Everton never ceased to be a great old team to support, as their famous song goes, but for a few years the Toffees were far from a great old team to play for. Sean Dyche's greatest legacy, of which there will be many if he continues in this manner, will be restoring that pride to this club.
Dyche took over from Frank Lampard eleven months ago and inherited a club that reeked of mediocrity at all levels. There's nothing new to say about their off-the-field problems, but it's time to focus on the great job the former Burnley boss is doing with this team.
In a nod to Joe Royle's FA Cup-winning side of 1995, a banner with Dyche's face hangs in Gwladys Street End and reads 'Dogs of War'. That slogan perfectly sums up this current Everton team.
Every time they step onto the pitch it feels like they are ready to go to battle in front of their manager and fans. Every player is pulling in the right direction, whether starting or on the substitutes' bench, with Dyche constantly talking about the togetherness that is now the underbelly of this side.
He has won multiple promotions, guided Burnley to the Europa League and guided Everton to safety against all odds last season, but December 2023 is slowly shaping up to be the best month of Dyche's managerial career.
Abdoulaye Doucoure opened the scoring for Everton after the break with a nice goal
Lewis Dobbin clocked a second for Everton to secure an important win at Goodison Park
The pressure on Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is starting to increase after another defeat
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They started the Christmas period in the relegation places, still reeling with anger over a 10-point deduction they described as 'disproportionate'. But Everton have won three games in eight days to get out of the drop zone and almost already reclaim the points deducted.
It started with a well-deserved away win at Dyche's boyhood club Nottingham Forest, continued with a thumping 3-0 win over Saudi side Newcastle on Thursday and then ended with this 2-0 win over £1 billion-plus Chelsea. since Todd Boehly bought the club.
Clearly money can't buy the hard-working, poised and efficient performance of Dyche's men here. It is known that Everton have very little in the transfer fund and that further underlines the good work that his coaching team and director of football Kevin Thelwell are doing.
Abdoulaye Doucoure and young substitute Lewis Dobbin scored the goals, but this victory was built on the defensive foundations that have made Dyche so successful at this level for more than a decade. It was an imperious defensive display from everyone in royal blue.
That started from the front with the relentless pressure of Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison (as a team they ran 119km) and flowed through the to deny. Palmer.
Reece James had to leave with another injury and is still dealing with setbacks
England Under 21 forward Dobbin grabbed the goal that sealed the victory in the 92nd minute
Pickford's string of clean sheets will have pleased Gareth Southgate, who took a look at Goodison Park. He may have been frustrated when Raheem Sterling started on the bench and Reece James limped off injured – the captain has only started 19 of the last 54 league games.
But those Englishmen in royal blue would have pleased Southgate. James Garner ruled the midfield after recovering from illness, while stand-in captain James Tarkowski continued his record of making the most blocks in the Premier League, which sums up Everton's fighting spirit.
But shining brighter than everyone else is Dyche's diamond defender, Jarrad Branthwaite. The 21-year-old was born in Carlisle, as the RAF advert reads, but joined Everton last year, via a spell at PSV Eindhoven. He and Ukrainian left back Vitalii Mykolenko were top class in this win.
The 6-foot-2 left-footed defender is impressive, calm on the ball and has a speed that belies his lanky frame. Branthwaite, who captained the England Under-21s in their last match on this ground, needed that pace on a few occasions to deal with Armando Broja.
Everton limited Chelsea to long shots in the first half and although they saw only 28 percent possession, they were efficient on the counter-attack. After scoring five goals from 124 shots at home before the win at Newcastle, they have suddenly gone from a wasteful machine to a clinical one.
After soaking up the pressure, they began bombarding Robert Sánchez's goal with a series of crosses. The Spaniard made two brilliant saves at the start of the second half. First he denied McNeil's driven effort from 18 yards, before smothering Calvert-Lewin's ball in a one-on-one.
But Sánchez was helpless despite a defiant effort to keep out Doucoure's subsequent rebound. It came in the 55th minute after McNeil accelerated bullying Gallagher – despite attempts to foul him – and Calvert-Lewin poked through. Sánchez closed it down, but the ball fell to Doucoure.
Chelsea's miserable form continues as they slip to 12th in the Premier League
The Malian midfielder still had a lot to do and needed composure not to rush his shot and create a gap between several Chelsea bodies. That is his eleventh goal in 31 Premier League games under Dyche – he had previously scored just four times in 69 Everton games.
Mauricio Pochettino sent in a cavalry of attacking options – and was forced to change goalkeepers – and the away side grew somewhat in the match. Everton were lucky at times when Nicolas Jackson and Palmer missed chances, but it would be unfair not to credit good defending.
And just as Chelsea began to seriously threaten, Dyche made the brave decision to send on 20-year-old Dobbin. With one of his first touches in football, the Stoke-born striker, who spent last season on loan at League One Derby, won the match with a thumping finish.
Dyche jokingly berated a reporter for reminding him that his side would be four points ahead of Chelsea without their deduction – and four points off the Europa League places – but with him in the lead and a move for Bramley Moore Dock not far away, the only way is up.
