New Delhi: Liverpool will remain top of the table at Christmas after Chelsea failed to break down the Reds' Merseyside neighbours Everton - and had captain John Terry dismissed in the first half of a goalless draw.
Chelsea missed a great chance to go back on top of the table after a disappointing stalemate notable mainly for John Terry's red card and a late disallowed goal by Everton's Steven Pienaar.
Chelsea were unchanged after their home draw with West Ham last time out, so Nicolas Anelka continued in attack, with Didier Drogba named on the bench again. Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari revealed on Setanta Sports before the game that he feels it is "difficult" to play both Anelka and and Drogba together and he thinks the team play better with five in midfield, which could have interesting implications for Drogba when the transfer window opens.
Everton, who beat Manchester City in their last game, showed just one change, manager David Moyes bringing back Phil Neville in place of Segundo Castillo, with midfielder Tim Cahill again playing as a lone striker because the club's recognised strikers all remain injured.
Within a couple of minutes of the game getting under way, Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole capitalised on a lapse by Tony Hibbert to fire in a volley which Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard pushed over the bar for a corner.
Everton's first serious attack produced a Mikel Arteta free-kick some 25 yards from goal that Petr Cech dealt with. Cech was soon in action again, diving to save a low, long-range drive from Neville after Tim Cahill's hustling created the space for the shot.
In an open start to the contest, the Toffees began to force the pace, and when Steven Pienaar found Leon Osman with an excellent pass, Osman's cross to the far post saw Cahill connect with a goal-bound header that Cech again had to save.
Everton were working hard and keeping Chelsea penned in their own half and largely on the back foot, when suddenly on 20 minutes Chelsea underlined their counter-attacking threat. Joe Cole lofted a ball into the area where Alex saw his header turned onto a post by Anelka, although the Frenchman was ruled offside.
Anelka was penalised again when a Frank Lampard shot was deflected over the bar by a diving interception from Hibbert, only for the referee to award Everton a free-kick for handball by Anelka in the build-up.
Chelsea were now beginning to assert themselves and exert pressure on their hosts, and a fine move along the left flank ended with a Joe Cole effort at the near-post deflected behind by Hibbert for a corner, taken by Deco, which the Toffees dealt with.
The early momentum appeared to dip somewhat until, on 37 minutes, the pivotal moment of the first half saw John Terry perpetrate a reckless lunge at Osman's shin which referee Phil Dowd had no compunction in rewarding with a red card for the Chelsea skipper.
Scolari responded by switching Mikel into a defensive role, but at half-time the Brazilian coach withdrew Anelka and Joe Cole and sent on Drogba and Branislav Ivanovic.
After Mikel fired wide from 20 yards, Hibbert produced a dangerous delivery into the Chelsea box which Marouane Fellaini should have done better with, sending his header straight at Cech.
The game's bright opening was beginning to seem a long time ago a free-kick hit long by Lampard was directed lamely wide by Alex's header.
There was misfortune for Everton when Joseph Yobo pulled up after making a clearance and had to be replaced by Leighton Baines for what looked like a hamstring problem.
This was the game in which Chelsea were supposed to reclaim top spot ahead of Liverpool, but it was the Reds' neighbours who were asking more of the questions as the second half wore on, with Phil Jagielka having a header from an Arteta cross shot well-blocked by Alex, before Cahill put another header wide.
An Alex free-kick was blocked by the wall and Joleon Lescott out-muscled Drogba in the box to deny the Ivorian a shooting chance.
Lampard, looking a below-par, fired high and wide from 25 yards, Everton went close when Pienaar found Hibbert on the right and his attempted cross deflected off Lampard almost into the net until Cech tipped it over. From the resulting corner, Lescott's header forced Cech into another important save.
With the minutes ticking away, Everton thought they'd taken the lead when Pienaar got the ball over the line as Cech dropped Osman's close-range shot, but the effort was ruled out for an infringement.
So the game finished goalless, and Chelsea's 11-match winning streak away from home was halted. More significantly, they failed to regain top spot in the Premier League, while Everton, the more adventurous with a numerical advantage, will be disappointed not to have won but also well-satisfied with a point..
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Neville, Osman, Arteta, Fellaini, Pienaar, Cahill. Subs: Nash, Baines, Van der Meyde, Rodwell, Jutkiewicz, Gosling, Kissock.
Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Ashley Cole, Mikel, Joe Cole, Ballack, Lampard, Deco, Anelka. Subs: Cudicini, Ivanovic, Drogba, Malouda, Bridge, Kalou, Belletti.
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
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