Joe Hart noticed Everton do something new v Chelsea as MOTD shows footage
Everton tried to play a more expansive style against Chelsea, only to find themselves being punished for it.
The Toffees were handed a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (26 April) after a first-half goal from Nicolas Jackson proved to be the difference maker.
Everton attempted to cause problems for the Blues, and the fact that Robert Sanchez won the Man of the Match award highlights that they were able to do that from an attacking sense.
The Merseyside outfit also felt that they should have been awarded a penalty in the first half after Sanchez wiped out Vitalii Mykolenko in the box.
The situation ended up being given as a foul to Chelsea, much to the surprise of former FIFA official Keith Hackett, who felt it was a penalty.
Everton are looking to adapt their style
The Toffees attempted to play a more expansive, passing style of football against the Blues on Saturday, rather than just hitting long balls to progress up the pitch.
David Moyes has been slowly transforming his Everton team with the manner in which they play, and that has been working due to the positive results they have been gaining.
The experienced manager has guided the Merseyside outfit away from the Premier League relegation zone, but they were found out against Chelsea.
| Premier League 2024/25 | Position | Points |
| Wolves | 13th | 41 |
| Everton | 14th | 38 |
| Man United | 15th | 38 |
| Tottenham | 16th | 37 |
| West Ham | 17th | 36 |
| Ipswich Town | 18th | 21 |
That’s something that Joe Hart highlighted on Match of the Day as he analysed how the Blues were able to expose them.
He said, “They looked like they were out trying (something) a little bit new today, a little bit more expansive, which is easier said than done, as that proved in the first 20 minutes.
“Ball into Mykolenko, we’ve seen many, many times, an Everton team flip it into the corner and the play for territory, but instead he decides to go into Gueye, he’s got options to go back.
“But if you’re going to play, you need an option and then another option, you need to be playing chess the whole time, and once he decides to go into him, Garner has to make himself available.
“Chelsea realised, they’re starting to play a little bit of football, but there’s only one option, so once Caicedo and an impressive press mean they can’t get that pass off, they can smother him, and now Everton are far more open than they have been all season.”
David Moyes will need to sign players to implement his style
If Moyes wants Everton to play a more expansive style of football, then it will be important for him to recruit the right type of player to make that happen.
Moyes is currently working with a squad put together by former Everton boss Sean Dyche, who had a very different philosophy when it came to playing style.
Dyche’s teams are typically very robust and difficult to break down, and while Moyes has continued to push the defensive aspect of his squad, the Scotsman is looking for Everton to play more free-flowing passing.
Everton have identified Sunderland’s Dan Neil as one target for the summer transfer window, with Moyes seeing him as an option to improve his squad.