Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy in agreement over 'stand-out' Chelsea star after 'comfortable' Everton win

Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer had special praise for one Chelsea player after the Blues defeated Everton on Saturday. Enzo Maresca’s men were in desperate need of a win after going four without a win across all competitions, a run that saw them drop out of the Premier League top four.

With Chelsea’s form slipping and Everton in very impressive form, it was set up to be a tricky game for the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. But it turned out to be a rather comfortable and professional win from Maresca’s men, who were good value for their 2-0 win, even with Everton hitting the post in the second half.

Cole Palmer opened the scoring to celebrate a return to fitness, and Malo Gusto topped off a superb display when he turned home the second goal. Gusto played out of position in midfield but had a big say on the game, something both Shearer and his manager acknowledged after the game.

“A comfortable win for Chelsea,” Shearer said on Match of the Day. “Everton had a couple of opportunities but never looked like getting back into the game once it was 2-0. Malo Gusto was the stand-out Chelsea player for me, not just in terms of the obvious with the goal and assist.

“Also the questions he posed for Everton… linking up with Palmer and [Pedro] Neto down the right and moving into midfield alongside [Reece] James to create the extra man when needed.”

Danny Murphy also described Gusto as the ‘star of the show’, and Maresca told the BBC: “Never with two, huh? They are good players and when they are good players they can play in every position. They can play full-back and midfielder. [Malo Gusto] took the chance and his assist for Cole, so I am very happy for Malo.!

Maresca on Chelsea’s tough build-up

Speaking after the game, Maresca claimed the 48 hours leading into the game were his worst as Chelsea boss. "The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us. I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Your next Chelsea read, Maresca says 2 out-of-position Chelsea men impressed him vs Everton