Everton’s incredible upsurge since Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival came to a stuttering stop at the weekend as they extended their winless run to three Premier League matches, after a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Chelsea. The Italian boss may have received a warm reception off of the pitch upon his first trip back to Stamford Bridge, but he was not impressed with what he witnessed in front of him as the gap to fourth spot opened to 11 points.
What did he say?
Speaking to BBC Sport after the match Ancelotti said: “It’s very disappointing. The first time I was so sad for the performance of the team. Everything was wrong. We were not good defensively, lost lots of duels, were not compact and did a lot of mistakes.
“It is a bit strange. We did well against Manchester United and competed against Arsenal and Manchester City. It is really strange, but we have to analyse this and try to do better,” added the former Chelsea boss.
European dreams dashed
Chelsea ran the show on Sunday afternoon, with teenager Billy Gilmour catching the eye in midfield once more. The lacklustre manner of the defeat, as well as the result, has left the Toffees with it all to do if they are to make a European comeback this term. The Champions League is surely now out of reach given the 11 point gap to Chelsea in fourth, along with the seven sides blocking Everton’s route to Uefa’s prestigious competition.
Meanwhile, qualification for the Europa League is also seriously in doubt, as Manchester United in fifth have opened up an eight-point chasm. With Manchester City’s European ban under appeal, things could yet change, but the Toffees still have a mountain to climb and are at the back of the queue.
Ancelotti is right, Everton did well in the matches he mentioned against both Manchester sides and Arsenal. But ultimately they have ended those fixtures, along with Sunday’s, with one point from a possible 12, which has cost the Toffees dearly in the close competition for Europe seeing their rivals extend the gap to the top.
