Michael Kenrick 10/05/2026 33comments  |  Jump to last

If you wanted a case study on how to let a tired opponent off the hook, look no further than today’s 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park. Facing a Palace side likely still nursing hangovers from their midweek European heroics, Everton once again showed the tactical flexibility of a lamp post.

Another dreadful result from a winning position effectively kills any lingering European pipe dreams.

The Moyesiah's Mid-Table Mediocrity

Let’s be real: Palace were there for the taking. They’ve played a ridiculous amount of football lately, and we had a week to prepare. Instead of going for the jugular, we sat back after Tarkowski’s early opener and invited them onto us.

The second half was even worse. Despite Beto putting us back in front, the inevitability of the equalizer from Everton tormentor-in-chief  Jean-Phillipe Mateta felt like a slow-motion car crash.

We lacked any "dogs of war" mentality to see it out, and the substitutions — or lack thereof — were vintage David Moyes: too little, too late, and too ineffective.

Player Ratings: 

Player Rating The Verdict
Jordan Pickford 7 Kept us in it with five saves. Can’t blame him for the defence treating the penalty area like a gift shop.
James Tarkowski 6 Scored a great header, but looked leaden-footed against Sarr. The leader of a backline that has forgotten how to keep a clean sheet.
Jake O’Brien 5 Still looks like he’s learning on the job. Nervous on the ball and struggled with Palace’s movement.
Michael Keane 4 At this point, his inclusion is a social experiment. Zero tackles won. Zero presence. The ghost of defending past.
Vitalii Mykolenko 5 Booked early and played like he was walking on eggshells. Offers nothing going forward lately.
Tim Iroegbunam 6 Put in a shift, but he’s being asked to do the work of three men while the veterans around him spectate.
James Garner 5 A passenger for large spells. Needs to stop pointing and start playing. Yellow card was avoidable.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall 5 Supposed to be the creative spark, but the spark plug is fouled. Looked tired by the hour mark.
Merlin Röhl 6 Some bright sparks again, but clearly not a natural winger. Moyes is going to ruin his confidence playing him out of position.
Iliman Ndiaye 6 The only player who looks like he’s enjoyed a football in his life. Sadly, no one is on his wavelength.
Beto 7 Took his goal well and actually put himself about. Deserves better service than hopeful punts.

Subs: Thierno Barry (N/A), Tyrique George (N/A), Charly Alcaraz (N/A). Too little, too late.. 

The Moyesiah Complex

The narrative will be "it's a tough place to go" and "Palace are a good side." The reality is we are 10th and drifting. Without Grealish and Branthwaite, the lack of depth and tactical imagination is glaring. We had the fresh legs and the lead twice, yet we settled for a point as if we were fighting relegation.

If this was the "final effort" for Europe, it was a whimper, not a bang. We’re safe, but Moyes is so godamn boring. I really don't feel like giving him any points. 

 

Reader Comments (33)

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Bill Fairfield
2 Posted 10/05/2026 at 16:39:39
If you don’t take your chances, this is what happens.
We had enough to win this game, Just typical of us.
Jim Bennings
3 Posted 10/05/2026 at 16:41:18
I wouldn't give any one more than a 6 today.

We were overrun at times by a team that played a match on Thursday night, we looked knackered and Moyes reluctance to give games to the likes of George, Aznou, Dibling and the same old tired central defenders at fullbacks like O'Brien which should have been binned last May.

Ndiaye was poor, good footwork, no end product, the old all fart no shit phrase comes to mind.

Dewsbury-Hall was disappointing today and should have killed the game off at 1-0 up.

The Moyes obsession with the Barry for Beto sub is not needed, Beto was fine he was playing well, yet Moyes subs him off and again especially not for the first time away from home, we lose all the impetus fast, ball not sticking.

Another poor season lost and barely any progress made.
Steve Brown
4 Posted 10/05/2026 at 16:50:35
Mike, very generous 6 for Tarkowski.

And Moyes gets a 3 for selecting Tarkowski and Keane again as the centre-back pairing.

Tarkowski’s defending when Mateta almost won the game in injury time should have come wth a laughter track.
Ian Pilkington
5 Posted 10/05/2026 at 16:56:42
Barry was on for an inexplicable 20 minutes which deserves more than a N/A.
I’d give him 3.
And I go along with Michael regarding Moyes. Palace have played 56 competitive matches this season compared to our 39, yet he is unwilling or unable to raise our game against them.
Ian Bennett
6 Posted 10/05/2026 at 16:58:51
The defence is garbage, all of them.

The midfield coughed possession to easily.

The attack couldn't take their chances.

Subs had zero impact.

Keane & Tarkowski zero. Finger pointing at each other, when a striker pulled off them.

Criminal defending again.
Joe McMahon
7 Posted 10/05/2026 at 17:01:43
The substitutions, and timing of them was textbook Moyes. How on earth will Charly feel? At 63 years of age, hes not going to change is he. He just hasn't evolved. The treatment of younger players is disgraceful.

Sick to my back teeth of him, and let's face it this morose bore will be here next season for his 13th as Everton manager.
Craig Walker
8 Posted 10/05/2026 at 17:13:51
Ndiaye is talented but he needs to start drawing players and releasing the ball. Once he beats one man, it goes to his head. He cost us in the City game. We have very few players who can shoot.

Tarkowski and Keane have been good servants but they cost us games, time and again.

Fed up of seeing Barry ambling around, often sulking.

You knew we needed a 2 goal cushion, at least. In the end, I think we were lucky to take a point. Mateta offered them something. Our subs didn’t.

We’re not ready for Europe. We’d be in a relegation dogfight if we were playing on Thursdays.
Andrew Grey
9 Posted 10/05/2026 at 17:15:53
Has Tarkowski's head been put on his foot?
Jim Bennings
10 Posted 10/05/2026 at 17:22:36
Had a feeling when we lost the derby that we wouldn't win another game this season, reckon I'll be proven right now.

We'll struggle to beat Sunderland, they are a decent side and will see it as a chance to finish above us, in the main we've been pretty much inept at home most of the season, I can't see next Sunday being a great deal different.

Then it's away to Spurs where we'll no doubt make them look like Real Madrid as we usually do when we travel down there.

All in all it's been a disappointing ending to a season that around New Year promised better than it's given, coupled with two crappy early round Cup exits, just feels as though not much has changed again.
Kevin Naylor
11 Posted 10/05/2026 at 17:30:42
Just feels like a typical Moyes season to me, some highs but on the whole disappointing (especially losing to the RS twice).
John Collins
12 Posted 10/05/2026 at 17:33:49
Bland is the word Kevin.
Beige football club under Moyes
Kevin Naylor
13 Posted 10/05/2026 at 17:35:29
Also very predictable John.
Dave Abrahams
14 Posted 10/05/2026 at 17:45:34
Michael (O/P) Rohl was selected today mainly to help O’Brien defend so you should have taken 3 points off O’Brien and given them to Rohl who I thought had another good game.

With defenders Tarkowski had around him today he deserved every one of them points and that’s without his goal and the long pass up towards Beto for our second goal, he made mistakes but got us out of trouble quite a few times too.
Allan Board
15 Posted 10/05/2026 at 18:01:05
The only reason some are happy with this season is because relegation was never an item on the agenda. Now that is some aspiration!
This is what I want-
NEVER lose to the shite at home and always make the game at Mordor contentious, nasty and spiteful. Those 2 fixtures are non negotiable and should define every season at Everton- until we have this city back on a football basis and are more successful than them. Whether you like it or not, they are the yardstick in the City and must be beaten, humiliated regularly in the first instance. That's just the start of it. Get that bloody monkey off our backs and keep them there- forever.
I want a team full of narks who respect no teams and show zero sympathy to anyone,and go out to hammer any team they play. Non stop onslaught from start to finish. I want no teams in this league looking forward to visiting HD- and lower league teams knowing they are going to get smashed and shown zero respect. That's what winners do,and that's what I want.
Moyes won't deliver any of this. Get a manager who wants "in" on the project and buy loads of younger, narky sods who want to rip this current melee apart and start bloodying a few noses in the PL. This is not currently acceptable to me, the last 4,no 5 league games should have all been won- every opposition were there for the taking and the players and manager blew it. About time EFC started setting a few precedents on what is and isn't acceptable and only the highest of standards applies. Only 1 point better off this season after spending 100 odd million aint acceptable. Standards define life and indeed sport,so start showing some EFC.
Neil Cremin
16 Posted 10/05/2026 at 18:25:54
How Ndiaye gets a 6 is mind boggling. I have not seen him do anything that contributed to the team for some time now. Yes he beats players but there is no end product. If Beto or Barry missed the chances he has missed in the last couple of games we would be questioning why he is not being dropped. Jim at 3 describes his efforts well. KDH was also very poor and wasteful.
I know we love to blame Moyes but with the chances we had we should have been out of sight by half time. Thats on the players
Eric Myles
17 Posted 10/05/2026 at 18:37:20
Like John Major John #12, "The man at C&A"
John Collins
18 Posted 10/05/2026 at 18:39:29
They could be brothers.
Grey men
Liam Mogan
19 Posted 10/05/2026 at 18:47:28
Jaded Moyes looks more like Bartender Mo from The Simpsons with every passing week
Anthony Dwyer
20 Posted 10/05/2026 at 20:25:11
Keane and Tark can't be 1st choice next year, we need to get Obrien in at cb with Braithwaite, if Braithwaite can't stay fit then we need to buy someone.
Tark is so slow he'd struggle catching Mcneil, and Keane has struggled for 4 years, he's simply not good enough, tbh the only things he does well is in the attacking positions, I can't believe he's jot been given a run there over the past 3 years.
Barry and Beto could both do with being moved on also, need something better if we want to crack the European places.
Today I felt Ndiaye and Dewsbury Hall were the main reason we didn't take all 3 points, both very wasteful all match.
Jay Lewis
21 Posted 10/05/2026 at 20:32:17
Keane wasn't a 4 and Garner wasn't a 5 to be fair. Keane more of a 5 and Garner more a 7.
Irobeunam was the best midfielder today along with KDH who should have done better with his chances in front of goal but the whole gameplay was just a mess. We should play the intense press more against teams like Palace, we could have had it won comfortably before half time if we had played with the same intensity before we scored the first
Ian Horan
22 Posted 10/05/2026 at 22:03:20
The irony of Beto and Barry not being on the pitch at the same time is that add together both goals tallies they have would but then 3rd in scoring charts and that without penalties. Crazy thought
Jim Bennings
23 Posted 10/05/2026 at 22:46:55
Hard to put a true accurate measurement on the game.

Yes it was a game we needed to win, it was a game we should have been winning, and the way the game panned out, we could have scored 5, while insanely as the minutes ticked by I felt convinced Palace would sneak it in the end, and the Mateta chance was almost a carbon copy of Haaland's on Monday night.
Jack Convery
24 Posted 11/05/2026 at 03:37:44
Stones on his way to EFC and possibly John McGinn too.
Ian Wilkins
25 Posted 11/05/2026 at 06:57:57
This was a sloppy performance all round. Nobody had a good game. Poor in possession, needless handing over of the ball. Lacking energy and drive against a team that had played Thursday night and have a looming cup final.

Wanting to sit back and defend, after twice taking a lead, without the necessary focus to do so. Failing to capitalise on numerous good chances. For whatever reasons we just weren't at it yesterday.
Ajay Gopal
26 Posted 11/05/2026 at 08:04:12
Jack (24), if those are the players we buy, Stones & McGinn - both of whom will be 32 years - at the beginning and by October of the new season respectively, then we know that the sum total of TFG's ambitions is to just stay in the Premier League. Then I question what has changed for the fans as a result of the TFG take over? The stadium was built by Moshiri, and TFG are just milking the revenue off of it. The whole footballing mentality - scouting, recruitment, youth development, footballing philosophy - unless they change, I don't see how we are better off than the Kenwright years?
Jack Convery
27 Posted 11/05/2026 at 10:53:35
Ajay 26 - I fully agree. They would be Moyes type signings. Alongside, Keane, a 1 year extension, Tarkowski a 2 year extension, Mykolenko's contract, according to Transfer Market, is now up in June 2027, though Coleman's is still the end of this June. As regards Gueye, it's up in June too but the club have an option of a 1 year extension.

I also think Rohl and Tim are currently auditioning for a part in next season's squad. The fact Dibbling and Armstrong are not getting a look in, has me thinking they will be loaned out, Armstrong back to Preston and Dibbling to somewhere in the North West, where Moyes can keep an eye on him. Personally I'd offer him to Wrexham, where there is a really positive vibe.

McNeill will be off and I fear one of Branthwaite / N'Diaye will also go. Knowing EFC it will be both of them !
Nathan Ford
28 Posted 11/05/2026 at 13:33:01
Before the match even started I said to the wife first sub will be barry on for beto on 70 minutes. Thats how predictable our manager is that you can name the first sub to minute it happens. He may of improved our league position as a club but he seems out of touch with modern day football
The problem is he has no idea how to attack teams and win games. Plan A always seems to be not to lose and sneak a win if possible. Modern day football you want to see marauding fullbacks overlapping widemen and stretching the opposition defence. We pay alot of money as supporters to be entertained. Personally I think we should be going all out for Bournemouth manager Irola. Entertaining football and loves to play and trust young talent which is also a great business model for the club
Bill Hawker
29 Posted 11/05/2026 at 17:06:49
Garner a 5 being "a passenger for large spells."

Garner was all over the pitch. He was everywhere. A passenger?

I couldn't disagree more with a player rating than this one. He most certainly was not a passenger.
Colin Malone
30 Posted 11/05/2026 at 17:21:37
I agree. Merlin is not a winger. KDH needs to look over he's shoulder. He should have been substituted for Coleman to go right back and Merlin moved to replace KDH.
Sean O\\\'Hanlon
31 Posted 11/05/2026 at 19:15:46
Keane a big fat ZERO. At fault for both their goals. Shit clearance on first, and turned his back on second.
Moyes is a stubborn buggar!
Jake should be centre back, and bring in Patterson at right back.
But Muppet Moyes won't change it.
Anything Tarks did wrong, is wiped out by his goal IMO.
Bob Parrington
32 Posted 12/05/2026 at 01:35:31
Beto put in great effort. Garner was worth more than a 6, as was Rohl.

Strange header by Tarkowski, Michael? Perhaps attached to his right foot!

Agree with the ousting of Tarkowski and Keane for next season. New RB and move O'Brien in to accompany Jarrad (hopefully fully fixed!!).

What are the chances Aznou will be given the left-back position for which he was signed? Rohl, Dibling and George should be retained. Maybe do not sign Grealish. A gifted player but he was slowing down our transition speed.
Paul Griffiths
33 Posted 12/05/2026 at 03:22:41
Sean - 31 - and don't forget his assist.

I'm no James Tarkowski fan at all, but some of the stuff on this particular thread/match about him is just plain wrong or it seems to fail to note his goal and assist.
Darren Hind
34 Posted 12/05/2026 at 07:33:21
Paul,

Tarkowski had another Weston, mate. Took his goal well. Very well in fact, those chances are not as easy as they look.

Take a look at the first Palace goal. Yes, Keane's clearance was very weak and he has rightly taken plenty of stick for it... But look at Tarkowski's contribution. He retreats to his go-to position (right in front of the keeper) and if you slow down the progress you will see it is his deflection which takes it past Pickford.

Then look at the second goal. That's his ball. That's why centre-backs take up that position. He got his positioning right, but he shows the lateral movement of a 40-ft wagon, then he turns his back.

He was lucky he didn't give them a third. Mateta was licking his lips when he came on. Previous encounters between the two have shown he is bigger, faster and stronger.

Here's the thing: both players knew it and it was no surprise when, despite having a big advantage, Tarkowski was out-paced, out-muscled, and put on his arse. An embarrassing mis-match.... hich could and should have lost us the game.

Tarkowski will probably go down as a legend (by today's standards). His heroics went a long way to ensuring our survival, but he is finished, mate. Has been for some time. There is no room for sentiment in this game. It's far too costly.

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