By George Overhill

17th Mar, 2023 | 3:10pm

Mark Lawrenson predicts Everton vs Chelsea result amid Graham Potter delight

Mark Lawrenson has predicted Chelsea to narrowly beat Everton in the late kick-off at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

The Toffees travel to West London hoping to upset Graham Potter’s newly-buoyant side, who appear to have turned somewhat of a corner in recording three straight wins in all competitions, which Lawrenson believes will have filled their manager with relief that all eyes are no longer on him.

As is the trend over the past couple of seasons, Everton are yet to win away from home under Sean Dyche despite taking nine points from 12 at Goodison Park, and Lawrenson doesn’t expect that to change in a 2-1 defeat this weekend (18 March).

Lawrenson said in his Paddy Power predictions this week: “Chelsea are on a good run now, all of a sudden, with three wins on the bounce. Everton, it’s their home form that’s going to keep them up not what they do away from Goodison so I think you have to fancy Chelsea.

“Graham Potter will just be delighted that he’s not the story on everyone’s lips at the moment. Chelsea 2-1 Everton.”

Opportunity?

This may not be the beleaguered Chelsea side of a few weeks ago, but they are still 10th in the Premier League, and it won’t take much to get the crowd to turn if the Toffees were able to frustrate them for a decent length of time.

Before putting in three against a Leicester City side which is sinking like a stone last weekend (11 March) the London Blues were struggling in front of goal about as much as the Merseyside Blues.

The 1-0 over Brentford last weekend saw Dwight McNeil arrow an excellent strike into the net in the first minute, and the Toffees repelled attacks like demons for over 90 minutes to close out the win and show a defensive steel that was reminiscent of the early weeks of the season when then Everton back line was one of the strongest in the top flight.

That only James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford have kept their places from that unit, which gradually capitulated as the Frank Lampard era imploded, is an illustration of the Dyche effect, and were the game at Stamford Bridge to follow a similar sort of pattern as the one at Goodison last week then Potter and his players could slip back into the nervy outfit they were not long ago.

Everton will have to avoid shooting themselves in the foot though, as they held out admirably against title-chasing Arsenal on 1 March for 40 minutes before handing the game to the league-leaders on a plate before the break and falling apart thereafter.

Some good results elsewhere could see the Toffees fall back into the relegation zone going into the international break, so for the sake of the supporters’ nerves over the next two weeks a positive result in the capital would be hugely welcome.