Despite holding Chelsea to a draw in our last two visits to Stamford Bridge, hopes were not high going into this one as a bruised, battered and, once again, understrength, Everton went to the home of the Champions' elect.
Even Europe's best defences would have a hard time containing the free scoring partnership of Didier Drogba and Nicloas Anelka so it was anyone's guess as to how many they'd rattle past Everton's revolutionary full-back back four formation!
So to concede three was not a surprise to anyone - but the fact that we scored three most certainly was!
Everton, as in the cup final in May - how long ago does that seem? - opened the scoring via Louis Saha...well, sort of!
Leighton Baines whipped a free kick into the Chelsea area which Saha flicked goalwards, the effort bounced off the post and rebounded into the net off Petr Cech's stupid rugby hat!
1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">If Cech had played for our Sunday league team - he wouldn't of course as he's patently rubbish now and the very definition of 'arse gone' - and rocked up to training in a titfer like that he'd have been soundly, and rightly, stripped, beaten and tied to the goalposts!
But, despite taking the lead, hopes were not high that we'd take all three points and so there was an air of inevitibility when Chelsea equalised, then took the lead within 12 minutes of Everton's opener.
Ricardo Carvalho won back possession for Chelsea and fed the ball to Frank Lampard who teed up Didier Drogba to smash the ball past Tim Howard.
Five minutes later and every Evertonian - and probably every Chelsea fan - thought it was game over as Nicolas Anelka hammered the home side into the lead.
Before his injury, Sylvain Distin had caught the 'Yobo-clearance-bug' - that is slicing the ball wildly into the air as opposed to just twatting the thing downfield - but in his absence Louis Saha took over.
The Frenchman did well to control the ball on the edge of the Everton area but the ballooned his attempted clearance about ten feet straight up in the air.
Branislav Ivanovic took advantage of the loose clearance and poked the ball to Nicolas Anelka who smashed the ball into the roof of the Everton net.
But the flood gates failed to open as Chelsea couldn't create any more clear openings and proceeded to look uncharacteristcally jittery at the back.
Leighton Baines caused more problems in the Chelsea area with a whipped in free kick that narrowly missed the head of Louis Saha and then John Obi Mikel injured himself in a clash with Didier Drogba as a routine header across the box from John Heitinga had the home side defence in disarray.
Neither side could really take control of the game and it looked like the first half was going to end with the home side narrowly in front until more madness ensued in their penalty box.
Marouane Fellaini flicked on Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's long throw and, after John Terry failed to clear, Leighton Baines toe poked the ball goalwards.
The ball spooned up off Carvalho - who, for some reason, was prostrate in the box in a full on boudoir pose - and fell kindly to Yakubu, who had just come on after Jo limped off with a freakish ankle injury that'll probably see him out for six months, who picked his spot and levelled the scoreline.
No one in their right mind thought that the scoring would end there and it was Chelsea asking all of the questions at the start of the second half as they seemed to be attacking from all over the pitch.
Their endeavour was rewarded just short of the hour mark as Drogba rolled the ball in from close range after Tony Hibbert made a mess of an Ivanovic cross
The travelling Blues were defelated once more and were bracing themselves for a Chelsea landslide, but within five minutes Everton were level again through another freak break in the home side's area!
John Heitinga floated a cross in over Louis Saha's head but, after Drogba looked to have headed the ball clear, it cannoned off the back of Saha's head and looped over Cech for Everton's second equaliser of the afternoon!
Chelsea once again took the game to Everton but their play was too frantic as they appeared to have lost their composure at both ends of the field and Everton managed to play the draw out with relative ease.
Of course there was one more chance for Everton fans to get a scare as Ballack smashed a shot narrowly wide in the 90th minute.
It was the sort of effort that Chelsea usually win these matches with but this was not to be Chelsea's day and, once again, Everton can take heart from a decent display and another well earned point.
The important thing now is to not let the good work come undone against Birmingham next week!
Despite holding Chelsea to a draw in our last two visits to Stamford Bridge, hopes were not high going into this one as a bruised, battered and, once again, understrength, Everton went to the home of the Champions' elect.
Even Europe's best defences would have a hard time containing the free scoring partnership of Didier Drogba and Nicloas Anelka so it was anyone's guess as to how many they'd rattle past Everton's revolutionary full-back back four formation!
So to concede three was not a surprise to anyone - but the fact that we scored three most certainly was!
Everton, as in the cup final in May - how long ago does that seem? - opened the scoring via Louis Saha...well, sort of!
Leighton Baines whipped a free kick into the Chelsea area which Saha flicked goalwards, the effort bounced off the post and rebounded into the net off Petr Cech's stupid rugby hat!
If Cech had played for our Sunday league team - he wouldn't of course as he's patently rubbish now and the very definition of 'arse gone' - and rocked up to training in a titfer like that he'd have been soundly, and rightly, stripped, beaten and tied to the goalposts!
But, despite taking the lead, hopes were not high that we'd take all three points and so there was an air of inevitibility when Chelsea equalised, then took the lead within 12 minutes of Everton's opener.
Ricardo Carvalho won back possession for Chelsea and fed the ball to Frank Lampard who teed up Didier Drogba to smash the ball past Tim Howard.
Five minutes later and every Evertonian - and probably every Chelsea fan - thought it was game over as Nicolas Anelka hammered the home side into the lead.
Before his injury, Sylvain Distin had caught the 'Yobo-clearance-bug' - that is slicing the ball wildly into the air as opposed to just twatting the thing downfield - but in his absence Louis Saha took over.
The Frenchman did well to control the ball on the edge of the Everton area but the ballooned his attempted clearance about ten feet straight up in the air.
Branislav Ivanovic took advantage of the loose clearance and poked the ball to Nicolas Anelka who smashed the ball into the roof of the Everton net.
But the flood gates failed to open as Chelsea couldn't create any more clear openings and proceeded to look uncharacteristcally jittery at the back.
Leighton Baines caused more problems in the Chelsea area with a whipped in free kick that narrowly missed the head of Louis Saha and then John Obi Mikel injured himself in a clash with Didier Drogba as a routine header across the box from John Heitinga had the home side defence in disarray.
Neither side could really take control of the game and it looked like the first half was going to end with the home side narrowly in front until more madness ensued in their penalty box.
Marouane Fellaini flicked on Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's long throw and, after John Terry failed to clear, Leighton Baines toe poked the ball goalwards.
The ball spooned up off Carvalho - who, for some reason, was prostrate in the box in a full on boudoir pose - and fell kindly to Yakubu, who had just come on after Jo limped off with a freakish ankle injury that'll probably see him out for six months, who picked his spot and levelled the scoreline.
No one in their right mind thought that the scoring would end there and it was Chelsea asking all of the questions at the start of the second half as they seemed to be attacking from all over the pitch.
Their endeavour was rewarded just short of the hour mark as Drogba rolled the ball in from close range after Tony Hibbert made a mess of an Ivanovic cross
The travelling Blues were defelated once more and were bracing themselves for a Chelsea landslide, but within five minutes Everton were level again through another freak break in the home side's area!
John Heitinga floated a cross in over Louis Saha's head but, after Drogba looked to have headed the ball clear, it cannoned off the back of Saha's head and looped over Cech for Everton's second equaliser of the afternoon!
Chelsea once again took the game to Everton but their play was too frantic as they appeared to have lost their composure at both ends of the field and Everton managed to play the draw out with relative ease.
Of course there was one more chance for Everton fans to get a scare as Ballack smashed a shot narrowly wide in the 90th minute.
It was the sort of effort that Chelsea usually win these matches with but this was not to be Chelsea's day and, once again, Everton can take heart from a decent display and another well earned point.
The important thing now is to not let the good work come undone against Birmingham next week!
