Crystal Palace can avoid repeat of last season’s disastrous finale by replicating performance against Everton

EVERTON 1

Rodriguez 56

CRYSTAL PALACE 1

Batshuayi 86

BY SAM SMITH

It was at this juncture last season that Crystal Palace collapsed. Their form spiralled, injuries decimated the squad and a seven-match losing run was only halted by a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the campaign.

There are fears that a similar catastrophe could resurface, largely because the South Londoners’ Premier League safety is all but secured and thus the pressure of needing results has been somewhat relinquished. However, this very promising performance against Everton has partly dashed those concerns.

In many ways, this was one of the best displays by Roy Hodgson’s side this term. They were progressive, attacked with incision and appeared free from the strict defensive restraints that have made recent matches difficult to watch. All of this was against an Everton team that has spent most of the season competing for European qualification.

A higher defensive line was exposed on a few occasions, but you concede being harder to break down when you adopt a more attack-minded approach that offers less protection to the back four. After months of tedious performances, it is a risk that many Palace fans will feel is worth taking.

Regardless, Everton found goalkeeper Vicente Guaita in outstanding form. Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were both twice denied when one-on-one with the Spaniard. Guaita was unfortunate when he once again kept out Richarlison, only for Seamus Coleman to collect the rebound and pass to James Rodriguez to score the Merseysiders’ only goal.

That it was Michy Batshuayi who struck the late equaliser, following a week in which he was involved in a spikey exchange with Hodgson, presented a fascinating subplot to a game which deserved more goals.

The striker publicly aired his frustration over his lack of playing time during the international break. A goal for Belgium in an 8-0 victory over Belarus led to Batshuayi being questioned on his club situation, given that he had not featured in any of the previous five matches.

“I get a breath of renewed energy when I come into the national team because it’s very hard for me at my club,” Batshuayi told Belgian media.

“The coach, the team members and the system are different from that at Palace. With Belgium I feel a lot of trust from the coach – trust that I do not get there.”

Hodgson, meanwhile, had no issue with the frustration but urged the on-loan Chelsea forward to prove his worth against opposition of Everton’s calibre rather than Belarus, who are ranked 88^th in the world.

This goal was the perfect riposte. Just two minutes after arriving as a substitute, the 27-year-old took Wilfried Zaha’s pass into his stride and finished low across Robin Olsen with his left foot. Powerful and precise, it was a prototype Batshuayi finish but was just the second goal of his latest loan spell with the Selhurst Park outfit.

Hodgson will want far more from a player who expects to lead the line.

Batshuayi’s goal takes Palace onto 38 Premier League points. It was in the equivalent 30^th game last season that a dominant performance by Palace defeated Bournemouth 2-0 on the south coast. That victory pushed them on to 42 but there would be another eight matches before another point was earned.

How the Eagles end the season will show what lessons have been learned from the disastrous spell after Project Restart. That there remains the possibility of a first top-half finish in six years should be an added incentive to not allow the form to deteriorate so drastically.

Last week, Hodgson pointed to injuries as a key factor to their demise. Indeed, a couple of key players were absent but that only tells half the story.

Performances were poor and at times carefree, almost as though the task of survival had been completed and that there was no other target to achieve. After that win over Bournemouth, Palace shipped 18 goals and scored only three. That points to a far harsher issue than just a few injuries.

Of course, the Eagles have a difficult final eight fixtures. Of them, only Sheffield United sit below Palace. They still have to host runaway leaders Manchester City and there are fixtures against Champions League contenders Chelsea, Leicester City and Liverpool.

Arsenal and Aston Villa also visit Selhurst Park. That is a far harder run-in than the previous campaign, but this performance against Everton is evidence that points can still be earned. A repeat of that display and its attacking nature is the only way a more successful finish will be achieved.

STAR MAN: Vicente Guaita. The Spaniard kept Palace in the game for large periods.

BEST MOMENT: Batshuayi hopped off the bench and within two minutes had scored the equaliser.