Report: Dwight McNeil double downs Palace at Goodison Park

Summary

• One change to the side which drew with Man Utd

• 9: Eze has a free-kick that strikes the wall, Wharton’s follow-up is blocked

• 11: GOAL - Guéhi pokes Palace ahead following a corner

• 14: Palace defend astutely to prevent an instant Everton reply

• 24: Calvert-Lewin squanders Everton’s best chance of a first-half equaliser

• 26: Muñoz sees his effort cleared away in the nick of time

• 27: Nketiah sees a goalbound curling effort headed away

• 38: McNeil heads wide for Everton

• 44: Wharton and Lacroix go close for a second just before the break

• HT: Everton 0-1 Palace

• 47: GOAL - McNeil scores a sensational effort to equalise after the restart

• 54: GOAL - He then gets a second from close range to give Everton the lead

• 64: Eze and Nketiah combine well, but can't work a shooting chance

• 78: Eze beats two players on a surging run, but his shot is blocked

• 81: Lacroix does incredibly well to deny Everton’s Doucouré

• 90+4: Goalkeeper Henderson gets on the end of a Eze cross, but it’s wide

• FT: Everton 2-1 Palace

For what would potentially be the last-ever time they travel to Goodison Park, Oliver Glasner and his men were in search of their first league win of the campaign.

He made a solitary enforced change to his side, with centre-back Chris Richards injured, bringing Jefferson Lerma back into the defence alongside new signing Maxence Lacroix and captain Marc Guéhi.

The Toffees have had a troubled start to the season, throwing away 2-0 leads against Aston Villa and Bournemouth to lose 3-2 on both occasions, with their only win coming against League Two Doncaster Rovers.

The hosts made two changes to their side which drew with Leicester City last weekend, with Jarrod Branthwaite making his first start of the season in place of Michael Keane and Vitaliy Mykolenko replacing James Garner.

With the theme from Z-Cars ringing around the old walls of Goodison Park, the two teams took the field, exchanged handshakes and promptly got the game underway in the Merseyside sunshine.

Palace were off to a strong start, enjoying more of the ball and creating chances when attacking the Gwladys Street End. Ebere Eze had the first real attempt on goal, though his goalbound free-kick cannoned back off the wall.

The follow-up from Adam Wharton was charged down and forced behind for a corner, to which Palace capitalised. Daichi Kamada kept the ball alive to work it out to Wharton in the second phase of the corner and the midfielder managed to pick out Lacroix on the far post.

A header back across from the towering defender was poked home by Guéhi and the skipper wheeled away in celebration of his first goal of the season.

Everton almost responded immediately after Palace took the lead, but astute defending from Guéhi saw him flick away a ball that looked destined for the head of Dominc Calvert-Lewin.

Ironically, the Everton No. 9 missed what was arguably their best chance of the half by not getting on the end of a dangerous driven Dwight McNeil cross across the six-yard box. The ball evaded all the Palace defenders and the boot of Calvert-Lewin.

Almost immediately after Calvert-Lewin missed that chance, Palace were straight back down the other end and had won yet another corner. Wharton’s whipped corner found the two Colombians combining as Lerma headed down for Daniel Muñoz, but the latter’s attempt was cleared away.

Eddie Nketiah’s first real attempt on goal came from the corner which followed after Muñoz’s cleared effort, the No. 9 curled a strike bound for the top corner on the edge of the box, but it was headed away by the Everton defence.

Everton’s McNeil headed wide of the mark after getting on the end of a Vitaliy Mykolenko cross, while Lacroix’s header at the other end of the pitch was narrowly wide after being pressured by Jordan Pickford.

On the stroke of half-time, Tyrick Mitchell saw a cross headed away by Everton captain James Tarkowski and it fell perfectly for Wharton to hit on the volley. The midfielder obliged and his well-struck effort was on target but collected by Pickford.

After the interval the game was turned on its head by a stunning McNeil strike. With what was the first attempt of the second-half, the Everton No. 7 found himself in space and curled an exceptional strike into the side netting from about 20-yards out.

Palace now had to get their noses back in front, but it was Everton in the ascendancy with the backing of Goodison behind them. Noise levels increased with the hosts effectively camped in the Palace half and as a result they found a second within a few minutes of equalising.

Substitute Jack Harrison whipped a ball in from the right hand side to pick out McNeil, who took a touch to keep it alive before volleying it in from the edge of the six-yard box.

The Eagles now had it all to do with the scoreline in favour of the Toffees. Eze and Nketiah combined well to break through the lines, but neither could work a shooting chance near the hour-mark.

Eze was again at the heart of Palace’s attacks. With just over 15 minutes remaining he went on yet another surging run through the middle, holding off two Everton players and getting a shot away that was blocked.

Everton had a golden opportunity to seal the points in the dying embers of the game through Abdoulaye Doucouré, but an outstanding recovery run from Lacroix saw him claim the ball off the midfielder who was one on one with Dean Henderson.

As the game trickled into stoppage time, it was Henderson who had Palace’s best attempt at salvaging a point. He got on the end of Eze’s ball into the box from a free-kick, but his header was wide and safely averted by Everton.

It wasn’t to be for Glasner and his side at Goodison Park as the referee shortly brought an end to proceedings after the allotted four minutes of stoppage time. Attention now turns to facing the red half of Merseyside as we welcome Liverpool to Selhurst Park.

Everton: Pickford (GK), Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Mangala (Gueye, 82), A. Doucouré, Lindstrøm, Ndiaye, McNeil (Garner, 82), Calvert-Lewin.

Subs: Virginia (GK), Keane, Beto, O’Brien, Iroegbunam, Armstrong.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Muñoz, Lacroix, Guéhi, Lerma, Mitchell, Wharton (Hughes, 88), Kamada (Sarr, 62), Eze, Nketiah (Schlupp, 74), Mateta.

Subs: Turner (GK), Ward, Chalobah, Clyne, Umeh, Agbinone.

As it happened