Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise was sent off for the third time this season as a highly-charged game ended in stalemate.

Stuart Hall reports (BBC Radio 5 Live)

Wise was shown the red card in the first half by referee Geoff Willard for two bookable offences.

Everton were also reduced to ten men after the break when Irish defender Richard Dunne was dismissed by the official, who also handed out six yellow cards.

"The referee in the first half didn't perform at his best, that's it. We don't really want to comment on Dennis - for the good of Chelsea and the English game," said Chelsea player-boss Gianluca Vialli.

It was a controversial end to a turbulent period at Everton, which saw Duncan Ferguson sold and chairman Peter Johnson resign.

Craig Short took over as Everton captain in the absence of injured Dave Watson and the departed Duncan Ferguson, while Chelsea retained only five of the side that lost in the Worthington Cup quarter finals to Wimbledon in midweek.

Everton produced some good passing football in the early stages and Ibrahima Bakayoko lashed a 30-yard drive inches wide.

Wise was cautioned for bringing down down Danny Cadamarteri in full flow and Marco Materazzi bent a fine shot over the angle from the resulting free-kick.

Chelsea were making few inroads, but Roberto Di Matteo produced a fine low drive from 25 yards which Thomas Myhre saved at full stretch.

Dunne was booked after 28 minutes for a centre circle challenge on Zola and Chelsea lost Poyet three minutes later after a touchline challenge by Alex Cleland.

The busy Cadamarteri ran at Frank Leboeuf, left him for dead with a clever push and run, and lashed a low cross-shot across the face of the ball with Bakayoko just inches short of connection.

But referee Willard became the game's central figure when he stunned Chelsea by sending off Wise following another late challenge on Materazzi.

The game briefly threatened to get out of hand with Michael Ball booked for a foul and Bakayoko cautioned for shoving Celestine Babayaro away from a free kick.

But tempers cooled and Everton dominated long spells of the second period, with Ball, Materazzi and Cadamarteri wasting glorious chances.

Chelsea came closest, however, when Roberto Di Matteo saw a deflected drive hit the post.

Dunne's dismissal followed after 76 minutes for a foul on Tore Andre Flo, and the youngster was already walking away as Willard brandished the red card.

"I don't think it was a dirty game, it was played in good spirit. I have no complaints about our lad being sent off. It was a foul, even if his first offence was a bit inocuous," said Everton boss Walter Smith.

Flo surged through in the 77th minute and sent a fine drive inches wide of the far post, and he cut into the box late on to send in a shot that Myhre fumbled, but recovered in time to dive on at the last moment.

Everton: Myhre, Cleland, Ball, Collins, Hutchison, Short, Grant, Materazzi, Bakayoko, Dunne, Cadamarteri. Subs: Dacourt, Branch, Ward, Bilic, Simonsen.

Chelsea: De Goey, Petrescu, Babayaro, Leboeuf, Desailly, Poyet, Wise, Di Matteo, Ferrer, Flo, Zola. Subs: Goldbaek, Duberry, Hitchcock, Nicholls, Morris.