Everton's draw at Goodison slows Chelsea's momentum.

Chelsea was held to a goalless draw with Everton at Goodison Park, missing the opportunity to take the lead in the Premier League standings.

In a blustery first half that Chelsea dominated, Nicolas Jackson headed against the post for Enzo Maresca's club. However, Everton shown remarkable determination and had the better opportunities to score the game-winning goal in a fierce second half.

Before Tosin Adarabioyo stopped Iliman Ndiaye's close-range attempt, Robert Sanchez denied Jack Harrison. Similarly to their previous match against Arsenal, Everton kept Chelsea out of the game in their first after the Friedkin Group finished taking over the team.

Chelsea's run of eight straight wins has come to an end, and it is the first time they have lost a game in any competition since early November and the first time they have failed to score since the opening weekend.

Everton's hard-earned point puts them ahead of Crystal Palace and up to 15th place in the standings, while Chelsea was still one point behind Liverpool before the Premier League leaders started their match against Tottenham.

Chelsea, good point?
This season, Chelsea has shown themselves by dominating teams with their skilful play, but it quickly became apparent that this would not be that kind of event as the rain rushed across this renowned ancient stadium in the early going. They needed to get down to business.

They definitely succeeded, with Sanchez putting on one of his best performances of the year and Tosin handling Dominic Calvert-Lewin effectively before making his pivotal late block. In the race for the title, was it a point gained or two points lost?

Although even stodgy draws can occasionally be a sign of a title contender, Maresca's opinion that such discussion is premature for his inexperienced club may have been true this afternoon. Against Everton, they couldn't get their football going.

Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho extended play, but Jackson was not clinical when it was needed, and Cole Palmer was unable to dictate as he would have liked. Don't lose, though, if you can't win. And for that reason, Maresca seemed content at the conclusion.

Maresca is content and proud.
Enzo Maresca, the head coach of Chelsea, addressing during the news conference

"I am incredibly joyful. I simply told the players that I'm happier now than I was following the Brentford match. I was really concerned about this game, which is why. The game, the stadium, and the team are all challenging.

"They play excellent defence. In terms of clean sheets, they rank among the top teams in Europe. You find it difficult to generate opportunities against them.

"The game wasn't simple. You must learn how to play different games and cope with it. Set pieces, second ball, and long ball.

"How we play with the ball isn't the only factor. It also depends on how you handle and defend yourself. Today, I'm really proud.

"We don't give in. We reached the Christmas moment with the finest offence, one of the greatest defences, and second place in the table. Thus, we are content. The most crucial element, though, is that we must learn how to play a variety of games. And the game wasn't easy today.

"But the way they showed togetherness has been brilliant today."