The former Toffee was making his competitive Palace debut at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and played his part in some impressive passing moves, particularly in the first-half.
But despite hitting the post twice and missing three big chances, the Eagles were the victims of two Everton goals either side of the break, and struggled to regain their momentum thereafter.
McNeil reflected: “It was disappointing. I think it’s two poor goals that we conceded.
“We should have had a couple of goals ourselves, especially in the first-half. We hit the post twice and if we took those chances, it probably would have been a different game.
“Like I say, it's some little bits in the game [that changed it]. In the Premier League, mistakes get punished, so we've got to try and rectify that. And for all the good play, it’s those little things that we need to work on – and take our chances.”