Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace
by James Nalton
at Bramley-Moore Dock

JACK GREALISH ended Crystal Palace’s 19-game unbeaten run with a goal in added time to complete a spirited Everton comeback at Bramley-Moore.

Daniel Munoz was involved in all three goals, scoring in the first half for Palace, giving away the penalty for the equaliser, and then seeing his clearance bounce back off Grealish and into the goal for Everton’s winner.

Palace opened the scoring when Ismaila Sarr drove at the Everton back line and forced left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko to come inside, leaving Munoz free down the flank. 

Jordan Pickford, making his 300th league appearance for Everton, charged out in an attempt to narrow the angle, but the Colombian right back slotted it past him.

For much of the game, the most likely scenario looked like it would be Palace adding more goals than an Everton comeback, but the home team gave everything to get back into it, buoyed by a noisy home crowd.

A ball played hopefully into the channel by Mykolenko was heading into the path of Tim Iroegbunam, but Munoz tangled with him clumsily. Referee Michael Salisbury was right to point to the spot, and Ndiaye dispatched the penalty in typically classy fashion. 

It was perhaps no surprise that Everton’s goal came from the penalty spot, as they have been struggling to get decent performances from their strikers and didn’t look much like scoring from open play.

Neither Beto nor Thierno Barry have done enough to make that position their own so far this season, and this was demonstrated again when Beto replaced Barry at halftime.

Palace were still creating the best chances as the second half got underway. Pickford did well to intervene when Sarr broke through and crossed dangerously from the right, while Jake O’Brien cleared a Jean-Philippe Mateta shot off the line.

Shortly after, Sarr rounded Pickford, but saw his shot blocked before Mateta picked up the rebound, but mis-hit his shot when he should have scored.

Both teams pushed for a winner as the noise ramped up around the new stadium, and Everton got it after Beto rose to power a header at goal from Ndiaye’s cross. Dean Henderson saved the shot from point-blank range, but Munoz’s clearance hit Grealish and found the net.

Somehow, Everton had found the goals to give them a much-needed first win in four games, and Bramley-Moore was bouncing into the international break.