A miserable 10 days for Chelsea culminated in a chastening 3-0 defeat as Everton won back-to-back matches at home in the Premier League for the first time this season.
In the space of just over a week, Liam Rosenior’s side have lost 8-2 on aggregate in a Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain, been beaten at home by Newcastle before being out-worked and out-performed by the Toffees – a team who had won just five times in 15 previous home league games.
Rosenior has won 10 of 19 matches since replacing Enzo Maresca; three of which were in the FA Cup against Wrexham, Hull and Charlton and another at home to Cypriot minnows Pafos.
With Manchester United drawing and Liverpool losing, Chelsea had the chance to go fourth, four points behind the Red Devils, but they blew it in spectacular style.
Everton’s win, however, puts them within three points of neighbours Liverpool with a home Merseyside derby to come next month.
Beto became the first Everton player to score more than once in a game this season before Iliman Ndiaye curled a shot into the top corner to cap the Toffees’ best performance at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium home and sent the visiting fans streaming for the exit with 15 minutes remaining.
Chelsea still looked shell-shocked from their midweek humbling by PSG as they were run ragged by Beto, who did the job of a proper number nine, something he has not always successfully managed in a blue shirt.
Midfielder James Garner celebrated his first England call-up with a pin-point assist for the important opening goal and produced a composed and controlling performance in midfield together with former Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
In contrast the visitors lacked focus up front, with Joao Pedro struggling against the defensive pillars of James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, Cole Palmer was unable to get in the game out on the right and their own centre-back pairing of Wesley Fofana and Jarrel Hato looked lost.
The pair were found wanting just past the half-hour when Garner’s perfectly-weighted through-ball between them had them backtracking to catch Beto, only for the striker to maintain his composure and dink a shot over the advancing Sanchez.
It was the 10th successive league game Chelsea had conceded.
The visiting goalkeeper had another evening to forget having almost gifted Everton a 10th-minute lead after taking a heavy touch almost being dispossessed by Beto.
By contrast his opposite number was doing typical Jordan Pickford things, reacting brilliantly to tip over Enzo Fernandez’s volley having initially fumbled an inswinging corner.
Alejandro Garnacho replaced Malo Gusto for the second half, with Moises Caicedo moving to right-back, but the home side continued to dominate.
Beto was only inches from prodding in Tarkowski’s knockdown from a corner, while a backtracking Sanchez almost carried an inswinging Garner free-kick into his own net.
The under-worked Pickford turned Fernendez’s shot around a post and that was the tipping point as a minute later, Fernandez and Marc Cucurella comically got in each other’s way to send Idrissa Gueye, hardly the most sprightly at 36, into the wide open space behind them.
He teed up Beto to fire a shot through the legs of Sanchez with the hapless goalkeeper unable to keep the ball from crossing the line.
The Toffees striker then turned provider, flicking on Pickford’s goal-kick for Ndiaye to whip one in from the edge of the penalty area.
