First-half substitute Steven Naismith bagged a memorable hat-trick to earn Everton a 3-1 win over visitors Chelsea in their Premier League clash at Goodison Park this afternoon.
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Roberto Martinez's men threatened in the early stages when Romelu Lukaku leapt unmarked inside the box, but he was thwarted by some commanding strength from stand-in Chelsea stopper Asmir Begovic.
Home midfielder Muhamed Besic started the encounter promisingly, but he pulled up not long after with a hamstring problem and had to eventually be replaced by Naismith.
Chelsea failed to offer much going forward, and Everton soon made them pay when Naismith linked up with Brendan Galloway to head the defender's cross beyond Begovic after some standout movement in the box.
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The Toffees sensed that another goal could be in the offing, leaving Seamus Coleman to charge down the flank and whip a ball in for Arouna Kone, who saw his header turned away smartly by a besieged Begovic.
The Chelsea stopper could not hold out for much longer, though, as Naismith returned to bag a second with a solo effort into the bottom-left corner from all of 25 yards out.
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With the game positioned well in Everton's favour, Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic looked to give his side a route back into the game and he did so by converting a strike from range that swerved beyond a helpless Tim Howard in the 36th minute.
The visitors' confidence grew after the goal and they dominated the final minutes of the first half, leaving Everton centre-back John Stones to make a telling interception to deny Diego Costa late on.
Looking to push on in the second period, Chelsea were continuously frustrated by a resolute home defence, this time as Radamel Falcao was stopped in his tracks by some adroit defending from James McCarthy.
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With time running short Jose Mourinho made the play of introducing Willian in the latter stages, but the Brazilian could do little to threaten a well-orchestrated Everton backline.
The Toffees launched the perfect trap on Chelsea with just under 10 minutes to play, allowing Ross Barkley to thread into the path of Naismith, who managed to hold off Kurt Zouma and convert past Begovic for his hat-trick.
The Merseyside club sought to turn the screw in the closing stages when Naismith teed up a volley for his fourth, but Begovic reacted well off his line to ensure that the afternoon did not end in more embarrassment for the champions.
Christopher Dodd
