Jorginho’s penalty gives Chelsea the victory against Everton

Jorginho’s penalty gives Chelsea the victory against Everton: Chelsea will retain Azpilicueta, who Barcelona will not sign.

Saturday evening at Goodison Park, Chelsea achieved a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Everton to get their EPL season off to a perfect start.

The Blues dominated the rest of the game, but Jorginho’s penalty deep in first-half stoppage time determined the winner.

Frank Lampard’s goal against his former team at the end of last season all but ensured their Premier League survival, but it was not to be this time as Thomas Tuchel’s team displayed far more poise and skill throughout the match.

Raheem Sterling, making his Chelsea debut, was an early source of persistent danger. He believed he had scored in the first period after N’Golo Kante’s strike was deflected into his path, but the goal was invalidated for offside.

Abdoulaye Doucoure’s foul on Ben Chilwell inside the penalty area in stoppage time of the first half rewarded Chelsea’s perseverance. Jorginho used a more conventional run-up and placed the ball into the corner.

In the early game of the second half, Everton twice came close to scoring. Demarai Gray had a shot deflected wide before Doucoure nearly made atonement for his penalty conceded, but Edouard Mendy made a fantastic stop to deny him.

Despite not having a forward on the field, the home team attempted to equalize the score. Dele Alli entered the game to attempt to fill the vacuum but was unsuccessful.

Sterling believed he had scored when Marc Cucurella passed him the ball inside the penalty area. But Vitaliy Mykolenko emerged to make a superb block.

In the end, Chelsea was able to secure three crucial points on a notoriously difficult pitch.