Everton never enjoy trips to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and so it proved on Saturday with Ronald Koeman’s side thumped 5-0 in West London.
In a campaign that has proved promising so far, Toffees fans were brought back down to earth with a thump as their side were outclassed in what looked like a competitive-looking fixture on paper.
While Romelu Lukaku has been excellently carrying the fight in terms of goals so far this season, the Belgian international was starved of service at the weekend and couldn’t get into the game as a result.
Elsewhere, while it’s easy to point out his absence through suspension, Everton really did miss the energy and bite of Idrissa Gueye in midfield with Tom Cleverley doing his claims no good as the stand-in.
Facing Bob Bradley’s struggling Swansea City after the international break, Everton fans will be praying that Lukaku doesn’t get injured on international duty for Belgium under Roberto Martinez in the forthcoming break.
Scoring pretty much half of Everton’s total haul so far this season, it is imperative the 23-year-old stays fit.
But with the January transfer window in mind, This Is Futbol have today devised a list of FIVE players who Everton should be targeting in the New Year.