Crystal Palace 2 – 2 Everton
Everton are at Crystal Palace this afternoon in a Premier League contest that might well be their final effort to secure one of the increasingly distant European places.
The irony being that the team they face have just won their way to the final of a European competition. And that of course feeds the disputed theory that their minds may be elsewhere this afternoon after such a heady night of success last Thursday.
Team News
No surprises as Idrissa Gana Gueye sits this one out, as expected. Grealish and Branthwaite are both out for the rest of the season.
Ismaila Sarr and Adam Wharton both start for what looks like a strong Crystal Palace side named by Oliver Glasner. He said he wasn’t going to wave the white flag and he has certainly started a much stronger XI than that which began at Bournemouth last weekend.
First Half
The up-and-under kick-off was abandoned in favour of the Pickford punt. No matter: possession still conceded. But Everon got it bck and worked up a laborious attacking move of many passes until Dewsbury-Hall advanced and ran into Munoz. But Mykolenko got in an early cross that skimmed off Beto’s head.
Rohl seemed ro do a great 1-2 with Beto but the ball got caught in his feet and went out fror a corner, cleared at the near post, but worked around for another corner after good work by Ndiaye. This one headed on at the near post and fell very nicely for James Tarkowski (6′) to side-foot it neatly into the corner of the Crystal Palace goal. It had been all Everton, so fine reward.
At the other end, Wharton lashed a shot over Pickford and his bar. Palace continued to work it around until they too won a corner. A really good delivery that Richards and Tarkowski up with him blocked just over the bar. The next Palace corner was well overhit.
A move up the right for Everton came all the way back to Pickford, his hoof upfield going through to Henderson. Garner committed a foul but it led to an Everton break where somehow Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye managed to gift the ball to Whatron.
A great break by Garner down the left saw him cross low between Rohl and Henderson. evading both players.
Johnson got behind the Everton back line but Garner was there to block the danger for another Palace corner that needed defending. It came back in and Lacroix fired in a shot that Pickford had to kick off the line.
Another lively break going the other way again saw Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye mess up another great chance, Dewsbury-Hall stretching to shoot weakly at Henderson, who also saved with his foot, allowing Palace to counter.
The game was fairly open in midfield, neither side pressing with much conviction. Garner came off better when he stood up to Wharton, winning a free-kick. An O’Brien long throw reached the 6-yard box but was repelled.
It looked like Mykolenko had stood up a decent hanging cross for Beto but he missed it completely. Rohl looked very confident heading a good Palace ball away from the Everton goal area. Iroegbunam got played through but somehow contrived to shoot for a throw-in, perhaps slicing it off the defender’s leg?
Garner tried to take the ball off Johnson but ended up fouling him: yellow card.
Dewsbury-Hall got free again down the left this time but was disappointed with the lack of support and a defender blocked him for a corner. Another good delivery but 3 Everton players went for it at the far post, Tarkowski heading behind.
From that, Palace went up the other end and Sarr scored after his first shot was blocked back to him by Keane. Back to level pegging. No doubt Keane will get it in the neck for that one!
Garner looked to hold back Strand Larsen and then blatantly push him over as he set up to shoot! Yellow card to red and penalty, surely? No, incredibly, he got away with it completely!
A good ball in from Strand Larsen almost gave a free header to Johnson as Palace looked to reverse the early score before half-time, the impetus now firmly with the home side. Everton tried to work it forward but they were not getting the run of the ball they had earlier.
Instead, it was a free shot from Mitchell that was driven straight at Pickford. O’Brien tried to cross and it won a corner that Dewsbury-Hall curled in almost under the bar, Henderson tipping it behind. From the other side, Ndiaye had to score but his off-target header was deflected goalward then cleared off the line.
Another Everton corner was not as dangerous as earlier and Palace looked to break, Mykolenko having to stop Kamada at the cost of a yellow card. That pretty much wrapped up the half in which Everton had manifestly failed to build on a great early lead.
Half-time: Crystal Palace 1 – 1 Everton
Second Half
It didn’t take long from the kick-off before a moment of magic from Beto, who got a long ball from Tarkowski to chase down, with Lacroix seemingly well positioned to stop him. But he bustled into space and nutmegged Hederson for a fine strike to start the second half.
Palace were miffed, to say the least, but they could not do what they wanted in their next attack.
A good low cross from Sarr was well stopped by Tarkowski. Canvot then tried a shot that did an Iroegbunam, and went out for a throw-in. Kamada fouled Rohl, setting up a central free-kick for Garner, a great strike that skimmed off Strand Larsen’s head and Henderson adjusted well to tip it over.
Ndiaye and Beto forced another corner as Palace tried to play out. That came to nothing but Garner swung in a very tasty cross that Beto should have reached but he ran the wrong way.
Mitchell drew a dangerous free-kick off Rohl that was well cleared with a great throw from Pickford, Dewsbury-Hall again getting forward but again the opportunity evaporated as he was outnumbered.
Palace worked it around, but Kamada wellied his shot high over the bar. A through-ball looked to split the Everton defence but Iroegbunam read it well and got a good tackle in.
A decent enough attack developed when Rohl somehow turned the Palace defender down the right but no one could fashion a shot after it went all around the houses.
Worryingly, Mateta replaced Strand Larsen, and a difficult ball forward spun off Sarr, forcing a desperate save from Pickford. Rohl got on the counter and passed crossfield to Ndaye who trapped it beautifully and skipped around but could only fire at a blocking defender.
Palace won a corner that was headed goalward, Canvot nipping in to head it but Pickford was perfectly positioned to grasp it gratefully. Ndiaye looked to advance down the left with usual mice footwork, but he achecked and it ebede up all the way back at Pickford.
There was a coming together between Tarkowski and Sarr in the Everton area but there was nothing in it. The ball came back down the Everton end, and as simple as you like, there he was, Jean Phillipe Mateta was there to smash it past Pickford, like it was written in the script..
Palace came close to a winner when a good header back in by Munoz was met by Sarr but Pickford was there to save it. Still, the momentum seemed now all back with Palace, as Moyes put George on for Rohl.
Matate mugged Mykolenko and fired in a cross for Sarr, Tarkoski to the rescue yet again. But Everton were living on the edge, Kamada diving cleverly in front of Iroegbunam… no penalty.
Palace kept coming forward, a great cross on for Munoz was headed into the ground and bounced over Sarr at the far post. Close!
Another brilliant tackle (from behind?) by Garner to dispossess Kamada.
A ball from Tarkowski over the top and Dewsbury-Hall must score this time! No, he hit the post!! And Barry had been offside, although he never touched the ball.
At the other end, it looked like Wharton would score the winner with Pickford beaten at full stretch, the ball smacking the outside of the post!
With 5 minutes of dreaded Danger Time added on George fed Ndiaye brilliantly but he lashed his shot over the bar, touched on its way by Henderson. The corner saw a soft header at the far post easily saved.
At the other end, Mateta beat Tarkowski but could not keep his shot down.
Alcaraz advanced and saw his late shot spin off for a corner right at the death, the corner was cleared as that was it. And 2 more points surrendered from a winning position. Surely any talk of Europe is now futile: 2 points from 12.
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Canvot, Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell, Johnson, Sarr, Strand Larsen (65′ Mateta).
Subs: Benitez, Lerma, Pino, (65′ Mateta) Clyne, Hughes, Riad, Devenny, Cardines.
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski (c), Keane, Mykolenko [Y:45′], Iroegbunam, Garner [Y:30′], Röhl (81′ George), Dewsbury-Hall (90+4′ Alcaraz), Ndiaye, Beto (68′ Barry).
Subs: Travers, Patterson, McNeil, Dibling, Coleman, Armstrong.