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Chelsea have returned from the international break with an authority that augurs well for Xabi Alonso. Two goals from Pedro Neto condemned Everton to a first defeat of the season as the visitors climbed to fourth on the back of their first Premier League clean sheet since January. A head injury sustained by Emi Martínez, who was carried off on a stretcher after seven minutes of treatment, was the only concern from a mature display in the Merseyside sunshine for Alonso’s team. There were goalkeeping problems at both ends, with Jordan Pickford unconvincing for the second week in succession as David Moyes’ side suffered self-inflicted wounds. But Everton could have no complaints about the merits of Chelsea’s victory given their contrasting performances in the second half. There was more needle than quality on display in a first half that Everton edged and they could question why they were still facing 11 men by half-time. Morgan Rogers risked a second yellow card when leaping into a challenge with James Garner shortly before the break. The Chelsea forward caught the ball and the man but, beyond both players feeling the impact of the 50-50, there was no further punishment from Paul Tierney. Rogers’s tackle was just as reckless as the one that brought an earlier booking for Harrison Armstrong, one of five yellows shown in a half that owed its entertainment to the animosity between the teams. The hosts’ grievance deepened when Rogers played a part in Neto’s breakthrough moments after the restart. Having denied Chelsea their customary early goal – with Pickford saving from Cole Palmer and Jarrad Branthwaite blocking a goal-bound Jordan Henderson effort – Everton acquitted themselves well in the first half. They should have taken the lead from a corner awarded after Martínez was penalised for holding the ball too long. Garner’s initial delivery was poor, in keeping with Everton’s crossing for much of the game, but Jack Grealish supplied an inch-perfect cross at the second attempt for Thierno Barry. The unmarked Everton striker steered a tame header straight at Martínez from close range and the centre of the goal. Another big miss from Barry was one of several recurring themes that undermined Everton’s efforts. The Chelsea keeper tipped over a Grealish volley as the home side maintained the pressure and also saved comfortably from Barry’s difficult attempt inside the box. The visitors began to turn the tide as the interval approached and were inches away from taking the lead in spectacular fashion. Moisés Caicedo pulled away to the back post for a Henderson corner that arrived exactly where the training ground routine required. His thunderous volley flew past Pickford but smacked the bar, leaving it shaking for several seconds. Neto forced a decent save from the Everton keeper from distance in first-half stoppage time and beat him from much closer range 44 seconds after the restart. As in the draw at Hull last weekend, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Pickford were found wanting defensively and duly punished. Rogers was somewhat inevitably involved when releasing Jorrel Hato, Alonso’s one enforced change from the 5-1 defeat of Bournemouth, away from Maitland-Niles down the Chelsea left. Hato’s low cross from the byline took a touch off James Tarkowski and found Neto, whose shot beat Pickford’s weak attempt to save low to his left. Goalkeeping worries took on a far more serious complexion when Branthwaite collided with Martínez as they challenged for a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall free-kick. The Argentina international required lengthy treatment before being carried away with his neck in a brace and to the sound of Evertonian boos. Thankfully he did give a thumbs up to Branthwaite when the concerned Everton defender waited to wish him well. Martínez’s replacement, Mike Penders on his Premier League debut, was not seriously tested as the Everton threat petered out and Chelsea managed the closing stages well. Victory was sealed in the final minute of normal time when Henderson’s free-kick struck the head of Barry, rebounded off the Everton substitute Tyrique George and Vitalii Mykolenko, before dropping to Neto. The Chelsea winger rolled a confident finish past Pickford’s despairing dive into the bottom corner.

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⚽ Premier League updates from the 12.30pm BST kick-off ⚽ Live scoreboard | Tables | Top scorers | Email Scott Everton are currently in a good humour as well. Should they win this afternoon – and given how they’ve triumphed in this fixture in six of its last nine stagings, losing just the once, that’s very much a live prospect – they’ll move into fourth spot in the Premier League, for a couple of hours at least. Chelsea can do likewise. Fun: Chelsea have it. But for how long? Continue reading...

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Manchester City manager embraces response to external criticism while Chelsea captain could be out until new year James was not one of the five players to withdraw from England duty during the break, though he does now look set to miss the next international window when England will face Croatia at Wembley and an away game against Spain. Moises Caicedo made his first start of the season against Bournemouth and made an immediate impact in helping the team to control the game, something that the side had struggled with during Alonso’s first few matches. Jordan Henderson started alongside Caicedo and scored his first two Blues goals, while Romeo Lavia, another player to have suffered badly with fitness since joining Chelsea, has made an injury-free start to the season. “I think we’ll be able to manage well with the players we have, the ones who have been playing and who are available,” said Alonso. “Reece is still a very important player. He’s the captain, a great influence. He has a good mentality and we need him.” Press Association Frank Lampard is not prepared to relax after watching his Coventry side record back-to-back wins in the Premier League. The Sky Blues looked to be in for a long season after losing their opening four games without scoring a goal on their return to the top tier, but they have kickstarted their campaign with wins against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle and Lampard wants to keep the foot on the gas. “Keep driving it,” he said. “It’s very important to look at the good things out of the game, also the things we can improve. But when we talk about the good things, I’m not overly patting them on the back because we have to work hard to get better. “Every game brings different challenges, so I think the players understand me and my approach and the staff’s approach here. We never want to rest. I don’t. I’m always fearful of resting on something and thinking that you’ve made it. This league’s too difficult for that. “So one of my first jobs is to keep pushing from that front, and the players need to feel that.” Press Association Andoni Iraola, the Liverpool head coach, has every faith in Trey Nyoni as the 19-year-old looks set for his first Premier League start. The teenager put in a composed display in the 6-3 Champions League win over LASK in midweek, and with Ryan Gravenberch suspended and Dominik Szoboszlai still struggling with a hamstring injury, it is likely he will line up alongside Alexis Mac Allister at Brentford. Nyoni has made 26 appearances since his debut in February 2024, 10 of which have been as a substitute in the top flight, but after playing 85 minutes on his first Champions League start in the midweek win, Iraola has no doubts about the youngster’s quality. “Trey is a player that is very young with not a lot of minutes in the first team, but is very mature, he understands the situation very well, he understands the game very well and tactically he is very smart,” Iraola said. “But he has to continue doing the steps in the right direction, I am confident with him. “He has been involved in most of the last games but he has to keep this level of performance, of training, he has to play as a six, as an eight, he has to start and play a game like LASK, putting pressure on the other midfielders. It is very good for us that we can put in these young players with not a lot of experience and they can perform in a competition like the Champions League or the Premier League.” Liverpool are in a run of six games in 18 days and Iraola knows he will have to call on Nyoni regularly. “In this period, especially, where we are basically playing every three days, less than three days, you need more players,” he said. “That’s why we changed the team [in midweek] and we need to change again at the weekend and change again when we face Villarreal in another three days. “We will need everyone in one moment or another, everyone has to be ready because we will need him probably. But this is the challenge of playing, no? It’s competitions like the Champions League and it’s not going to just happen this week, it is going to be a constant thing this season so we have to adapt.” Press Association Nottingham Forest are sweating on the fitness of Morgan Gibbs-White before Sunday’s clash with Arsenal. The England international picked up a “minor” calf injury in last weekend’s defeat at Crystal Palace and will be assessed before the visit of the champions. “Morgan Gibbs-White is a doubt, he couldn’t train the entire week with us,” the manager, Oliver Glasner, said. “But it looks like he can join tomorrow’s session. He had an individual session today with our rehab coaches. Then we have to see how he reacts today and how he deals with tomorrow’s session, and then how we take the final decision.” Forest will also assess Nikola Milenkovic, who has returned to training after a bone bruise. “Milenkovic trained for the first time today,” Glasner said. “Let’s see now how he reacts. He could be in the matchday squad, but let’s see, because he’s now out for several weeks.” Press Association

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Henderson back on Merseyside, Farke threatens more misery for Carrick and Forest are a threat to Arsenal A lively reception awaits the former Liverpool midfielders Jordan Henderson and Xabi Alonso at Everton and, in the case of the former, any jeers can be considered an unintentional tribute. They will speak of what the 36-year-old is able to produce now as much as what, and where, he delivered in the past. With two goals and an assist against Bournemouth last Saturday, Henderson became the oldest player to contribute directly to three goals in a Premier League game, and demonstrated his role at Chelsea is not simply to elevate standards off the pitch. His midfield partnership with Moisés Caicedo gave Alonso’s team balance and enabled the front three of Morgan Rogers, João Pedro and Cole Palmer to flourish. Their confrontation against an Everton defence that had impressed this season, only to litter the draw at Hull with costly mistakes, will provide a stern test of the hosts’ unbeaten start and may well be dictated by the veteran behind them. Andy Hunter Still unbeaten in the top flight, Brentford’s commitment to pragmatism is serving them well. Keith Andrews’ side like to sit deep, close off the middle of the pitch and force opponents to play around them, while flooding the opposition box at set pieces and throw-ins allows them to create the chances from which most of their goals arrive. In spanking six past Lask, the Austrian champions, Liverpool showed how good they can be on the front foot, but they will face far less obliging hosts at the Gtech Community Stadium. If Andoni Iraola’s side can dominate the ball and move it quickly enough to penetrate Brentford’s rearguard, they could win comfortably. However, the Bees’ efforts to turn the afternoon into a saloon brawl and capitalise on dead-ball situations may help to maintain their unbeaten run. Barry Glendenning Gonzalo García has one league goal from 18 shots this season. The striker joined Fulham from Real Madrid in the summer and has looked promising in patches. García is 22 and capable of getting on the end of chances. He has an expected goals tally of 3.60 but is underperforming with his finishing. The challenge is to become more clinical. Fulham, bottom of the league, have six goals in six games and García is without a goal since scoring on his debut, against Chelsea. Álvaro Arbeloa has put a lot of faith in his fellow Spaniard. The head coach is under increasing pressure and winless Fulham need García to fire when they host Hull City. Jacob Steinberg Even when losing for the first time this season in Wednesday’s 4-2 Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City appeared the real deal as they rallied from 3-0 down after 32 minutes to give the European champions a scare. Enzo Maresca deserves credit for following Pep Guardiola serenely; his City, so far, are a free-flowing attacking machine and invigorating to watch. If not for the guilty verdict against the club for serious financial breaches of Premier League rules, the perma-twinkling Italian might be more widely lauded. Ipswich last beat City at home in the competition in November 2000: do not expect the statistic to change on Saturday. Jamie Jackson Newcastle’s latest attempt to play vertical football left Matthias Jaissle’s side horizontal at Coventry on Monday night. That 4-1 defeat against Frank Lampard’s team has prompted quite an inquest on Tyneside where Jaissle could do without his players falling flat on their faces once more when Aston Villa visit St James’ Park. Jaissle maintains that his “vertical football” is the brand of high-octane, aggressive attacking that Newcastle’s hierarchy believes should become the club’s default, and is the way fans want to see the team play. That argument is not without validity but it is also worth remembering that, less than a decade ago, under Rafael Benítez’s charge, Newcastle often played a low block bolstered by three at the back, rarely took unnecessary risks and improved steadily. Admittedly resources were thinner then but the fans almost universally adored Benítez and were heartbroken when he eventually tired of Mike Ashley’s ownership and resigned. Quite apart from making his dislike for “chaotic football’ plain the Spaniard was a realist who knew a gung-ho approach would spell relegation. Granted tactical fashions have changed, but Jaissle could do worse than slow things down a bit and search for his “inner Rafa” against Villa. Louise Taylor With nine games each scheduled for the month between international breaks, Bournemouth v Sunderland will give an early indication of how both will cope during their first experience of such a relentless Thursday-Sunday autumnal grind. Sunderland are 17th, Bournemouth are 18th, and with seven points between them after six Premier League rounds, scaling similarly dizzy heights to last season already seems a lofty goal. For both clubs, European campaigns are far too much of an exciting novelty to be considered anything like a chore. In circumstances where squad depth is crucial, the returns of Justin Kluivert for the hosts and Brian Brobbey for the visitors will be welcomed by Marco Rose and Régis Le Bris. It would be no great surprise to see either Dutch international make a game-deciding contribution in what is already a six-pointer on the south coast. BG Brighton’s momentum appears unstoppable at the moment, although supporters will be wary of Sunday’s showdown against Crystal Palace given their recent history. They haven’t beaten Palace since a 4-1 thrashing at the Amex in February 2024 when Roberto De Zerbi was in charge, while Fabian Hürzeler managed only a point in four encounters with the Eagles under Oliver Glasner. Both are having to juggle European commitments this season and Brighton will start as heavy favourites against Pierre Sage’s side after their superb start to the campaign. Palace have big concerns in defence, but can the Frenchman defy the odds against the Premier League’s top scorers? Ed Aarons Michael Carrick has lost five of his past six technical-area duels with Daniel Farke. Indeed the only time Manchester United’s manager has bested his Leeds counterpart was in a League Cup tie during his Middlesbrough tenure. If such statistics are not sufficient to put Manchester United’s currently beleaguered manager off a trip to West Yorkshire on Sunday, there is a sense that Leeds are overdue a first victory at Elland Road since 2002 against their arch-enemies from across the Pennines. One thing is certain; it will be a typically raucous latter-day War of the Roses. But, right now, while the White Rose blooms, its red counterpart is wilting alarmingly. Will Carrick survive this latest meeting with a manager who, at Championship level during his Middlesbrough days, proved something of a nemesis? He will not care to remember that, last January, a 1-1 draw at Elland Road proved to be Ruben Amorim’s final game in charge of Manchester United. LT Despite losing 3-1 to Crystal Palace last weekend, Nottingham Forest played some excellent front-foot football only to be let down by extreme profligacy in front of goal and vulnerability to their hosts’ counterattacks. Oliver Glasner attributed his side’s defeat to karma upon his return to Palace, saying: “It was like I didn’t deserve to win at Selhurst Park because the players did everything.” When they welcome Arsenal to the City Ground on Sunday, they will give the champions plenty to ponder if they can play as well again. Mikel Arteta’s side were unconvincing for 65 minutes against Leeds last weekend and failed to impress until they brought their heavy artillery around the same time against Lille on Tuesday. If one or both of Morgan Gibbs-White and Liam Delap can convert the kind of chances they missed at Selhurst Park, Forest have every chance of getting something. BG The last time Tottenham hosted Coventry in the Premier League, Steffen Iversen, Les Ferdinand and Serhiy Rebrov scored in a comfortable 3-0 win. And while Spurs fans will almost certainly have envisaged a similar scoreline when the fixtures were announced, they will now be viewing Monday night’s fixture with even more than the usual amount of apprehension and dread. Like Tottenham, Coventry’s main problem until recently was an inability to convert chances, but in their demolition of Newcastle on Monday they visibly grew in confidence and swagger as four different players took the plaudits. While it’s taken a while and they may still struggle, through back-to-back wins Frank Lampard’s side have now announced themselves as a Premier League force to be reckoned with, which is something Tottenham haven’t managed in more than two years. BG