Chelsea welcomed reserve team football back to Stamford Bridge and launched a new league format with an entertaining game.
Steve Holland's side took the lead through Fabio Borini and looked well on their way to three points following a first half they dominated with good possession football, played by a side containing six of the FA Youth Cup Final side. It was augmented by the more senior Michael Mancienne and Jacob Mellis and also contained 15-year-old Nathaniel Chalobah.
Everton, opposition due to the new nationwide set of fixtures, changed formation at the break and added an extra man in midfield. The Toffees equalized with a set-piece and tested the home team further as young Blues legs began to make mistakes, but Chelsea rallied strongly and came close to finding a winner three times in the closing minutes.
Everton could have scored inside 40 seconds of the first half as Joao Silva ran in behind the home defence but Sam Walker stuck out a hand and kept out a close-range effort.
Mellis, fresh from England duty at the recent European Under 19 Championships, had Chelsea's first effort but scooped it over and Borini, captaining the side, fared little better when slipped through by a well-weighted Josh McEachran pass.
Up the other end, James Vaughan brought a first-team presence and it took a clean challenge in the area from centre-back Rohan Ince, on his full reserve debut, to prevent the Everton striker bustling through for a clear strike on target.
Chelsea were enjoying territorial advantage however and won a free-kick right on the angle of the penalty area, whipped just a yard over by Gokhan Tore. Moments later Borini stung the hands of Jan Mucha, Everton's summer signing who was Slovakia's goalkeeper at the World Cup.
Chelsea's goal, scored on 21 minutes, followed a prolonged period of crisp Blues passing and pressure. Everton cracked when Chalobah's long pass was worked by Mellis to over-lapping left-back Patrick van Aanholt. The Dutchman picked out Borini who clipped the ball beyond the reach of Mucha from 10 yards out.
Everton could have drawn level soon after had Walker not pushed Gueye's cross-shot over. Vaughan then tried his luck from range but shot too high.
There was almost a horror show of Rob Green proportions from Mucha when van Aanholt had a dig with a free-kick from further out than Tore's earlier effort and hit with less pace. It was grasped, then allowed to squirm free before being gathered again by the Slovakian in the nick of time.
All the promising play was Chelsea's. Chalobah in midfield was showing a good range of passing, McEachran was busy nipping in to win the ball and constantly looking to split the defence while Conor Clifford worked hard. Approaching the break, McEachran passed up the chance to shoot inside the area, instead tapping the ball onto to Tore whose shot was saved. Borini then curled a 40th minute shot just over.
The McEachran-Borini connection almost came off early in the second half but the Italian was well tackled before he was denied a headed goal by a Mucha save having met Van Aanholt's cross.
Nine minutes after the restart Chelsea gave the Merseysiders a sniff of goal but stretching Vaughan, who was unmarked, couldn't quite make contact with Gueye's cross.
The Blues were eventually undone by a set-piece two minutes later from a free-kick conceded by Tore. Floated in, Ross Barkley rose above the defence to nod wide of Walker's dive.
Chelsea had by now let the upper hand slip and another Barkley header needed a Walker save. Free-kicks were being conceded in dangerous places.
Chances at the other end were few although Conor Clifford had a 25-yard drive turned wide. Steve Holland gave it until the 78th minute to make changes but then brought on three subs.
One of those, Milan Lalkovic, was quickly on target but Mucha saved at his near-post. McEachran had threaded the ball between defenders.
With five minutes to go, Chalobah could have capped his reserve debut with a goal when he pounced on a loose ball after Borini's shot was blocked but the schoolboy hurriedly sliced wide.
Another sub, Jacopo Sala caught a shot cleanly but that was saved and on 89 minutes, van Aanholt smashed a ball low towards the far post but Lalkovic couldn't adjust his feet in time to turn in a bouncing ball.
There was still hope when substitute Kaby went down under a challenge in a promising position but McEachran could only send the ball into the empty seats in the Matthew Harding Lower with 92 minutes on the clock.
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