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Everton rub salt in Chelsea wounds as Champions League race tightens / Photo: © AFP
Everton rub salt in Chelsea wounds as Champions League race tightens
Chelsea's hopes of Champions League qualification suffered another damaging blow as Everton stormed to a 3-0 win on Saturday to compound a miserable week for Liam Rosenior's men.
Dumped out of the Champions League 8-2 on aggregate by holders Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, the Blues have now lost four consecutive games to put Rosenior under pressure just over two months into his reign.
Beto struck twice for the Toffees as they surged into contention for a top-five finish, before Iliman Ndiaye rounded off Everton's best win so far at their new home.
Only two points now separate the sides as Chelsea remain in sixth, while Everton climb to seventh.
A place in the top five will almost certainly guarantee Champions League football next season due to the strong performance of English sides in European competitions this season.
But Chelsea's chances are fading fast with a tough run-in after the upcoming international break with Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool to come in their remaining seven games.
The debate over who should start in goal for the Club World Cup winners will also rage on after another error-strewn night for Robert Sanchez.
James Garner celebrated his first ever call-up to the England squad with a brilliant pass that allowed Beto to beat Sanchez for the opening goal on 33 minutes.
Moments later Jordan Pickford proved the value of a top goalkeeper with a stunning save to tip over Enzo Fernandez's blistering strike.
Worse was to come for Sanchez after the break when he allowed Beto's fiercely struck shot to slip between his legs just after the hour mark.
Beto even played a part in his side's third as he bullied the Chelsea defence to head Pickford's long ball into the path of Ndiaye.
The Senegal international wriggled into the box before blasting into the top corner to this time give Sanchez no chance.
Everton have struggled to settle into their new 53,000 capacity stadium.
But for the first time they have won back-to-back home league games this season to climb within three points of neighbours Liverpool.
And they face off in the first ever Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Everton's next home game on April 19.
C. Marques--JDB
