Tim Howard posted a shutout in his first game back. (Getty Images)
Tim Howard nearly posted a shutout in his first game back. (Getty Images)

Tim Howard and his glorious beard returned to the pitch for Everton on Wednesday against Chelsea.

The American keeper, who missed approximately seven weeks with a calf injury, put together a brilliant performance, posting six saves, including this beaut here:

Howard held a shutout against the first-place club until the final minutes of the game. After Gareth Barry was sent off in the 88th minute after picking up his second yellow for tripping Willian. Willian got the last laugh one minute later, as he managed to find the bottom corner of the net on a low shot despite having five players in his line of sight, including Howard.

Everton's heart-breaking 1-0 defeat to Chelsea was Howard's first performance since Dec. 26. The Toffees are currently 12th in the Premier League table with 27 points.