Chelsea player ratings: Jackson shows signs of life at crucial time as Caicedo stars but Palmer again a passenger

ENZO MARESCA watched on from behind me as he served the touchline ban he earned himself vs Fulham – and he’ll be pleased with what he saw as Chelsea stole a 1-0 win at home to Everton. The game was shocked into life after 26 minutes when good pressure from the home side saw Nicolas Jackson take the ball on the turn and rifle it into the back of Jordan Pickford‘s net, his first goal since returning from injury. ReutersNicolas Jackson got Chelsea underway at Stamford Bridge with his first goal in 13 games[/caption] ReutersEnzo Maresca watched on from the sidelines[/caption] It was by no means easy after they grabbed the opener though, as the Blues dominated possession but failed to add more goals to their tally. Everton had chances too, and David Moyes‘ side ramped up the pressure as the game went on, calling Robert Sanchez into action on multiple occasions in the second half. Jackson thought he’d finally given his side a safety net as the game came to a close, but the offside flag denied him his 11th Premier League goal of the season. Three points puts Chelsea in a good position to battle for the coveted Champions League places now, but they arguably have the hardest run-in of the teams they are competing against. Here’s how SunSport’s Lloyd Canfield rated the Blues against Everton. Robert Sanchez – 7 Credit where credit is due, Sanchez was a force to be reckoned with today. In the early stages he looked like the same old shaky Sanchez, coming to claim crosses and then spilling them, opportunities which a more dangerous opposition may have punished. But as the game went on he made a vital save to deny Beto, was better in terms of his distribution, and by the end of the game looked as though he had glue on his gloves – coming and claiming every cross that came his way. "WHAT A SAVE!" This stop from Robert Sánchez could be a match-winning moment @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/owFdFpPzay— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 26, 2025 Join SUN CLUB for the Chelsea Files every Tuesday plusin-depth coverage and exclusives from Stamford Bridge Moises Caicedo – 9 Moi has arguably been Chelsea’s player of the season as a combative holding midfielder, but was playing in the inverted fullback role for this game to accommodate Romeo Lavia’s inclusion. He is in fact so good that he can play there as well as any natural right back that Chelsea have got, with an impeccable work rate, great feet on the ball and an eye for a pass too. His importance to this side cannot be understated, with the Ecuadorian always in the right place at the right time and able to show up for his side with a level of consistency matched by no other player in the squad. No one really brings up the price tag Chelsea paid for him anymore, which is testament to just how good he has become. Trevoh Chalobah – 8 With rumours swirling that Trevoh Chalobah could be expected to depart Chelsea for good this summer, if he is to leave then the Cobham graduate can go with his head held high. Trev played a vital role in the build up to Jackson’s opener, pressing Beto on the ball and winning it just before the Senegalese forward rifled home. Levi Colwill – 8 It’s no easy task marking 6’4″ Beto up front for Everton, who has caused chaos for numerous Premier League defences this campaign, but Levi marshalled him really well. Chelsea’s ever-present CB this season has been really growing into a leadership role in his recent performances, and today’s was no different. It’s easy to see in games like today why the Blues value their academy born centre-half so, so highly. Marc Cucurella – 8 Alongside Caicedo, Marc Cucurella has probably been Chelsea’s most consistent performer this season. The Stamford Bridge faithful have got used to him flying forward and playing almost as a second striker at times, but he was tasked with a slightly different job today and asked to be more defensive with Caicedo inverting instead of him. For me there has been no better left-back in the league this season, and today’s performance echoed that sentiment – winning crucial tackles, stepping in to intercept whenever necessary and progressing the ball well too. Romeo Lavia – 7 When a £115million midfielder is moved to right-back so that you can fit in the starting XI, it emphasises how good of a player you are. Romeo returned to the starting XI today for only the ninth time this season, and has been missing from the Chelsea side entirely since mid-march when he played just eight minutes vs Arsenal. His passing was somewhat rusty, which was expected of a player who has been out for so long, but on the half-turn in midfield he really makes a difference for Maresca’s side and is vital in most

Apr 26, 2025 - 23:29

Chelsea player ratings: Jackson shows signs of life at crucial time as Caicedo stars but Palmer again a passenger

ENZO MARESCA watched on from behind me as he served the touchline ban he earned himself vs Fulham – and he’ll be pleased with what he saw as Chelsea stole a 1-0 win at home to Everton.

The game was shocked into life after 26 minutes when good pressure from the home side saw Nicolas Jackson take the ball on the turn and rifle it into the back of Jordan Pickford‘s net, his first goal since returning from injury.

Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke of Chelsea celebrating a goal.

Nicolas Jackson got Chelsea underway at Stamford Bridge with his first goal in 13 games[/caption]

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca in the stands at a match.

Enzo Maresca watched on from the sidelines[/caption]

It was by no means easy after they grabbed the opener though, as the Blues dominated possession but failed to add more goals to their tally.

Everton had chances too, and David Moyes‘ side ramped up the pressure as the game went on, calling Robert Sanchez into action on multiple occasions in the second half.

Jackson thought he’d finally given his side a safety net as the game came to a close, but the offside flag denied him his 11th Premier League goal of the season.

Three points puts Chelsea in a good position to battle for the coveted Champions League places now, but they arguably have the hardest run-in of the teams they are competing against.

Here’s how SunSport’s Lloyd Canfield rated the Blues against Everton.

Robert Sanchez – 7

Illustration of Robert Sánchez's game statistics: 2 saves, 3 high claims, 22 passes, 1 sweeper clearance, 15 accurate passes, and 0 punches. Includes a pass map.

Credit where credit is due, Sanchez was a force to be reckoned with today.

In the early stages he looked like the same old shaky Sanchez, coming to claim crosses and then spilling them, opportunities which a more dangerous opposition may have punished.

But as the game went on he made a vital save to deny Beto, was better in terms of his distribution, and by the end of the game looked as though he had glue on his gloves – coming and claiming every cross that came his way.