Everton 1 - Chelsea 2: Initial reaction and community rating form

This one got started with an Everton goal just 63 seconds after play got started, but Chelsea somehow managed to hang around long enough to draw the game level by the end of the first half. Somehow Frank Lampard managed to find himself in the right spot to put Chelsea ahead 70 minutes into the game, and Chelsea managed to take three points from a game that they absolutely deserved to lose.

These types of games do happen once in a while, and it's good to see that Chelsea managed to get something out of a terrible showing to close the year. We will head into January sitting third in the table, and we'll be looking to add reinforcements to push towards Manchester United and the top of the table. Reinforcements are for another day though (or maybe not with the Demba Ba news), so here are a few thoughts in the immediate aftermath of this one:

• The first 40 minutes of this game easily rivaled the first 40 minutes of the UEFA "Super" Cup for the worst start to a game in 2012. I'm still not entirely certain how we only conceded one goal in that span.
• There hasn't been any word on Cech yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if he's one of many that is under the weather. He looked awfully slow in the first half despite a pair of excellent saves.
• I like these awful away kits much more with white socks and shorts than with the blue ones. Why did Adidas need to add the baby blue sash though?
• Ross Turnbull played.
• The team on the pitch to close the game (Turnbull aside) seems nearly ideal to close games out and hit on the counter. While I think there were a lot of things Rafa got wrong at the start today, he certainly made some excellent in-game adjustments.
• I have no idea how we didn't add a third goal in stoppage time, three on one breaks should always result in easy goals or world class saves.If only Fernando Torres was still fast...