In the relative infancy of his Chelsea tenure, boss Liam Rosenior is coming under increasing pressure owing to an indifferent run of form.
His cause wasn’t helped in the early stages by Robert Sanchez, who was caught dithering on the ball in his own box by Beto, but he just recovered in time to take the ball off the Everton forward’s toe and prevent a certain goal.
Everton could count themselves a little unlucky not to have taken the lead just moments later, when James Garner – high on his England call-up – arrowed an effort towards the bottom corner, only to be denied by Malo Gusto on the line.
Rosenior’s mood certainly wasn’t helped just after the half-hour mark when Everton took a fully deserved lead.
Garner threaded a perfect ball through for Beto, who nicked in front of aánchez to lift the ball over him and into the bottom corner.
The Toffees had Jordan Pickford to thank for holding their advantage into half time, as he produced yet another stunning reaction save to deny Enzo Fernandez from point-blank range after the Argentine was quickest to react to a loose ball inside the area.
Chelsea’s disgruntled boss made an attacking switch at the interval, and another within 15 minutes of the restart, as he desperately tried to mastermind a response.
Fernandez came close to a leveller when his curling effort needed parrying away, but things soon went from bad to worse for the visitors.
A swift Everton counter-attack ended with Idrissa Gana Gueye feeding Beto in the area, and without hesitation, the Guinea-Bissau forward hammered an effort that proved too hot to handle for Sanchez as it squirmed through his legs and over the line.
Beto was influential throughout, and he played a key role in Everton’s third goal too, winning a header that found Iliman Ndiaye running onto the Chelsea back line.
The Senegalese international stepped inside and unleashed a rocket into the top corner to cap off a perfect evening for David Moyes’ men, who move to within two points of sixth-placed Chelsea as their European challenge continues to gather momentum.
Things look rather bleak for the Blues, whose midweek UEFA Champions League elimination was followed up by a significant blow to their top-four hopes.