The lowdown on Crystal Palace 1 Everton 2 – Eagles’ poor Premier League home form continues as mistakes are punished against the Toffees

BY MITCHELL HALL

Crystal Palace fell to a frustrating 2-1 home loss to Everton in the Premier League after dominating the game for the majority of proceedings.

Here is Mitchell Hall’s lowdown on the match

THE LINE-UPS:

Crystal Palace: Henderson, Munoz, Richards, Lacroix (Nketiah 86), Guehi, Mitchell (Chilwell 60), Hughes (Kamada 86), Lerma (Wharton 46), Sarr, Devenny (Eze 46), Mateta. 

Subs not used: Turner, Clyne, Esse, Kporha.

Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gana, Garner, Alcaraz (Iroegbunam 86), Lindstrom (Young 79), Harrison, Beto. 

Subs not used: Virginia, Begovic, Keane, Sherif, Dixon, Heath, Ebere.

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

Crystal Palace seemed in control of the game early on, seeing an early goal ruled out of play before Sarr hit the bar from close range. Tyrick Mitchell and Jefferson Lerma would soon literally throw that control away. Mitchell’s throw-in sailed past Lerma, who was not even looking, and straight through to Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz slid Beto in to his left and he made no mistake with the finish.

Mateta hit back soon after half-time with a thumping finish when Marc Guehi hooked a ball over the top of the defence following a failed clearance. Mateta met it well and smashed it low into the bottom right corner to equalise.

But it was Everton who got the last laugh. They had been mounting the pressure when a ball to the back post was headed into the back of Chilwell’s arm. The cries for a penalty were cut short as Ashley Young’s shot was blocked and fell to Alcaraz in the area, who smashed home for the lead.

TACTICAL APPROACH

Palace made just one change from their Premier League victory at Manchester United, with Justin Devenny coming in for Daichi Kamada on the left side of attack. Palace were direct when they received the ball, working it forward quickly and playing it to Jean-Philippe Mateta whenever possible for him to drive at defenders. His threat on the counter was especially dangerous early on, sometimes occupying three or four defenders and creating space for teammates to exploit.

Everton were initially cautious in their approach, relying on the hold up play of Beto and the creativity of Jack Harrison, Carlos Alcaraz and the occasional deep run of Jesper Lindstrom to create threats. That changed as they grew into the game in the second half, and by the time of the second goal they were pinning Palace in their own box.

STAR MAN 

It was hard to choose a standout in Crystal Palace’s ranks today. Mateta’s finish and hold up play was punctuated with a bad miss and periods of anonymity that make calling him the star man feel generous. Instead, Marc Guehi stood out the most, remaining calm at the back despite the increasingly frustrating state of the game. 

His assist was indicative of his performance, lurking in the right place and striking with a moment of class amidst the chaos. He had his share of loose passes and dispossessions as well, but his performance was the most consistent of the offerings in red and blue.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

Buying and selling fouls. When you think of football thespians, you think of wingers like Mohamed Salah and Jack Grealish chancing it in the box by throwing themselves over in hopes of a penalty, but it is just as aggravating when it occurs at the other end of the pitch.

A defender throwing themselves over under pressure in the box sounds like a risky strategy, but it rarely is, as referees seem insistent on calling every tumble a defender takes a foul, regardless of how much or even if the defender was touched. James Tarkowski seemed especially aware of this fact in the first half.

TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB

A bad mistake at a worse time for Mitchell. There is never a good time to commit an error as large as the one he did for the first goal, but to do so amidst the arrival of a new, high profile player in your position, is a nightmare. 

Mitchell was hooked shortly after half-time and went straight down the tunnel, dejected. Chilwell immediately made a heavy tackle that drew huge cheers from the crowd, perhaps symbolising a changing of the guard for Palace’s left wing-back role.

WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY

“It is a very disappointing result, but the game was how we expected it.”

“We spoke of efficiency before and taking the opportunities when you get them. We had a few in the first half where we did not take them and we gave them a goal just before half-time.”

“It is tough when you are down, but it was a good reaction straight after half-time. We had the momentum but we could not take advantage again.

“Now it is again up to us to learn from it and improve our performances against teams that play in this way.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD