Beto at the double as Everton thump Chelsea to strengthen European hopes

Early into his stint as Chelsea manager, Liam Rosenior finds himself facing mounting criticism because of a patchy sequence of performances.

The situation did not improve for him right at the start, when Robert Sanchez hesitated with the ball inside his own penalty area, allowing Beto to pounce, though he managed to regain control just in time to snatch it away from the Everton striker and avert an almost guaranteed score.

Shortly afterwards, Everton might have felt unfortunate not to go ahead, as James Garner, buoyed by his recent England selection, fired a shot towards the near post, but Malo Gusto blocked it on the goal line.

Roseniors frustration grew around the half hour point, when Everton claimed a well earned opener.

Garner slipped an excellent pass through to Beto, who stole ahead of Sanchez to chip the ball past him and into the net.

Everton owed their lead at the break to Jordan Pickford, who made an outstanding reflex stop to thwart Enzo Fernandez from close range, after the Argentine reacted first to a rebound in the box.

The unhappy Chelsea manager made an offensive change at half time, followed by another soon after the second half began, in a bid to engineer a comeback.

Fernandez nearly equalised with a bending shot that required a tip over the bar, yet the away sides fortunes deteriorated rapidly.

Everton launched a quick break that culminated in Idrissa Gana Gueye finding Beto inside the box, and the forward from Guinea Bissau struck a fierce drive that slipped under Sanchez and crossed the line.

Beto remained a dominant presence all game, and he contributed to Evertons third too, by heading the ball to Iliman Ndiaye advancing behind the Chelsea defence.

The player from Senegal cut inside before blasting a powerful shot into the upper corner, rounding off an ideal night for David Moyes side, who are now just two points behind sixth placed Chelsea and building real promise in their push for Europe.

Prospects appear grim for the Blues, coming on the heels of their midweek exit from the UEFA Champions League and a major setback to their aspirations of finishing in the top four.