Pedro Neto strikes twice as Chelsea end Everton's unbeaten run

Everton had hoped to extend their unbeaten run to seven league matches, but Chelsea proved too strong in a fiercely contested encounter that also saw goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez forced off with an injury.

Chances were limited during a scrappy opening period, although Everton gradually grew into the game. Harrison Armstrong's uncompromising challenge on Josh Acheampong raised the intensity, while Thierno Barry twice threatened after good work from Jack Grealish and Vitalii Mykolenko.

Barry's efforts were comfortably dealt with by Martinez, but Grealish came closer when his powerful strike bounced awkwardly in front of the goalkeeper, who reacted well to push the ball over the crossbar.

The contest became increasingly heated, with James Tarkowski's off-the-ball challenge on Moises Caicedo sparking an angry exchange involving Morgan Rogers and Jordan Henderson.

Chelsea finished the first half strongly. Caicedo unleashed a superb volley that crashed against the crossbar before Jordan Pickford produced an excellent save to tip Neto's effort over.

The visitors carried that momentum into the second half and broke the deadlock almost immediately.

Rogers and Jorrel Hato combined down the left before Hato set up Neto, whose close-range finish squeezed underneath Pickford to give Chelsea the lead.

Chelsea began to find more space in attack, with Cole Palmer narrowly missing the target with an attempted chip as the visitors looked to extend their advantage.

However, Chelsea suffered a setback when Martinez was stretchered off following a heavy collision with Jarrad Branthwaite during a set-piece situation.

Mike Penders replaced him to make his Premier League debut, becoming Chelsea's youngest goalkeeper to appear in the competition.

Everton pushed for a response, but Chelsea secured the points when Neto struck again. After Henderson's free-kick became trapped in the defensive wall, the Portuguese winger showed composure to finish with his left foot and seal the victory.

The result was particularly significant for Chelsea, who recorded their first Premier League clean sheet in 23 matches, ending a nine-month wait for a shut-out and bringing an end to their longest such run since 1961.

Chelsea's victory lifted them to fourth place, while Everton suffered their first league defeat of the season and slipped to sixth.