Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was pleased with his side's performance despite a frustrating 0-0 draw against Everton.
Maresca's men could have moved top of the table with a win before Tottenham faced Liverpool later in the day, but the Toffees undermined those chances with a combative performance to end Chelsea's nine-match winning run in all competitions.
Despite 12 goals, Chelsea scored an expected goals (xG) of just 0.77, the lowest in all 17 Premier League games this season and the fourth lowest xG overall for a team that has had more than 12 shots this season.
The Blues created little overall despite having 74.6% of the ball, their highest average in a Premier League match this season and their highest average in the league since February (77.3% against Crystal Palace).
Maresca continued to praise his players and considered it a superior performance compared to the game that saw Brentford beat 2-1 last week.
“I'm very happy because the boys' performance was fantastic,” Maresca told BBC Sport.
“Sometimes you have to play a different game, and we are learning to play a different game. They are one of the best teams in Europe when it comes to clean sheets.
“I told the players I was happier than I was [last week’s] match in Brentford [Chelsea won 2-1]We tried everything.”
Scoreless draw.#CFC | #EVECHE pic.twitter.com/qwNlAVIJlt
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 22, 2024
Everton, meanwhile, ended Chelsea's 15-goal run in the Premier League, with the Blues failing to score for the first time in the competition since a 0-2 defeat to Manchester City on the opening day of the season.
Since the start of October, the Toffees have kept seven clean sheets in the top flight, the most of any team in Europe's top five leagues. They have also kept five clean sheets in their last six league matches.
But Sean Dyche believes his side could have walked away with an important three points.
“We could have taken it. The chances were minimal. They had a few and we had a few towards the end, we get a point,” Dyche told BBC Sport.
Dyche also spoke of his pride in his players after two battling performances against two of the top three sides in the league, which saw them draw in both matches.
“You have to be willing to make a change and I think that showed today,” Dyche said.
“I have never been proud of these players, we have weathered a storm. I respect them.”
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