Everton earned an excellent draw against Chelsea on Sunday.
Tony Cascarino has claimed on The Times website that he believes there is still a mammoth gap between Everton and the top five places in the Premier League – and reckons the draw against Chelsea proves just that.
Everton produced an excellent rearguard display to keep Chelsea at bay and draw 0-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Yerry Mina producing a superb display on his first start, while Jordan Pickford won the man-of-the-match accolade.
Marco Silva’s side currently sit in ninth place in the top tier of English football, picking up five wins from 12 league games and losing only three under the Portuguese manager.
Though the 0-0 draw shows Everton are more than capable of fighting with the Premier League’s biggest sides, he believes that it shows how far Everton are from breaking into the top five.
“Everton are clearly a very different team to last season and you’d have to say that they are going in the right direction. They are playing with more tempo than last year and more ambition, which Silva deserves credit for,” Cascarino said.
“But it sums up the scale of the task for clubs such as them that they still look miles off the standard needed to finish in the top four or five. They got a point at Stamford Bridge but they needed Chelsea to be off their normal level.
“Jordan Pickford produced a man-of-the-match performance in goal. It also helped that Yerry Mina looked comfortable slotting into the back four.”
Everton spent plenty in the most recent transfer window, bringing in Richarlison for £50million as well as completing big-moves for the likes of Mina, Bernard and Lucas Digne. Andre Gomes has also come in on loan.
They are next in action after the international break, playing host to newly-promoted Cardiff City in a match they will be expected to win at Goodison Park.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
