VAR can always be relied upon to take attention away from football. This wasn’t an advert for the FA Cup and certainly wasn’t about the fixture’s odd schedule and neither Crystal Palace nor Everton would welcome a trip to Goodison Park again. But there was a flashpoint in the 79th minute for those still wary to ponder, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin sent off for a misjudged rather than outright dangerous tackle on Nathaniel Clyne. Even then James Garner missed a chance for the visitors to claim victory but they felt doubly wounded after Dwight McNeil was taken away on a stretcher late on.
If the authorities were serious about this competition, they would not have allowed the third-round opener tie to go ahead on Thursday night, just 48 hours after the end of the Premier League’s sprawling festive programme. A rainy night in south London didn’t have much of a positive effect, but Arthur Waite’s rude sighting of the 4,000 Everton fans packing nearly half the stands as the teams emerged was a reminder that no-one has yet found a cure for the cup fever. Most travelers from the northwest will have moved heaven and earth to make a nine-hour return journey by road; they deserve much more respect from planners.
Relating to: Crystal Palace v Everton: FA Cup – live
Both executives set out on a path that would at least make their work worthwhile. Rotation was minimal as neither team was required to play again for at least a week and a half; Sean Dyche made three changes and Roy Hodgson forced two. While it would be difficult to lose Jordan Ayew to the Africa Cup of Nations and the in-form Michael Olise to injury, Palace could at least give a start to 19-year-old Brazilian forward Matheus Franca.
Everton won the exciting league match 3-2 in November, and the sides scored goals in the first five minutes. The closest he came to similar heroics in the early stages of this period was Jeffrey Schlupp’s wobbly shot, handled uncomfortably by João Virginia on his first start of the season, which would have missed the far post.
When Palace came again, Eberechi Eze lunged towards the 18-yard line but threw himself at Amadou Onana’s leg, rolled dramatically and was deservedly shown a yellow card. Sanctions were imposed for a similar offense at the previous meeting. Everton came to enjoy most of the area and Arnaud Danjuma, a threat on the left, was threatened by two angled attacks. The first veered towards the side netting; The second came after Jack Harrison’s pass and took a smart stop from Dean Henderson, who bent over from behind.
Wanting to contribute more constructively, Eze aimed a free kick inside the D but blasted his shot wide. It was that kind of start, effort rarely matched with certainty. Franca almost took a shot at the wrong end as he slid Harrison’s low corner towards goal towards the half-hour mark, Henderson kicking over.
Everton’s top-flight possession average is 39%; here, as the interval approached, 60% was allowed. Perhaps it was not surprising that their share of the ball did not create clear-cut opportunities. Although Vitaliy Mykolenko cleared Schlupp’s cross well, Palace were no longer convincing. In the 39th minute, Jefferson Lerma made his best opening half-time from 18 yards; Harrison then saw an effort blocked but the game was waiting for a spark.
Of course proceedings would begin: no one liked replaying the draw. Five minutes after the restart, Eze took a quick look when his fierce shot from the right of the box drew a good clearance from Virginia. Palace reemerged assertively, Hodgson applauding the goal when he overcooked a through ball after Marc Guéhi had walked forward. At the same time, Virginia scored a clear punch after a deep free-kick from Eze momentarily caused alarm. But it seems his lack of cunning had become chronic.
Everton appeared to have found their opening with Calvert-Lewin, who had not been involved until now, moving inside to the left after McNeil had stepped on an error from Nathaniel Clyne. But Calvert-Lewin’s finish, which Henderson missed, showed all the belief of a player who had not scored since October 29. Onana then nodded from six yards after going back from a corner; Few clues remain that anyone who was there could have discovered its direction.
Franca joined Schlupp, who linked up with Hodgson for the final 20 minutes. Danjuma, still shaking, caught a loose ball but fired straight at Henderson. Everton ran out almost immediately. Calvert-Lewin’s challenge to Clyne as he tackled a loose ball deep in the Palace half sparked little outrage in real time, but VAR replay showed he was glancing at the right-back’s shin with his studs up. Christopher Kavanagh went to the monitor and showed a controversial red card, much to Dyche’s disgust. At least it was something to talk about.