Chelsea were able to put their poor run of form behind them and secured a huge three points in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca’s men had previously failed to win their last four games, but got back on track with their first victory of the festive period.

On his return to action at Stamford Bridge, it took Cole Palmer just 21 minutes before he found the back of the net. Teed up by Malo Gusto, the England star made a well-timed run between the Everton centre-back and left-back before firing past international teammate Jordan Pickford.

Gusto got in on the action himself just moments before half-time to double Chelsea’s lead. The Frenchman finished off a clinical counterattack from the Blues, with Pedro Neto putting the ball on a plate in the penalty area. Gusto obliged and doubled their lead.

It was a professional performance from the West Londoners, who saw off the Toffees in a controlled manner. Chelsea dominated the ball, with 58% possession, and had 17 shots, five of which found the target.

As well as the Blues played, there were a couple of players who struggled, however. Alejandro Garnacho was one of those.

Garnacho’s game in numbers vs Everton

Since his summer move from Manchester United, things have been up and down for Garnacho in a Chelsea shirt. The Argentina international has only managed two goals and two assists in 16 appearances for the London outfit.

Well, his performance against Everton was certainly one of his more disappointing ones for Chelsea.

The 21-year-old had three huge chances to give Maresca’s side a comfortable lead, but squandered them. That included this opportunity in the first half.

Indeed, his stats from the game show just how poor he was against David Moyes’ side. Aside from the three big chances he missed, Garnacho lost the ball seven times and failed to win either of his attempted duels.

His showing against the Toffees was enough to earn him a rating of just 6/10 from Goal journalist Richie Mills. He explained that the Chelsea 49 can take on a defender well in one-vs-one scenarios, but ‘his shooting needs work’.

As disappointing as Garnacho was on Saturday afternoon, there was a Chelsea attacker who was worse.

Chelsea’s most disappointing player vs. Everton

It was certainly a tough day at the office for another Blues summer signing, Joao Pedro.

The Chelsea number 20 led the line in Liam Delap’s absence, but was isolated and struggled to have any sort of impact on the game.

That was perhaps personified in his stats at full-time. The Brazilian had just 37 touches, fewer than Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s 48.

He lost the ball ten times, could only manage one shot on goal and won just seven out of 17 duels.

Joao Pedro vs. Everton

Stat

Number

Touches

37

Number of times ball lost

10

Passes completed

17/21

Duels won

7/17

Chances created

1

Shots

1

Expected goals

0.07xG

Stats from Sofascore

Indeed, his poor showing up front stood out to Mills, who gave him a lower rating than Garnacho, a 5/10. The journalist said Pedro is ‘going through a difficult spell’ at the moment and ‘things are not falling into place for him’ like they did at the beginning of his Blues career.

It might well be the case that Maresca decides to drop Pedro from the side ahead of Chelsea’s next game in the Premier League, away to Newcastle United next weekend. That will be a tough assignment for the Brazilian, coming up against the in-form Malick Thiaw.

There are options for Maresca, too, even with Delap sidelined. Pedro Neto has played up front at times this season, doing so against Barcelona in the Champions League. He could also play youngster Marc Guiu from the start.

Chelsea travel to Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup next midweek, which could give the Spaniard an opportunity to stake his claim in the league if he gets the nod in the Welsh capital.

Either way, it would not be a surprise to see Pedro out of the side following his poor performance against Everton.

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Arsenal have been the best team in the Premier League this season, but defeat at Aston Villa has put a dampener on the feel-good factor, reducing their advantage at the summit to just two points following Manchester City’s win over Sunderland.

In truth, perhaps this was a step too far for Mikel Arteta’s men. The fixture schedule has been relentless, and Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera all missed out at Villa Park due to injury.

And Villa, to their credit, are among the most in-form teams in Europe right now, claiming their seventh win in a row across all competitions against the Premier League table-toppers.

But this feels like familiar territory for the Gunners, and there were several players in particular who flattered to deceive.

Arsenal's worst performers vs Aston Villa

On many outings this season, Arsenal have repelled opponents and struck clinically to pile up the points, so balanced and secure is Arteta’s system.

But they emerged from Stamford Bridge last weekend with just a point after something of a slugfest, and the midweek win over Brentford has clearly taken something out of the Londoners, who battled tooth and nail against a well-oiled and energetic Aston Villa side but to no avail.

Up top, Mikel Merino has been an incredible moonlit success since arriving at the Emirates, with the midfield-turned-forward having scored four goals and supplied three assists when stepping up into the danger area this season. However, Unai Emery’s team marshalled him well, anonymous in the first half save for one blundered attempt to find the surging Bukayo Saka.

Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke both changed Arsenal’s attacking dimensions in the second half, but neither enjoyed the most fruitful of appearances, with Gyokeres in particular struggling for service, albeit making his physicality and mobile presence known in Merino’s stead after the break.

For his part, Arteta showcased his shrewd and calculated in-game management by making a half-time change, which swiftly paid off, Leandro Trossard coming up trumps once again after Saka’s strike was deflected.

But the Spanish manager will be frustrated that one starting member failed to make the most of their opportunity, having drifted through the opening 45.

4/10 star produced his worst game for Arsenal

Arsenal have been a world-class unit this season, and they have been reinforced with some top talent this summer. Eberechi Eze is one of the arrivals, a superstar in the English game and a £67m signing from Crystal Palace. However, he wasn’t at his best against Aston Villa.

Let’s not forget, it was a matter of days ago that Arsenal informed Eze he was their Player of the Month for November, having bagged a hat-trick in the north London Derby and settled into his berth.

But, in spite of this, the England international still hasn’t struck a consistent vein of form in the final third, and his tough afternoon in the Midlands served as evidence that he needs to raise his game, having been such a fleet-footed and talismanic force for Oliver Glasner at Palace.

Against Villa, the 27-year-old flattered to deceive, with football.london even handing him a 4/10 match rating after an ineffectual and short-lived outing, hooked at the break for Trossard, who scored. In all likelihood, he failed to showcase any of his many qualities, and for that reason, probably endured his toughest game since joining.

Minutes played

45′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

13

Shots (on target)

0 (0)

Accurate passes

7/9 (78%)

Chances created

0

Dribbles

1/1

Ball recoveries

0

Tackles won

0/0

Duels won

2/5

With Martin Odegaard fit once again, Eze has been forced into a wider berth. Could it be that he is at full throttle when creating and influencing from the middle? His pace lends itself to a wide role, but then so does his athleticism and physicality work well on the flank.

Eze is a passionate player. It is telling that his only goals in the Premier League this season have come against Crystal Palace, his former club, and Spurs in the derby, with Thomas Frank coming close to signing him before Arsenal swooped down.

Eze needs to channel his creativity and incisiveness in the box. He needs to iron out the wrinkles. But first, Arteta may want to relegate him to the bench, rekindling the fire to take that step up to the level he has shown he is capable of.

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Chelsea are poised to field interest from a quartet of English sides as a member of their squad sets his sights on the January exit door, according to a report.

Players who could leave Chelsea in January

Chelsea are preparing for a mini January clearout as Enzo Maresca looks to trim his bloated squad and free up valuable wage space at Stamford Bridge.

The most pressing situations involve ‘bomb squad’ members Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, both of whom have trained separately from the first team throughout this entire season.

Neither player features in Maresca’s plans moving forward, yet both remain stuck on Chelsea’s books after failing to secure summer exits.

Sterling, earning well in excess of £300,000-per-week, spent last campaign on loan at Arsenal but failed to impress at the Emirates Stadium.

The former Man City winger joined Chelsea for £47.5m in 2022 with ambitions of competing for the Ballon d’Or, but his performances have fallen dramatically short of those expectations.

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His astronomical wages present a major obstacle to finding a suitable destination, with Turkish and Saudi clubs previously rebuffed as Sterling prioritises remaining in Europe.

Disasi’s predicament appears marginally more promising.

The French defender, who cost £38.5m from Monaco in 2023, spent the latter half of last season on loan at Aston Villa and recently made a surprise appearance for Chelsea’s Under-21 side.

Lyon have engaged in preliminary discussions regarding a January loan move to provide defensive cover during AFCON absences, though Chelsea may prefer permanent offers to avoid his return next summer.

Sterling and Disasi are sure-fire candidates to leave as we fast approach the winter window, but the same can also be said of Cobham academy graduate Tyrique George.

Tyrique George ready to leave Chelsea in January

Accoridng to TEAMtalk, George is actively pursuing a January departure from Chelsea after growing frustrated with his lack of opportunities under Maresca this season.

The 19-year-old Camden-born winger enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last term, making 26 appearances across all competitions after effectively replacing Sterling in the squad.

However, his progress has stalled dramatically this season, with just two League Cup starts, two Champions League starts, and a meagre 143 Premier League minutes accumulated from the bench.

Summer arrivals Estevao, Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho have all leapfrogged George in the pecking order, while Pedro Neto has arguably emerged as Maresca’s most consistent wing option.

The teenager has not started a single Premier League game this campaign, leaving his first-team prospects looking increasingly bleak.

Chelsea themselves are open to George’s exit and a potential transfer to sister club Strasbourg is seen as an ideal solution.

The BlueCo ownership group views such a move as allowing George to continue his development within their multi-club system whilst gaining regular first-team minutes under Liam Rosenior.

Any deal would likely include clauses protecting Chelsea’s interests should George become a success in France. However, the Englishman ideally wants a permanent exit rather than another loan, and several Premier League clubs are monitoring his availability after being made aware of his desire to leave.

Fulham remain strongly interested after their £22m summer deadline day move collapsed, with the likes of Leeds United, Everton and Championship side Southampton also keen on the forward.

With George now increasingly likely to leave in January, the race for his signature is already heating up.

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Quinton de Kock’s comeback left no room for Ryan Rickelton in the T20I side

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2025

Fast bowler Anrich Nortje will play for South Africa for the first time since the 2024 T20 World Cup final after being named in their T20I squad to face India next month.Nortje has been on the sidelines with a recurrence of a stress fracture but made a comeback for Dolphins in the ongoing T20 Challenge. He has played five matches and is currently ninth on the wicket charts. His inclusion suggests South Africa are considering him for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.Nortje was not named in the ODI squad for matches that will be played before the T20Is in India. Regular captain Temba Bavuma returned to lead the side after missing the Pakistan series through injury but Tristan Stubbs was dropped from the squad. Rubin Hermann, who made his debut against Pakistan, kept his place.In the T20I squad, Quinton de Kock’s return left no room for Ryan Rickelton, who will be sweating over whether he will make the T20 World Cup squad. De Kock, who scored an unbeaten 123 in the second ODI against Pakistan, had scores of 1, 23, 7 and 0 in the four T20Is he has played since his comeback, but he averages 50.88 and strikes at 142.23 in T20Is in India.With Reeza Hendricks also returning, hard-hitting Lhuan-de Pretorius did not find a spot in the T20I squad. Donovan Ferreira, who captained South Africa in the T20Is against Pakistan, retained his spot while Dewald Brevis is back after a low-grade muscle strain ruled him out midway in that tour.David Miller also made a comeback to the T20I squad, having last played for South Africa at the Champions Trophy in March.The ODIs will be played on November 30, December 3 and December 6 in Ranchi, Raipur and Visakhapatnam, respectively, while the five T20Is will be held from December 9-19.South Africa’s ODI squad vs IndiaTemba Bavuma (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Keshav Maharaja, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Prenelan SubrayenSouth Africa’s T20I squad vs IndiaAiden Markram (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marzo Jansen, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tristan Stubbs, Keshav Maharaj

Altercations in Brisbane and Adelaide continue theme of intense media scrutiny on Ashes tourists

Vithushan Ehantharajah13-Dec-2025England’s security staff were involved in altercations with local media in Brisbane and Adelaide on Saturday as the touring party continued to feel the heat ahead of a make-or-break third Ashes Test.The first incident took place at Brisbane airport, with security confronting a Channel 7 camera operator. Footage from the broadcaster shows the security guard pushing away the camera operator as he looks to get up close to the players, who had driven down from Noosa where they had been enjoying a mid-series break. The trip itself had been the subject of derision after England went 2-0 down in the Ashes following their defeat at the Gabba last week.After the group touched down in Adelaide, where the third Test will begin on Wednesday, a local journalist tried a copycat stunt only to be given short shrift by Ben Stokes and managing director Rob Key before security again intervened.

Ashes tension rarely extends beyond the playing field, but it did on Saturday in an ugly incident at Brisbane Airport. An aggressive security guard for the England cricket team manhandled a 7NEWS camera operator simply doing his job. Players didn’t seem bothered. pic.twitter.com/OHQJ7TiwCh

— 7NEWS Queensland (@7NewsBrisbane) December 13, 2025