Report: Palace slip to late Everton defeat

Summary:

• Eze, fresh from signing new contract, returns to the starting XI
• Michael Olise makes first matchday squad appearance this season, starting on the bench
• Everton go ahead inside a minute through Mykolenko’s header
• Eze responds immediately, winning a penalty with an incisive weaving run
• The midfielder converts a cheeky spot-kick to draw level after five minutes
• Palace maintain attacking momentum; Edouard and Ayew efforts blocked
• Ward makes important header to deny Calvert-Lewin
• Eze sees strong appeal for second penalty turned down
• HT: Palace 1-1 Everton
• Mykolenko volleys against the post and Doucouré converts rebound
• Eze’s fizzing drive tests Pickford as Palace look to reply
• Palace pile on the pressure but Everton hold firm
• Pickford forced into reaction save to prevent Gueye own-goal
• Lerma sidefoots wide from the edge of the box
• Olise makes return from the bench on 67 minutes
• Winger’s deflected effort narrowly misses the top corner moments later
• Lerma’s header picks out Edouard to scoop home second equaliser
• Olise denied by Pickford at the near post
• Gueye breaks into the box to snatch Everton's late winner
• FT: Palace 2-3 Everton

Palace went into the fixture riding a wave of positivity, bolstered by a 2-0 win against Burnley at Turf Moor; Ebere Eze’s return to action, and assist, in that match; the playmaker’s new long-term deal with Palace; and Michael Olise’s first appearance in a matchday squad this season, having recovered from his own lengthy injury troubles.

The match was preceded by an impeccably observed minute’s silence on Armistice Day, Selhurst Park uniting to remember the fallen amidst poignant scenes.

When the match did kick-off, it did so at a ferocious pace – and rarely let up from there.

It took just 55 seconds for Everton to open the scoring. Jarrad Branthwaite’s long ball forward was only half dealt-with, allowing Jack Harrison to hang an inviting cross up which Vitalii Mykolenko crashed home from close range – a sign of events to come.

Palace responded immediately. Seconds after Jeffrey Schlupp’s powerful run was ended by a sliding tackle and Palace voiced their appeals, Eze made his first majestic impact, picking the ball up in a deep position and shimmying past three or four Everton defenders before his standing leg was caught – a concrete penalty.

Picking himself up and grabbing the ball, the end result of Eze’s spot-kick felt inevitable: the most relaxed penalty you’re likely to see, as the midfielder calmly waited for Pickford to commit himself before tucking the ball into the bottom corner.

After striking the second blow, and with Eze seeing plenty of the ball, the attacking momentum remained with the hosts, a succession of shots from the edge of the box – Edouard in particular – denied by Everton’s bodies-on-the-line defending.

Up the other end, however, the Toffees did produce in select moments, with Joel Ward stretching to reach Harrison’s searching cross ahead of the looming Dominic Calvert-Lewin – and doing well to win a goal kick from the contest.

The possession and shots from Palace continued to flow in the first-half, and they saw another penalty appeal turned down with a quarter of the game gone when Eze – having danced past two defenders on the byline – was seemingly clipped by Branthwaite, only to be booked for simulation. The VAR review, this time, went against him.

The playmaker’s invention continued to sparkle: a cute flick for Edouard saw the forward have a shot blocked from a tight angle, before a cute ball over the top led to the Frenchman being flagged for offside after his lob was blocked by Pickford.

It was to the amazement of all at Selhurst Park, therefore, that the two teams went in at 1-1.

Upon the restart, lightning struck twice: from the visitors’ first real attack, a corner was only half-cleared, and Mykolenko sidefooted an accurate volley against the base of Johnstone’s post, allowing Doucouré to tap home from close range.

That second shock paved the way for wave upon wave of relentless Palace pressure in the second-half, the charge well and truly led by the influential Eze.

Indeed, the No. 10 almost equalised immediately again, exchanging a one-two with Ward and having his fizzing drive deflect away off Pickford’s chest.

Moments later, a lovely cushioned pass from Tyrick Mitchell allowed Jeffrey Schlupp to lob a delicate cross to the back post, where Idrissa Gueye diverted the ball towards his own goal – and forced Pickford into a low reaction save.

Edouard was the next Palace forward to go close, having an effort blocked by Branthwaite on the slide, before laying off towards the edge of the box where Lerma – sprinting onto it – side-footed narrowly wide of the bottom corner.

The Palace fans sensed an equaliser was imminent, their roars were only bolstered by the introduction of Olise from the bench on 67 minutes – the Frenchman’s first competitive match since 25th June, some 139 days ago.

The winger looked to pick up where he left off, a series of darting runs and impressive skills only adding to Palace’s near-relentless pressure on the Everton goalmouth.

Olise almost brought about the equaliser within seconds, bending a deflected effort from 25 yards just beyond the crossbar, but with Palace’s next attack, they would claim a well-deserved equaliser.

A flat cross from Ward towards Eze was only headed out by Branthwaite to the edge of the box, where Lerma leapt to win it ahead of Doucouré. The ball looped over the entire Everton backline and found Edouard at the backpost, and he made no mistake in scooping the ball past the onrushing Pickford.

Although a wave of relief surged around Selhurst Park, the pressure from Palace did not let up. They continued to hunt for a winner, Olise testing Pickford at his near post with a low, drilled effort.

But there would be one final sting in the tale, as Gueye made a late run into Palace’s box and – picked out by Doucouré – slid a low finish into the bottom corner to snatch all three points for the Toffees against the run of play.

Palace: Johnstone (GK), Ward, Andersen, Guéhi, Mitchell, Lerma, Hughes (Ahamada, 89), Eze, Ayew, Schlupp (Olise, 67), Edouard (Mateta, 83)

Subs: Matthews (GK), Holding, Clyne, Richards, Doucouré, França

Everton: Pickford (GK), Young (Patterson, 90), Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Doucouré, Garner, Onana (Gueye, 45) Harrison, Calvert-Lewin (Beto, 77), McNeil

Subs: Virginia (GK), Keane, Godfrey, Chermiti, Dobbin, Danjuma

As It Happened