Maitland-Niles Handed Chelsea the Game

Everton didn’t lose to Chelsea because Chelsea were brilliant. They lost because the right flank was a liability from the first whistle, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles was the reason.

He made two mistakes inside the opening 10 minutes, which should have told David Moyes something was wrong. Nothing changed. Then came the moment that decided the match. Just 44 seconds after the restart, Hato slipped past him far too easily and Chelsea carved Everton open. Match reports pinned Pedro Neto’s opener on Maitland-Niles. Jordan Pickford stood with his hands on his hips, visibly furious, and he had every right to be. (Everton player ratings: Maitland-Niles 4/10 as Neto double sinks Blues – Brit Brief +2)

A defender’s job is to cover, track and close down, and he did none of it. Chelsea kept going down his side because it kept working. Neto finished with two goals, the first time he has scored twice in a game in his 187 Premier League appearances. That should tell you how much space he was given.

Moyes pulled him at 55 minutes, and the substitution was the right call. Maitland-Niles glared at the bench on his way off. A player who has just been at fault for the decisive goal and has a second error already on his record should be thinking about his own game, not who made the decision.

This wasn’t a one-off. Five days earlier at Hull, he was rated 2/10 and accused of “comically bad” defending that contributed to a goal, and Everton drew 2-2 against a Championship side. Against Chelsea he made two more mistakes, and the cost was bigger.

The result ended Everton’s unbeaten run in the league and let Chelsea move up to fourth while Everton stayed sixth. Those are points that matter in a tight season.

Moyes signed him as a flexible, experienced Premier League defender. So far Everton have got neither the flexibility nor the experience at right-back. The rest of the squad can’t keep covering for mistakes like these. If Maitland-Niles doesn’t tighten up quickly, Moyes needs to try someone else there.