'This is not unfamiliar' - National media make same point as Everton message sent to Friedkins A look at how the national media reported on Everton's narrow defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge David Moyes during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge. Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images This was a game in which both goalkeepers received plaudits from the national media but it was Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez who proved to be the matchwinner. Pickford kept Everton in this tie, making a string of important saves from Noni Madueke. Those stops allowed the Blues to push for an unlikely equaliser at the end of the match. ‌ For those who shared the press box with home boss Enzo Maresca, who was serving a touchline ban, Everton’s inability to get that goal fell to two reasons - a lack of quality, and Sanchez. Article continues below What David Moyes did toward end of Chelsea loss spoke volumes as Everton transfer reality clear READ MORE: In the Telegraph, Ivan Speck declared Sanchez the hero for his two fine second half saves - though he believed Everton’s second-half arrival was as much to do with Chelsea’s nerves as anything the visitors threw their way. He said: “Chelsea’s pursuit of Champions League qualification has become almost as torturous as their search for a sure-handed goalkeeper this season. In the Stamford Bridge sunshine, the two quests merged as Robert Sánchez pulled off two victory-preserving saves against Everton that were every bit as important as Nicolas Jackson’s first goal since mid-December. “The epithet ‘much-maligned’ and Sánchez have become uncomfortable bedfellows in recent months as a succession of unconvincing displays led to Enzo Maresca dropping the Spaniard for a spell. ‌ “Sánchez hardly looked assured under the high ball in the first half against Everton either. But when he was required, just after the hour to push away a Beto shot and then with a brilliant one-handed stop to divert a bouncing Dwight McNeil effort in the 87th minute, he underscored a victory that kept alive Chelsea’s pursuit of a return to European football’s lucrative top table.” Like Speck also did, Kieran Gill, in the Mail, was another to praise Pickford for his display . But he chose to draw reference to James Tarkowski’s absence after being an ever-present for three seasons as he picked through the match. He wrote: “James Tarkowski had been as reliable as an old shoe for Everton, forever available ever since signing from Burnley in 2022. But for the first time in the Premier League, he was sidelined for the visitors, a hamstring injury ending his remarkable run of 111 consecutive starts. ‌ “Without him, David Moyes’ side struggled to have their usual defensive stability as Chelsea created chances.” Yara El-Shaboury, writing in the Guardian , drew on a theme picked up by many in this game - that Everton are struggling in front of goal and will have to work hard to address that in the summer. She wrote: “Everton have been draw specialists, with 14 in the league this season – the most of any side – but they lacked attacking intent even when Chelsea let off in the second half. Sanchez shook off his nervy first-half performance to save their best chances... Since his arrival, Moyes has made Everton a defensively disciplined side, with only Liverpool, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest conceding fewer goals in the top flight. But their failure to score in a league-high of 15 games proves, with the club’s newest American billionaire investor, there is a lot of work to be done next season.” Matthew Henry adopted a similar line with the BBC . Highlighting the Blues’ struggle in going forward, he wrote: “Everton's first shot, a header from Abdoulaye Doucoure that ended up closer to the corner flag than goal, did not come until the 45th minute. ‌ “That touch was only their third inside the Chelsea box in the first half and their first shot on target was Beto's effort, saved by Sanchez in the 63rd minute. Beto's effort sparked Everton's improvement and in the final stages they threatened more than Chelsea. "They failed to score for the 15th time this season, however, and this is not an unfamiliar defeat for club or manager.” In the ECHO, the report drew on how Chelsea exposed the limitations of Moyes’ squad and how the overhaul of the squad due for the summer is a necessary part of the Everton rebuild: “This was a match that highlighted Everton’s weaknesses - for too long they chased shadows. But once they escaped punishment they pulled on the resilience that is their strength to come close to an equaliser. Article continues below "That they were unable to find the quality to get it was just as telling as the mistakes that beset the first hour of this performance. "Moyes has worked wonders with what he has at Goodison Park. But he has a busy summer ahead.”