Liverpool veteran Steve Nicol criticized Chelsea’s players for what he called a complete lack of “intent” after their 3-0 Premier League loss to Everton in a harsh statement that has spread throughout the English football scene. The four-time league champion questioned the team’s core devotion in an interview with ESPN FC on Saturday, March 21, 2026, after they suffered their fourth straight loss across all competitions. Nicol contended that the London club seemed “disinterested” in battling for even a single point against a David Moyes-led Everton team that displayed significantly more passion and effort, despite dominating possession at 64% and completing 617 passes at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Before Iliman Ndiaye’s spectacular goal in the 76th minute sealed the win, Everton striker Beto scored two goals in the 33rd and 62nd minutes. Nicol noted that there was “nothing to take pride in” for the traveling supporters and expressed specific concern about the performance’s passive quality.
“One must question the commitment displayed today,” the former defender said during the broadcast. In his words, “At no point did they seem engaged. Assessing this performance, every aspect was dreadful, terrible. The most significant issue for me is that my team exhibited no ambition. They played from the first minute to nearly the 90th, merely accepting the situation.”
Liam Rosenior’s team is in a risky situation as they move through the last stretch of the 2025–26 season after this most recent setback. With 48 points from 31 games, Chelsea is currently in sixth place, but the difference between them and a rejuvenated Everton is now only two points. Despite having an 89% pass accuracy rate, the Blues only had four shots on goal as opposed to Everton’s nine, wasting two important scoring chances. The current “lack of necessary determination” that Nicol pointed out for a team that started the season as the defending FIFA Club World Cup champions points to a deeper issue within the team that Rosenior needs to resolve before their hopes of qualifying for Europe completely vanish.
