Everything you need to know about Everton in the FA Cup

Match previews

17 Nov 2023

Crystal Palace will be hoping to set up an FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Luton Town by overcoming Everton in a replay at Goodison Park on Wednesday, 17th January (19:45 GMT) – so let's get the latest on the Toffees once more…

FACTFILE

Manager: Sean Dyche
Current position: 17th
Nickname: The Toffees
Ground: Goodison Park
Founded: 1878 (146 years ago)

WHAT’S THE STORY?

What a phenomenal turnaround Sean Dyche has overseen at Everton since the Premier League’s announcement of their 10-point deduction in mid-November – although the announcement of further charges earlier this week mean stormy seas may well be on the way once more.

But after failing to win any of their first five matches and winning just two of their opening ten in the league this season, Everton suddenly rocketed up the Premier League form table having won four games on the trot.

A difficult Christmas fixture list, however, losing three games on the spin against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, has been a reminder of the battle still on their hands.

With Everton moving into their brand new stadium for the start of the 2025/26 season, Premier League survival is financially paramount, and the form of Dyche’s side – prior to their festive fixtures, at least – will do much to ease fears in Merseyside for the immediate future of the club.

Everton are five-time former winners of the FA Cup, most recently in 1995 when a 1-0 win the Toffees left Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side trophyless at Wembley.

Of course, any discussion of this fixture in the context of this competition brings back memories of Palace’s four-goal demolition of Everton in the 2022 quarter-finals, with Selhurst Park bouncing as the Eagles booked their place at Wembley.

That result came little over 100 years since Palace’s only previous win against the Toffees in the FA Cup: an almighty upset in January 1922, when the south London outfit – then in Division Two – put six goals past their Division One hosts at Goodison Park.

Palace are yet to beat Everton in their four meetings since their March 2022 triumph, however.

Everton arguably enjoyed the better chances in the initial third-round match two weeks ago, with Dean Henderson in particularly strong form in goal for Palace, but were also perhaps fortunate to survive a late barrage from their hosts following the dismissal of Dominic Calvert-Lewin – the forward now free to play in this replay after having his red card overturned.

Roy Hodgson’s men will now be looking to get the job done at the second attempt.

THE BOSS

After losing seven of his first twelve matches as a manager to Palace, Dyche has proven something of a nemesis for the Eagles in recent times, unbeaten in his last eight meetings across spells at Everton and Burnley.

He kept the latter in the Premier League for almost a decade, and has impressed many with his results thus far at Goodison Park.

Dyche has never gone beyond the fifth-round of the FA Cup as a manager; he reached that stage twice with Burnley.

BOOT IN BOTH CAMPS

James McCarthy joined Palace from Everton in 2019, going on to make 52 appearances for the club over two seasons and frequently featuring alongside former Wigan teammate, James McArthur.

Another recent Toffee, Andros Townsend, left for Everton after 185 games at Crystal Palace. He scored seven times in 27 games for the Merseyside club, before suffering a serious ligament injury that would prevent him representing the club again.

Townsend completed a move to Luton Town in October.

RECORD AGAINST PALACE

Palace boast a mixed record against Everton in the FA Cup, having won just two of their six previous ties – albeit both by handsome margins, as previously mentioned.

Yet two years after the Eagles’ memorable 4-0 defeat of the Toffees at Selhurst Park in the quarter-finals, the two teams meet once again in this competition for what is our seventh meeting in Cup history – making Everton our second most-regular opponent in the competition.

Prior to the stalemate at Selhurst two weeks ago, Marc Guéhi, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Wilfried Zaha and Will Hughes were all on the scoresheet for Palace in the last Cup meeting – yet you sense, given the tight first game, that just one goal could well prove enough to settle this season's tie.

2 minute Highlights: Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton

DID YOU KNOW?

The 1893 FA Cup final between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, at Fallowfield Athletics Ground in Manchester, was something of a farce, as the crowd encroached upon the pitch, impeding play so much that Everton, beaten 0-1, unsuccessfully demanded a replay.

Ever wonder where the nickname ‘The Toffees’ comes from? There are several disputed stories, but the most widely accepted relates to a shop named Mother Noblett’s, which sold sweets and toffees including the black and white striped Everton Mint.

Mother Noblett’s was located opposite the lock-up in Everton village, the cylindrical brick building the club badge is based on. A tradition ensured, as the ‘Toffee Lady’ would walk around the pitch at Goodison Park throwing bags of Everton Mints into the crowd.

Everton’s other nicknames have included ‘The Black Watch’ during their periods playing in all black, so named after the 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, and ‘The School of Science’, after their attractive and innovative style of play in the late 1920s.

Everton once retained the title for five years straight. Well, sort of. They have had several interesting spells as champions, beginning in the early days of the English Football League. Their first title came in the 1890/91 season, becoming just the second team to lift the trophy after Preston North End.

Aston Villa and Sunderland dominance followed, but Everton fought back and claimed another tittle in 1915. However, with the outbreak of the First World War domestic football was cancelled and Everton remained the holders until West Bromwich Albion’s success in 1920.

In 1939 they suffered the same fate, pipping Wolverhampton Wanderers to the title before the beginning of World War Two. Everton were technically the holders until 1947 when cross-city rivals Liverpool took the crown. By this time, of course, much of the Toffees’ title-winning side had been broken up, and many had gone to fight in the conflict. They were forced to wait almost two decades for their next.

MATCH DETAILS

Wednesday, 17th January
19:45 GMT
Goodison Park
Live audio commentary on Palace TV+

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