First-half substitute Steven Naismith's brace has earned Everton a 2-1 half-time lead over visitors Chelsea in their Premier League clash at Goodison Park this afternoon.
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Everton 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 stunning 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 match 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.
Christopher Dodd
