New Tottenham boss Conte has dominated Everton ahead of his first game

11/06/2021

Antonio Conte hit Everton for FIVE the first time he faced them as Chelsea boss… the Toffees have NEVER beaten a side managed by the Italian, fell to a combined 12-1 score in five games and now he’s ready for his Premier League return at Goodison

Antonio Conte got the better of Everton at Chelsea, winning three league games
His Blues side racked up an aggregate score of 10-0 across those victories
The new Tottenham boss faces the Toffees in his first league game on Sunday
But Everton boss Rafa Benitez thrashed his side 3-0 in his last league game

Not long ago, a trip to Goodison Park would have left Tottenham fans wildly pessimistic – what a difference a week makes. Now with Antonio Conte at the helm, Spurs will be seen as favourites to get a win over fellow strugglers Everton, especially given his dominant track record against them.

The former Inter Milan boss is back in the Premier League and raring to go after replacing Nuno Espirito Santo, and if Spurs were looking for good omens ahead of the match, they need look no further than his previous outings against this opposition.

Conte was a winner at Stamford Bridge – collecting both the Premier League title and the FA Cup – but it was against Everton where his side shone brightest, winning three out of four games and scoring ten in the process. It all started with a thumping 5-0 win over the Toffees in Conte’s first season at Stamford Bridge, a crucial result with his new side climbing to the top of the table.

Antonio Conte is hoping to kick off his Tottenham career with a win at Everton on Sunday

The Italian coach had great success against the Toffees during his time as Chelsea boss

Then managed by Ronald Koeman, Everton were torn to shreds as Eden Hazard netted a double while Marcos Alonso, Diego Costa and Pedro got in on the act.

It was a totally dominant showing as they scored their five goals from nine shots on target, with 21 efforts overall and 60 per cent possession – and Everton managed just one shot in a feeble outing in the 2016-17 campaign.

He managed to keep his future Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku quiet, with the Belgium failing to have a single touch inside the penalty area.

Coach Koeman admitted his side were taught a lesson after the game, saying Conte’s system of three at the back was ‘really difficult to play against’.

In his first match against them, his side ran riot in a 5-0 thrashing at Stamford Bridge

Conte would go on to play a 3-4-2-1 in all his games against Everton, the next coming in another comfortable victory over a Koeman team, with the score slightly less harsh at 3-0 in the reverse fixture of the same season.

Everton performed much better at Goodison Park but succumbed to a devastating Chelsea counter attack as Pedro, Gary Cahill and Willian all struck in the second half to keep their title hopes alive with Spurs breathing down their necks.

Chelsea played far less passes in this game – 426 compared to 685 in the first game – and had just 50.46 per cent possession but still swept them aside in confident fashion before romping to the Premier League title the next month.

It was the same old story at the start of the 2017-18 season, with Conte’s men getting off to a great start and notching a 2-0 win. New signing Alvaro Morata got his first Blues goal, with Cesc Fabregas also scoring against Everton, who went on to sack Koeman a few months later.

Koeman could not handle his system and said Conte’s side were ‘very difficult to play against’

Chelsea lit up with another 3-0 success at Goodison Park in 2017 to boost their title hopes

Just days after his axing, Chelsea and Everton met once again – this time in the League Cup fourth round, but a side led by caretaker boss David Unsworth could do nothing to turn the tide – although they did get on the scoresheet for once and kept things tight.

Antonio Rudiger got the Blues ahead and Chelsea had to wait until stoppage time before Willian added the second – but Dominic Calvert-Lewin pulled one back to make things tense before it ended 2-1.

Everton finally stopped the rot two months later as Sam Allardyce was appointed boss and his stubborn, rigid team secured a clean sheet against Chelsea in December of that year, drawing 0-0.

After four wins in total against Everton, the Toffees finally stopped the rot with a 0-0 draw

Conte’s men had more shots than in any game against them under his leadership with 25, and more possession too (67 per cent), but still were left frustrated at Goodison as they were forced to leave with a point.

The Italian finished with a 12-1 combined score against them in five games, with just one goal conceded in the League Cup, but his unbeaten record against the Merseyside outfit will give him confidence as he prepares to get his Tottenham reign off to a flying start.

It was his formation of three at the back that caused Everton so many problems during his time at Chelsea and he is expected to deploy a similar formation when he makes his Spurs bow.

He played a 3-5-2 while at Inter Milan and has been tipped to adopt the same approach in the Premier League – which could allow Kane and Son more freedom to attack together at Goodison Park, and Toffees boss Rafa Benitez will be wary of that.

Conte goes up against Rafa Benitez on Sunday, but the Spaniard (L) beat him 3-0 on his last Premier League appearance when he was Newcastle boss

Tottenham players are gearing up for a fresh start and Conte has urged them to work hard

But it just so happens that Conte’s last game in the Premier League came against the Spaniard when he was Newcastle coach – and he came out on top, winning 3-0.

Granted, Conte had fielded a weakened team on the final day of the season with the players preparing for the FA Cup final against Arsenal – which they won – but Benitez’s 4-2-3-1 system did the job against a below-par Chelsea side, as Ayoze Perez netted a double after Dwight Gayle’s opener.

Tottenham come into the clash in dismal form after losing 1-0 to West Ham and 3-0 to Manchester United, but Benitez is also coming under pressure following three successive defeats – including a 5-2 thumping by struggling Watford.

Watford scored four goals in the final 12 minutes away from home that day with some blistering counter attacks, and Conte will likely look to that strategy to hurt Everton.

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