Cole Palmer scored on his first Stamford Bridge start in almost four months as Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 to move back into the Premier League's top four.
After four winless matches, Enzo Maresca could hardly have asked for a better moment for his most influential player to announce his return from the groin injury that has wrecked his season up to now, and it came in the 21st minute, the England forward sweeping his side into the lead from Malo Gusto’s clever pass.
Fresh from scoring a first-ever career goal in November, it was Gusto who then got the second from Pedro Neto’s cross before half-time.
Wesley Fofana played a short ball in midfield to Gusto, whose pass through the lines was wonderfully calibrated. Palmer’s run caught Everton cold and he breezed through the centre of their defence and smacked the ball by Jordan Pickford at his near post.
Palmer was withdrawn just before the hour mark, his work done and the manager conscious of managing his playing time.
Chelsea’s second was delightfully simple. Neto made it, zipping around Vitalii Mykolenko on the right and crossing low for Gusto, arriving in the box at speed and knocking it past Pickford.
Jack Grealish missed a golden chance to bring Everton back into it with a shot on the slide that sailed across goal and wide before Reece James was denied from a free-kick by a save by Pickford.
The final chance was Everton’s, Iliman Ndiaye rolling the ball against the post with Robert Sanchez beaten, but Chelsea by then had done enough.
Elsewhere, Harry Wilson (above) scored one and set up two more as Fulham piled more pressure on their former manager Scott Parker by inflicting a seventh straight defeat on beleaguered Burnley.
Although Lesley Ugochukwu cancelled out Emile Smith Rowe's early goal, Calvin Bassey had the Cottagers back in front before half-time and Wilson’s eighth goal of the season put Fulham clear.
Burnley substitute Oliver Sonne scored a late consolation but the Clarets were beaten 3-2.
It was Fulham’s first win at Turf Moor in 30 attempts dating back to April 1951 and extended Burnley’s longest losing run in the league since they lost eight straight during the 1994-95 season, when they suffered relegation to the third tier.
There is again a sinking feeling these days at Turf Moor, where Burnley have not won since beating Leeds 2-0 on 18 October.
Fulham fans, who remember twice being relegated under Parker in his first managerial job, sang 'You’re getting sacked in the morning’ to the former England midfielder as they celebrated only a second away win of the season and one that moves them seven points clear of the bottom three.
