Chelsea's Champions League charge is back on track after the Blues hit two classy goals and two bizarre ones at Stamford Bridge to leave Everton's hopes of a top-four finish in tatters.
Claudio Ranieri's side bounced back from Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa to stroll to a 4-1 success.
Eidur Gudjohnsen's 10th and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's 15th strikes of the season - both peculiar goals - gave the Blues a 2-0 advantage before Jesper Gronkjaer's stylish strike and Lee Carsley's consolation for the Toffees.
Gianfranco Zola scored a sensational lob with the last kick of the game to cap a crucial Chelsea victory.
But the statistics only tell half the story as Gudjohnsen's sweet 25th-minute finish was only possible when visiting skipper David Weir fell over and gifted
him possession.
And Hasselbaink's effort two minutes after the break, set up by a marvellous piece of skill by Gronkjaer, was a looping header which looked to be sailing over before dipping beneath the crossbar.
There was nothing fortunate about Gronkjaer's 61st-minute effort, however, for which he showed superb control and produced a precise finish.
Carsley tucked home from 15 yards with 13 minutes left but Zola's last-gasp masterpiece condemned David Moyes' men to back-to-back Easter defeats which have cut them adrift in the race for Europe's elite club competition.
Wayne Rooney started for Everton hours after it emerged he faces a police probe over allegations he spat at Liverpool fans in Saturday's 2-1 Merseyside derby defeat.
Marcel Desailly lined up in the heart of the Blues backline after being briefed by Ranieri to shackle Rooney - a player the Italian boss described as a 'Brazilian panther'.
Desailly needed treatment on a leg injury inside the first minute after a thundering challenge by Scot Gemmill.
Gronkjaer skinned Weir and delivered a pull-back which Frank Lampard scuffed wide.
It was an exciting opening in west London and, in the fifth minute, David Unsworth slid in to take the ball off Gudjohnsen's toe as the Icelander prepared to shoot.
Rooney had his first run three minutes later, ended by Quique de Lucas' crude body-check for which he was deservedly booked.
The game went quiet after that point, however, as Chelsea foundered on Moyes' packed midfield.
That changed after 25 minutes when Weir slipped at a crucial moment and Gudjohnsen hit Chelsea's opener.
The Scot prepared to clear Hasselbaink's diagonal pass but tumbled and Gudjohnsen controlled smartly before dispatching a sweet shot beyond Richard Wright for his 10th goal of the season.
Late in the half, Carlo Cudicini and Desailly combined to clear after the first real alarm in the Chelsea goalmouth, triggered by Rooney's brave header towards Kevin Campbell.
Chelsea took a 2-0 lead three minutes after the interval thanks to a magnificent piece of skill by Gronkjaer and a bizarre finish by Hasselbaink.
Gronkjaer pulled a superb dummy to evade Joseph Yobo, skinned the Nigerian for pace on the left and centred for Hasselbaink to connect with a 10-yard header.
The Dutchman's effort span high in the air and looped into the top left corner of Wright's net.
The Toffees keeper made an heroic attempt to claw the ball away and needed treatment after colliding with his post. Yobo was substituted four minutes after his error.
Gronkjaer effectively wrapped up victory in the 61st minute with a classy piece of control and a slick finish for Chelsea's third.
The Danish winger cut in from the left to meet John Terry's long pass, prodded the ball out of the reach of Everton substitute Tony Hibbert and slipped it past Wright from 12 yards for his fourth goal this term.
Lampard almost added another seven minutes later when he bundled his way goalwards and his shot hit the side-netting.
Everton pulled one back in the 77th minute when Gemmill picked out Carsley and the midfielder shot accurately into the bottom corner from 15 yards.
With five minutes left, Carsley gave Chelsea a few jitters when he connected with an excellent volley on the turn from Thomas Gravesen's dinked pass and sent the ball bouncing just a foot past the post.
Chelsea substitute Zola raced upfield and scored a sensational lob with the last kick of the game to complete the scoring.
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