Report & Highlights: Palace beaten late on at Everton

Summary:

• Two changes for Palace from the side victorious against Dynamo Kyiv, with Mitchell and Sarr back in the starting XI.
• 2: Pickford reacts well to keep out Pino’s placed effort as Palace start on the attack.
• 19: Guéhi is denied from point-blank range by a combination of Keane and Pickford.
• 26: Mitchell smashes a rising drive against the outside of the woodwork.
• 27: Mateta is denied by Pickford moments later as Palace go up a gear.
• 35: Barry miscues from a Garner cross in Everton’s only real chance of the half.
• 37 – GOAL: Muñoz finishes off a fine team move to deservedly give Palace a first-half lead.
• HT: Everton 0-1 Palace
• 48: O’Brien tests Henderson with a looping header, dealt with by the ‘keeper.
• 56: Sarr’s pull-back is cut out just before reaching Mateta.
• 60: Mateta chips over Pickford but sees his effort cleared off the line by O’Brien.
• 64: The Frenchman then places an effort wide after being found by Sarr.
• 66: Alcaraz is denied for Everton by a fine high save from Henderson.
• 75 – Goal: Everton equalise against the run of play as Ndiaye converts a penalty.
• 90+3 – Goal: A clearance cannons off Grealish, after Beto is denied by Henderson.
• FT: Everton 2-1 Palace

Little under 72 hours after defeating Dynamo Kyiv in Poland in our first-ever match in a major European competition proper, Oliver Glasner’s Eagles were on their travels once more, making the long journey up to Merseyside for a first match at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Two Palace players returned to the starting XI for the game, with Will Hughes – withdrawn early in Lublin – replaced by Ismaïla Sarr, as Daichi Kamada dropped back into midfield; and Tyrick Mitchell in for Borna Sosa.

Everton away is a fixture in which, it must be said, Palace have traditionally struggled; the Eagles were without a win away to the Toffees in their last 10 visits (dating back to September 2014), and had won just one of our last 21 Premier League meetings against the Toffees.

This Palace team began brightly on Merseyside, coming close to opening the scoring inside the first two minutes through Yeremy Pino.

With Everton struggling to clear a Chris Richards long throw – a theme in particular of the first-half, as the American launched throw after throw into the area, causing panic each time – the ball fell for Pino to hit first time on the edge of the box. He placed his finish through a crowd of bodies; Jordan Pickford, to the ‘keeper’s credit, got down low to his right and did well to turn it away.

Everton had their moments on the counter but found the door slammed shut time after time, whilst Palace’s defenders were equally as impressive at the opposite end of the pitch. After Maxence Lacroix won an initial flick from another long throw, Guéhi pounced on a loose ball. Six yards out, his shot nicked up off Michael Keane, taking the pace off enough for Pickford to somehow claw it clear.

The Eagles were continuing to press forwards, finding plenty of space when they went direct. Tyrick Mitchell – scorer of Palace’s Goal of the Month for September – almost made an early claim for October’s prize, driving at Jake O’Brien and shooting powerfully from the edge of the box, smashing his effort against the outside of the woodwork.

Moments later, another intricate pass through from Ismaïla Sarr – between two defenders – gave Jean-Philippe Mateta the chance to shoot from a tight angle. He went for Pickford’s near post, and only a sharp stop from the England international prevented the ball from sneaking in.

Everton were largely devoid of attacking threat in the first period, although Thierno Barry did miss a glorious opportunity 10 minutes before half-time as he failed to connect with James Garner’s whipped delivery – Guéhi doing well to put the forward off.

Then, on 37 minutes, Palace’s fully-deserved breakthrough. It was a move which typified the swashbuckling, rapid pace of football Glasner’s side have typified of late, as Guéhi fed the ball into Pino’s feet and the Spaniard turned sharply, releasing Sarr.

With options to his left and right, the No. 7 drove towards the box and released Muñoz on the overlap. Pickford raced from his line and appeared to take a step forwards in anticipation of a pull-back – but Muñoz defied him, placing the ball into the unguarded near post before celebrating his second goal in three days with a full-throttled knee slide.

A half-time change, and renewed energy after the break, did appear to spur Everton on immediately after the restart, as their first real spell of sustained pressure arrived.

The closest they came during that spell was a looping Jake O’Brien header which was too high for Dean Henderson to catch; Palace half-cleared, but the ball eventually fell for Beto to strike, only for Richards to block with his legs.

But the Eagles rode out that early Evertonian storm and continued to create promising openings, particularly down the right flank. Some fine link-up play between Muñoz and Sarr put the latter into a promising position, but his pull-back was but out just before reaching Mateta.

Mateta then had a couple of glorious opportunities in quick succession, as Muñoz prodded the ball past two Everton defenders and the Frenchman carried the ball goalwards. With teammates in support, Mateta opted to chip the advancing Pickford – but his deft finish was headed off the line by O’Brien.

Moments later, an arguably even better chance as Pino played through Sarr, who opted against shooting on his weaker left foot from a tight angle. He squared it past Pickford for Mateta, who had two Everton bodies to beat on the line – but the No. 14 placed a poor shot wide of the post.

As if to reminder Palace of the danger of a one-goal lead, on 66 minutes, a long ball broke kindly for Carlos Alcaraz to charge through into the box. From a tight angle, at pace, the midfielder fired a rising shot goalwards – but Henderson sprung high to turn it over the bar.

But for all of Palace’s positive play, there remained just one goal in it – and a chipped ball forwards toward Tim Iroegbunam saw Lacroix second to it inside the box, the Everton man drawing a foul.

Iliman Ndiaye stepped up and sent Henderson the wrong way for an equaliser against the run of play.

Everton tails were certainly up, and home voices lifted – but Palace, to their credit, looked like they would defy any inevitable fatigue to battle to a fully-merited point.

That was until a cruel twist three minutes into stoppage time. Ndiaye managed to dig out a cross from the right, Beto headed down, and Henderson made a superb save at point-blank range.

Muñoz, unsighted, spun and attempted to clear, the ball cannoning off Grealish and into the roof of the net.

Despite a succession of late long balls into the box, Palace could not pick up any points on Merseyside, their run unbeaten just short of the six-month mark – which, when reflected upon by generations to come, was quite the feat in itself, despite today’s bitter taste of defeat.

Everton: Pickford (GK), O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane (Iroegbunam, 65), Mykolenko, Gana, Garner, Dibling (Alcaraz, HT), Ndiaye (Coleman, 90+10), Grealish, Barry (Beto, HT).

Subs: Travers (GK), King, Patterson, McNeil, Aznou.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Muñoz, Richards, Lacroix, Guéhi, Mitchell, Kamada (Lerma, 81), Wharton, Pino (Devenny, 88), Sarr (Uche, 89), Mateta (Nketiah, 70).

Subs: Benítez (GK), Canvot, Sosa, Cardines, Hughes.

As It Happened