Revealed: Why Chelsea can’t wait to wave goodbye to their bogey ground Goodison Park – as they look to go top of the Premier League for the first time in three years against Everton

It should be easy for the sides at both ends of the table to come together, but Chelsea’s record in recent visits to Goodison Park means Sunday’s game will perhaps cause more confusion than you’d expect.

Enzo Maresca’s side will have the opportunity to climb to the top of the Premier League, at least for a few hours, when they face the Toffees for the last time at their famous home.

Chelsea go into the game on an eight-game winning streak, but Sean Dyche’s side will face tough tests. Everton can be anyone’s match on its day. This fact was best illustrated in last weekend’s courageous 0-0 draw with Arsenal.

If they do the same on Sunday, they will give arch-rivals Liverpool a second boost in as many weeks in their quest to win the Premier League.

The Merseyside win would be Chelsea’s third in their last 11 visits to Goodison.

Their miserable run began with a 3-1 defeat in September 2015 as Jose Mourinho’s side made a slow start to their title defense – their form hardly improving in the following weeks.

The Blues sit 17th after five matchdays thanks to Steven Naismith’s hat-trick.

Then came a 2-0 defeat in the FA Cup in March. Chelsea, currently managed by Gus Hiddink, were put to the sword by their former player Romelu Lukaku, who scored two late goals to send the home side into the quarter-finals.

One of Chelsea’s two wins was achieved in April 2017. Antonio Conte’s side have proven to be an unstoppable force in their first season and they easily edged the Toffees as they approached an impressive points tally.

Scoring goals that afternoon were Spain and Barcelona legend Pedro, former captain Gary Cahill and Brazilian master Willian.

“I should be comfortable when we win, but I think it is very important to celebrate this win with the players and the fans,” Conte told Match of the Day after his team moved one step closer to securing the 2016-17 title.

‘I think we should continue this way; We must play match by match and get three points in each match. We know that every win in this part of the season is very important.

‘The road is long, so we need to rest and prepare properly.’

The Italian team returned in December but could only get a point after a goalless draw against Merseyside.

It turned out that this was Conte’s last trip to the famous old ground at Chelsea.

Maurizio Sarri was appointed Chelsea boss in time for his next trip to Goodison, but the enigmatic manager has failed to perform much better than his predecessors.

His team lost 2-0 with goals from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Future Everton boss Frank Lampard lost 3-1 nine months later and then 1-0 in December 2020.

Chelsea would have to wait another two years for their next win at Goodison; Jorginho scored the only goal of the match to sink the home team.

Strikes from Abdoulaye Doucoure and Lewis Dobbin earned the Toffees victory last term.

The home side will be looking to celebrate their first game since the Friedkin Group takeover was confirmed in the best possible way, with Sean Dyche and Co desperate to avoid being dragged back into the relegation fight.