Robben gives Everton the blues

Liverpool lost 1-0 at home to Birmingham City, Aston Villa trounced Portsmouth 3-0 and Norwich City were denied a first win of the season after conceding an 86th-minute equaliser in their 1-1 draw with 10-man Blackburn Rovers.

There was more bad news though for Tottenham Hotspur, a day after the abrupt resignation of French coach Jacques Santini, as they lost 3-2 at home to Charlton Athletic. South African striker Shaun Bartlett got two goals and a 67th-minute red card for the visitors.

Chelsea’s victory, which added to a remarkable defensive record with just three goals conceded in their 12 league games, showed the strength in depth of Jose Mourinho’s side despite the absence of injured striker Didier Drogba.

Everton failed to take their few chances and were finally caught out by 20-year-old Robben, whose Chelsea career only really began two weeks ago due to a pre-season foot injury.

Asked how close his side were to being a title-winning team, Mourinho told Sky Sports News: “I think we have everything.

“We defend like no-one else, we have a very dangerous counter-attack and we create a lot of chances.

“Today we didn’t score enough but we are doing well. The spirit is amazing, and the mentality is there to fight in matches like this one.” (Reuters)