Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Sat 21 March 2026 20:30, UK

Beto reignited his Everton career with a near faultless performance against Chelsea.

The striker scored twice in the impressive 3-0 victory at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night and was deservedly awarded the man of the match award.

Before the one-sided win, he had netted just four times in the Premier League this season and been widely criticised by supporters for his lack of end product.

However, he responded emphatically after playing a hand in all three of the Toffees’ goals on Merseyside, with his display hinting that he can still go on to become a success at the club.

Chelsea simply couldn’t handle him, and Beto also made a mockery of his doubters.

Beto finally plays to his strengths

For much of his time at Everton, Beto has been panned for blunt performances up top. Certainly, he hasn’t lived up to the £26million billing since arriving from Udinese in 2023.

Against Chelsea, however, everything changed. He terrorised the visitors’ backline, bullying them with his strength and applying the decisive touch on two occasions.

His first goal on 33 minutes demonstrated just that, with the ace latching onto James Garner’s superb pass before clipping a cool finish over the onrushing Robert Sanchez.

While his second was rather more fortuitous, with the goalkeeper allowing his strike to slip between his legs, the fact that he took the shot in the first place showed his confidence.

His performance was topped off with an assist after he craned to nod a long ball into the path of Iliman Ndiaye, who twisted and turned before bending into the top corner.

According to the graphic below from Sofascore, all three of Beto’s shots were on target, while he also recorded two passes across his 81-minute runout.

The measure of his improvement was shown in the number of duels he contested, with the ace winning five in total and helping to pin Chelsea back inside their own half.

Before Saturday night, Beto was not doing what Everton had signed him for: using his physicality and penalty area prowess to give defenders a headache.

But against Chelsea, he looked like a different player, and that bodes well for Everton.

Beto must find consistency

Now, however, Beto must keep up these levels of performance.

He has shown glimpses of his potential before, but only in fleeting moments, and this inconsistency means David Moyes cannot trust him.

For much of the campaign, he has been made to act as second fiddle to Thierno Barry, a rookie in the Premier League, but his display suggests he may have turned a corner.

He balanced brute force with finesse at Hill Dickinson Stadium and was deservedly given a rapturous response after being withdrawn for Barry in the game’s final knockings.

Whether he can continue to keep supporters onside for good remains to be seen.