers compete for a 50-50 in the middle of the park. Both slightly out of control. Oof! Both stay down. Quite a few unhappy players surround the referee.

1.15pm BST

42 min: That was one hell of a shot by Caicedo. Blimey.

1.14pm BST

40 min: Palmer wins a corner off Armstrong down the left. Henderson sends it long for Caicedo, to the right of the D, just inside the box. He’s facing away from goal, but nevertheless connects with the volley so sweetly. It cannons off the junction of right-hand post and crossbar, nearly rendering the frame of the goal as splinters. Dust. What a strike! So close to the goal of the season.

1.12pm BST

39 min: Barry hurt himself in taking that shot, and requires a spot of treatment. Looks like he’ll be fine, but he’ll need to spend some time on the touchline before getting involved again.

1.10pm BST

37 min: It’s Mykolenko’s turn to chop, seeing off Acheampong down the left and rolling into the middle for Barry, who threads a shot towards the bottom left. But there’s no juice behind it, and it tinkles through to Martinez.

1.08pm BST

35 min: … so yeah, this game needed a spark, and it got one all right, courtesy of Armstrong. Now everyone’s on the edge, and you wouldn’t put too much money on this ending with the full complement of 22 men.

1.07pm BST

33 min: Acheampong goes into the book for hanging a leg across Grealish. The free kick leads to a brouhaha, Tarkowski needlessly barging Caicedo to the floor. Henderson takes offence. The pair take a hold of each other’s shirt. Rogers gets involved. And then Tarkowski and Rogers go into the book.

Updated at 1.14pm BST

1.05pm BST

31 min: Pedro and Tarkowski come together in the Everton box. Pedro spins his man; Tarkowski holds his arm. Pedro goes over and wants a penalty. He’s not getting one, though VAR takes a look … and you’ve seen them given.

Updated at 1.10pm BST

1.03pm BST

30 min: The free kick’s worked right to left, Grealish slamming a shot straight into the turf. The ball balloons up then looks like dipping just under the bar. Martinez is forced to tip over, but nothing comes from the corner.

1.02pm BST

29 min: Tarkowski bursts past Rogers with an elegant chop down the right. Palmer barrels in and puts a stop to his gallop by knocking him over. Palmer is fuming, but lucky not to be booked. Then from the resulting free kick …

1.00pm BST

27 min: The corner is worked back to Grealish down the left. He curls in for Barry, a perfect cross that should result in a goal. But from six yards, Barry slaps his header straight at Martinez, who makes up for his egregious error by snaffling the ball on his line.

12.59pm BST

26 min: Rohl shoots from distance. Martinez saves, then holds onto the ball for an age. The referee awards a corner by way of punishment, and Neto is booked for his incredulous reaction. And from the corner …

12.58pm BST

25 min: That tackle’s got the crowd’s dander up. In the stand, Peter Reid looks on with pride. What a player he was.

12.57pm BST

23 min: Spark! Armstrong slides in hard on Acheampong. The challenge is a bit high, and earns a yellow card. Tarkowski is livid, and gets right up in the referee’s grille, but it was a clear yellow. Mistimed rather than malicious, and though VAR has a look with a view to upgrading the punishment, it’s decided that a booking is fair enough.

12.54pm BST

21 min: Neto finds a pocket of space down the inside-right channel. He cuts back for Henderson, who attempts to pass into the bottom right from the edge of the box. Blocked. A goal at the Hill Dickinson from a former Liverpool captain would certainly have qualified as spark.

12.53pm BST

20 min: Chelsea probe the Everton box in the horseshoe style. But there’s no way into the middle. This match needs a spark.

12.51pm BST

19 min: Chelsea with the patient passing. There isn’t an awful lot going on.

12.50pm BST

17 min: … no, it’s a complete non-event. Dewsbury-Hall’s delivery easily cleared, Grealish’s ball back into the mixer sailing harmlessly out for a goal kick.

12.49pm BST

16 min: Maitland-Niles feeds Rohl on the underlap down the right. Rohl earns Everton’s first corner of the afternoon. From which …

12.47pm BST

15 min: … so having just said that, Palmer gets Chelsea’s first shot on target. It’s from long range, bouncing harmlessly towards the bottom right. Too easy for Pickford.

Updated at 12.53pm BST

12.47pm BST

14 min: Chelsea have started so many of their other games this season quickly, so Everton will be pleased with this start. The visitors have shown next to nothing in attack, though they have enjoyed 69 percent of possession.

12.45pm BST

13 min: Dewsbury-Hall shields the ball from Caicedo out on the left flank and draws a foul. Garner takes the free kick, and clumsily hoicks it straight out for a goal kick.

12.44pm BST

11 min: Acheampong takes his sweet time over a throw, and earns a lecture from referee Paul Tierney. Breaking news, right here.

12.41pm BST

9 min: This match is currently being played at a non-beneficial 100 mph. “Will Merlin be a magician for Everton?” asks Richard Hirst. “Sorry.”

12.39pm BST

7 min: Pedro has taken a whack in the face and is wandering around with a mouthful of gauze. It’s been a slightly strange start to the game. Hopefully some football will break out soon.

Updated at 12.46pm BST

12.38pm BST

5 min: This won’t come as a surprise, but Henderson’s every touch is met with a wall of pantomime booing. A local matter.

12.37pm BST

4 min: Grealish makes his presence felt down the left, and a throw is won. Mykolenko launches it long. Acheampong heads clear. Then as Everton try to pin Chelsea back, Grealish and Caicedo get involved in a lightly physical back-and-forth, then yap at each other in the excitable style. The referee comes across to get them to pipe down.

12.35pm BST

2 min: You’ll have noticed there was no pre-match postbag. No emails, you see. Which makes this existential howl from Evertonian Mary Waltz that’s just dropped so very apposite: “Why does no one seem to want us? Everton seems to be the unwanted step child, trying so hard but rejected by their parents.”

12.33pm BST

Everton kick off, and launch it long. Martinez claims the punt.

Updated at 12.36pm BST

12.32pm BST

Before the kick-off, everyone takes the knee. It’s the first of two weeks of the Premier League’s No Room For Racism campaign. Challenge it, report it, change it.

Updated at 12.38pm BST

12.29pm BST

It’s time for the theme to Z Cars … and here come the teams. Everton in their royal blue, Chelsea in a new white third strip with red pinstripe and retro lion-crawling-all-over-CFC badge. A nod to the early 1990s Commodore era. We’ll be off in a minute or two!

12.25pm BST

David Moyes talks to TNT. “If we took a few more chances and we hadn’t conceded last week, we’d have a few more points … but it happens in football … we’ve also come back in games when we’ve been getting beat … sometimes you think you should have more but when you look back on it maybe other times you could be a bit fortunate to get some points … [Vitalii Mykolenko] is the only natural left-back we have in the building at the moment, so great to have him back … [Merlin Rohl] … gives me a little more speed and dynamism … we’re up against a really good Chelsea team, especially in the front line so we might have to use Merlin in different roles as well”

12.14pm BST

Xabi Alonso speaks to TNT Sports. “We needed a win [against Bournemouth] but this was last week … one is not enough … we need to keep going, doing the right things, repeating and always improving game by game … [Reece James’ injury] makes it more limited but we have enough options … Romeo [Lavia] … [Valentin] Barco … they have played and now we have Mo [Caciedo] back and [Jordan Henderson] so we have more options … but for sure it’s a blow … we will need another big one in this stadium against Everton … tough opponent … they are in a good run so we are expecting a tough challenge.”

11.45am BST

Everton are currently in a good humour as well. Should they win this afternoon – and given how they’ve triumphed in this fixture in six of its last nine stagings, losing just the once, that’s very much a live prospect – they’ll move into fourth spot in the Premier League, for a couple of hours at least. Chelsea can do likewise.

Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Man City 6 11 18 2 Arsenal 6 5 15 3 Brighton 6 13 13 4 Brentford 6 6 10 5 Everton 6 3 10 6 Chelsea 6 2 10 7 Leeds 6 3 9 8 Hull 6 2 9 9 Liverpool 6 0 9 10 Ipswich 6 -3 9 11 Newcastle 6 -3 8 12 Crystal Palace 6 -3 7 13 Man Utd 6 0 6 14 Coventry 6 -6 6 15 Nottm Forest 6 -3 5 16 Aston Villa 6 -5 5 17 Sunderland 6 -6 4 18 AFC Bournemouth 6 -6 3 19 Tottenham Hotspur 6 -6 3 20 Fulham 6 -4 2 11.40am BST

Fun: Chelsea have it. But for how long?

Related: Chelsea are the Premier League’s most fun team but is it sustainable?

11.22am BST

Everton make two changes in the wake of their 2-2 draw at Hull City. Merlin Röhl and Vitalii Mykolenko replace Micheal Keane and Brennan Johnson, the latter dropping to the bench.

Chelsea meanwhile make one change to the starting XI sent out to thrash Bournemouth 5-1 last weekend. Jorrel Hato comes into the defence at the expense of Pep Chavarría.

11.16am BST

The teams Everton: Pickford, Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Garner, Armstrong, Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Barry.Subs: Travers, O’Brien, George, Dibling, Johnson, Norgaard, Alcaraz, Hackney, Graham.

Chelsea: Martinez, Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill, Pedro Neto, Henderson, Caicedo, Hato, Palmer, Rogers, Joao Pedro.Subs: Penders, Palestra, Fofana, Barco, Welbeck, Quenda, Nicoll-Jazuli, Estevao, Lavia.

Referee: Paul TierneyVAR: Nicholas Hopton

Updated at 11.29am BST

11.00am BST

Preamble Fifth plays sixth at the Hill Dickinson this lunchtime, in a fixture that isn’t so easy to predict. Chelsea have quickly established an identity under Xabi Alonso as the great entertainers: they’ve scored 15 goals in six matches, with 13 whistling in down the other end. Their last two results – a 3-0 loss at Brentford followed by a 5-1 rout of Bournemouth – illustrate what they’re all about right now. Everton are similarly difficult to pin down, veering between doughty low-scoring shut-out wins (2-0 Palace, 1-0 Ipswich) and rollercoaster 2-2 draws (Manchester United and Hull City, Ainsley Maitland-Niles the centre of attention in both games, for wildly different reasons). The Toffees also remain undefeated, no small feat when you consider the downcast mood around the club at the end of an unsuccessful transfer window.

Throw in the fact that Chelsea don’t particularly like coming to visit the blue half of Merseyside – they’ve lost 2-0 and 3-0 on two of their most recent three visits, the other being a goalless draw – and so while they go into this match as favourites, you wouldn’t exactly risk the farm on it. This could be great fun. Kick-off is at 12.30pm BST. It’s on!