The way he arrived as Crystal Palace manager was unfortunate to say the least, but Oliver Glasner will have been encouraged by Roy Hodgson seeing his former team at Goodison Park for the first time. Palace deserved at least a point against slumping Everton; Everton need all the help they can get from their appeal against the 10-point deduction to stave off another relegation.
Sean Dyche believed the new Palace manager’s presence had galvanized the visitors as Jordan Ayew scored a superb strike to cruise to their first win at Goodison in almost 10 years, with substitute Amadou Onana scoring a late save for Everton. The draw took Everton out of the relegation zone due to goal difference ahead of Luton, who have played fewer games but are falling behind in terms of performance.
Relating to: Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace: Premier League – live reaction
Dyche’s side are heavily reliant on set-pieces to score goals – Onana’s equalizer was their 10th goal from a corner this season – and they are currently winless in eight Premier League matches. Everton have put in a terrible performance over the last few days against a Palace team that has a managerial shortage and has suffered 11 defeats in their previous 18 games. The manager’s attempt to talk it out was another source of concern. Asked if this was a missed opportunity, Dyche said: “Oh no.” “That’s another spot on the board. We also just got out of the relegation zone. Now we are waiting for 10 points [verdict]But no, I haven’t heard anything yet.”
The positives were under the protection of the Palace. Glasner, who was confirmed as Hodgson’s successor shortly before kick-off, was seated next to chairman Steve Parish in the Goodison directors’ box. When the former England manager fell ill on Friday, his predecessor’s coaches Ray Lewington and Paddy McCarthy took over as planned. The visitors switched to a three-man central defence, with Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell operating Everton as wing-backs.
Glasner’s first impressions of English football were extremely repulsive. The last two FA Cup ties between the teams have lowered expectations for the fourth meeting of the season and the first half certainly fell short of expectations. Essentially it consisted of Everton launching one long ball after another in Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s general direction, with Palace centre-halves Joel Ward, Joachim Andersen and Chris Richards absorbing them with ease. Dyche’s team had no plan B.
The guest team’s defensive strength and organization will have excited the former Eintracht Frankfurt coach. Palace also had a better chance of having a terrible first half, but poor finishing and a goal-line strike put Everton off. Odsonne Édouard shot straight at Jordan Pickford and Jefferson Lerma converted an inviting chance after being stopped by Muñoz. Jean-Philippe Mateta went close with a header at the back post from Adam Wharton’s deep corner, but Ashley Young cleared off the line.
Everton’s pre-match hopes centered on the return of leading striker Abdoulaye Doucouré; This player made only his second appearance since the team’s last league win on 16 December due to a hamstring problem. Doucouré was largely anonymous but released Dwight McNeil for Everton’s brightest moment before the break when Calvert-Lewin headed in the winger’s inviting cross. It was the end of a forward with low self-confidence and now 19 clean sheets.
Truth be told, Everton’s center forward was too isolated to make a meaningful impact. Calvert-Lewin was expected to win not only the first ball but also the second ball. It was a brutal game and Everton’s lack of quality in possession, coupled with their tendency to go backwards, proved that Goodison’s limited patience was severely tested. A minute of added time at the end of the first half meant little mercy.
Jarrad Branthwaite, who had a tough night against the powerful Mateta, escaped as he attempted to clip the striker’s heels as he entered the area. Mateta also underestimated James Tarkowski’s attention and sent Mitchell through on goal after outpacing the Everton captain. Pickford cleverly moved off the line to deny the wing-back’s attempt.
The course of the game appeared to be shaped by two contrasting moments two minutes into the second half. Everton should have taken the lead through Doucouré but instead found themselves behind Ayew’s precise strike. Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was instrumental in both. Johnstone made a pointless save to prevent Tarkowski heading in for a McNeil corner. The rebound fell to Idrissa Gueye, who dragged the shot over goal and into the path of his midfield mate. Left alone at the back post, Doucouré had a great opportunity from four yards out and Johnstone took the ball to safety just in front of the line.
Seconds later the Palace goalkeeper fired a goal kick deep into Everton territory, which Édouard headed towards Mateta. The France striker stopped Branthwaite to find Ayew, who made a powerful effort from outside the box into Pickford’s far corner. Everton were looking at a disastrous defeat when Calvert-Lewin headed in another good chance from McNeil’s cross and Johnstone cleared James Garner’s shot. But in the end, from McNeil’s corner, Onana rose above the Palace keeper to equalize vitally from close range.