Crystal Palace have held Everton to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park on Monday night.
The Toffees dominated almost entirely from the get-go but for 81 minutes could not find the back of the net, hitting the woodwork no less than three times against a staunch Eagles outfit.
After holding out on the back foot for most of the evening, Palace struck a sucker punch in the 76th minute when Scott Dann headed home Jason Puncheon’s corner.
The Toffees would not be denied at least a point, however, as Romelu Lukaku latched onto Gerard Deulofeu’s fizzing ball from the right to tap home five minutes after Dann’s opener.
The goal was just deserts for Lukaku who found the woodwork twice, including a scintillating volley from the top of the box that thundered off the crossbar.
Despite defending for much of the contest, the visitors had chances of their own. Yannick Bolasie came close to opening the scoring on two occasions, forcing as many smart saves out of Tim Howard.
A point means Palace remain one point ahead of Everton on 23 points in sixth place, with the Toffees sitting in ninth, level with Watford and Stoke City.
That’s one of the best points all season thanks to @WayneHennessey1 and the crossbar #cpfc
— James Mcarthur (@jamesmcarthur16) December 7, 2015
Formations
Roberto Martinez was forced into one change to the team that drew with AFC Bournemouth last weekend. James McCarthy lost his fitness battle after sustaining an injury against the Cherries and was replaced by Tom Cleverley, who started in midfield against Middlesbrough in midweek.
Like his counterpart, Alan Pardew was forced into a change with Wilfried Zaha suspended. Club captain Mile Jedinak was recalled for his first league start of the season. That saw something of a flat midfield three, with Puncheon pushed out to the left-hand side.
Palace smashed and grabbed, but still attacked
Palace set themselves up for a defensive performance and that is what they delivered. Their skipper Jedinak, banished from the starting lineup for much of the season, was recalled seemingly to add extra defensive nous in midfield in light of Zaha’s suspension. Indeed the move was a negative one with attackers including Frazier Campbell and the returning Dwight Gayle named on the bench.
The Eagles allowed their hosts to dominate possession, with Everton controlling the game in its entirely, ending the match having controlled 62% of the ball. They were compact and only allowed Everton to breach their structure once, despite the woodwork being struck three times and Wayne Hennessey pulling off a miraculous save to deny a vicious Cleverley strike.
Yet Palace did not just defend. As one can expect when a team is defensively structured, they waited for their opportunity to attack on the counter, with Congolese winger Bolasie acting as the main outlet. Pardew’s side actually fired more shots on target than Everton, with Bolasie striking two of those.
Even though the 26-year-old was not able to convert, Palace were eventually rewarded through Dann, who thundered home a header from Puncheon’s 76th-minute corner. What was something of an attacking smash and grab was only denied by Lukaku’s equaliser.
Deulofeu remains Everton’s leading artillery
Like Lukaku, the Spaniard continued his brilliant form, notching up yet another assist for the Belgian, the seventh time the two have combined in both the league and the Capital One Cup.
Everton’s play heavily favoured the right-hand side and Deulofeu saw plenty of the ball, attempting seven take-ons on the right-flank and attempting 21 crosses. Only two of those were successful, though the one that counted was met and converted by Lukaku.
Martinez makes little change
Interestingly, despite drawing level and chasing the three points, the Spanish gaffer made little change to his starting XI. Only Leighton Baines was introduced from the bench at the expense of youngster Brendan Galloway, who appeared to be struggling against Bolasie.
The decision not to change the status quo came as a surprise given Everton’s position and the wealth of attacking flair that sat on the bench: Kevin Mirallas, Aaron Lennon, Darron Gibson, Steven Naismith and Leon Osman.
Everton Conclusion
The Toffees will be bitterly disappointed they only took one point from this match after dominating for such long periods. They remain a point behind the Eagles and seven points away from the top four ahead of next week’s trip to Carrow Road. However, Martinez should not be forced into any kneejerk reactions. Luck was a big factor in Everton dropping two points and for the most part, the play remained fluid if a little slow against a compact and well structured Palace team.
Crystal Palace Conclusion
Unlike the Blues, Pardew and Palace will be delighted with a point. Their defensive structured held out for 81 minutes against an Everton team that looks very well oiled at present and will take a huge deal of confidence from the draw into their next match against Southampton at Selhurst Park.
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