A goal deep into added time gave Chelsea all 3 points after a performance from the blues that left a lot to desire.
The early kick off at Stamford Bridge presented Chelsea with the opportunity to go 4 points clear of Arsenal in second place. After dropping points away to West Brom it was a game the Blues really could not afford to lose, and Chelsea fans would have been buoyed by Everton's poor record in West London.
It was an entertaining encounter, with both sides set up in an attacking manner. Lacina Traore was replaced upfront for Everton by Steven Naismith after picking up a calf strain, whilst Frank Lampard and Oscar replaced Mikel and Ramires from the side that lost to Man City in the FA Cup.
The game kicked off with a somewhat tentative first ten minutes, neither side really threatening but Hazard and Eto'o looking lively. It was the Merseyside team who settle first however, controlling possession before forcing the Chelsea defence into action on a few occasions.
It was the Scottish international Naismith who went closest for Everton, forcing Cech into a save before the follow-up was blocked by onrushing Chelsea players. Eto'o managed to forge a chance for Chelsea after wriggling free in the box, but the Blues were largely forced into tame long-range efforts as Everton exercised their dominance. A brief spell of Chelsea pressure at the end of the first half promised some entertainment for the muted home crowd, but did nothing to hide Everton's brilliant performance.
The second half saw a marked change, with Chelsea pressing Everton high up the pitch in order to negate the lethargy of the first half. Ramires had replaced the ineffective Oscar at half time, and his pace seemed to inject a bit of urgency into the London side, as they began to look to break the deadlock.
The game was somewhat end-to-end, but neither side had managed to carve out a real opportunity for their strikers; Leon Osman went close for Everton with a deflected effort sending Cech scrambling. A perfect Ivanovic cross narrowly missed the head of Eto'o down the other end, but it was the last twenty minutes in which this tie really came to life.
Torres and Schurrle had replaced Eto'o and Willian as Chelsea looked for a winner. The German dragged a shot wide from distance after cutting in from the left, shortly after Torres had flashed a shot on the turn woefully off target. It seemed as if this game was destined to be a draw - a result neither side could really argue with.
The ever-energetic Ramires went inches wide, after skipping past Gareth Barry and lashing a right-footed effort from outside the box marginally past Howard's far post. The crowd were doing their best to stir the players, and the saw it come to fruition in the 93rd minute when, after Ramires was adjudged to have been fouled 30 yards out on the left, a Frank Lampard free kick ended up in the back of the net, with the final touch coming from Tim Howard as John Terry looked to pounce.
In a game that seemed to mimic the crowd, it was the Old Guard once more rescuing the points for Chelsea, sending them 4 points clear and reaffirming their importance to the club. Everton will feel bitterly disappointed, as a very good performance was not rewarded leaving them some distance adrift of the Champions League places they so desire.
Chelsea's next game sees the Blues in Turkey for a Champions League tie with Galatasaray, and a reunion with Didier Drogba.
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