Everton’s fixtures include two must-win home matches after Crystal Palace draw deepens relegation fears
Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton
SELHURST PARK — Everton slipped to 18th in the Premier League on Saturday and there is now a sinking feeling when looking at what is to come, particularly given this brand of football under Sean Dyche is failing to produce results – or a modicum of excitement.
The draw at Crystal Palace is another point gained, but the fact they are now winless in five makes for troublesome reading for Everton fans, who will know the importance of Thursday’s match at Goodison Park against Newcastle.
They will also hope Bournemouth at home on the final day is a match they don’t have to rely on for safety, but now into the drop-zone after Leicester’s win over Wolves, relegation is now a very real prospect unless their form and fortunes change.
Premier League table
Talk of the nine-way relegation scrap now feels like a distant memory at Selhurst Park. Palace have the spring back in their step under Roy Hodgson, and such fears were behind them heading into this match after three wins on the trot with the 75-year-old back at the helm.
Such is their change in fortunes that Palace knew victory would move them level on points with Chelsea in 11th, while Everton started the match down in 17th and looked to leapfrog Leeds, who lost at Fulham earlier in the day.
And in this, the final match of Abdoulaye Doucoure’s three-game suspension, Everton desperately sought a level of control that has been so lacking of late. Defeat at Manchester United may have been expected, but last weekend’s home defeat to Fulham exposed their shortcomings without Doucoure, who had gone from just the two leagues start under Frank Lampard this season to starting every match under Sean Dyche until his red card against Tottenham.
Such control was not forthcoming early on, with Palace on top and almost taking the lead when Jordan Ayew headed over, while Everton were left feasting on scraps.
More worryingly Everton were susceptible to the long ball, with both Ayew and Michael Olise threatening on numerous occasions, only for crosses to narrowly miss their intended target.
Everton were not exactly a distant second-best in the first half, and despite struggling for possession they had a half-chance when Alex Iwobi’s volley from 25 yards out forced Sam Johnstone to make a low save.
Dyche: Only the final table matters
Asked about whether he was concerned by Everton’s drop to 18th, Dyche said: “It’s just the reality, that’s the league table. I don’t really bother with it until the end. Nothing means anything apart from the table at the end of the season. The bit in between is about making sure that table looks right for us.”
Sean Dyche said a point and clean sheet at Crystal Palace is a positive result (Photo: PA)
Dyche also added that a point away at Selhurst Park, plus a clean sheet, would ordinarily be seen as a positive.
He said: “The hardest thing to measure is the reality of the opposition. They’ve just won three on the trot, so to take that on and be as secure as we were I was pleased with that side of things. I still think we can player better.
“There have been challenges since I’ve come here, including injuries, but there’s still work to be done. Normally you’d take a point and a clean sheet here, so we can’t change all the goalposts, but the reality is that we need to win games.”
In truth, though, it was a forgetful opening 45 minutes, with Everton’s struggles – and style under Dyche – perhaps summed up by the fact centre-backs James Tarkowski and Michael Keane are both venturing forward for throw-ins from vaguely promising positions.
The highlight of the first hour, in fact, were the half-time penalties as one young Everton fan scored their spot-kick and sprinted over to the corner flag to re-enact Tim Cahill’s boxing celebration before a young Palace fan also scored and ran over to shush the Everton supporters.
But back to the actual football, where in the second half Palace thought they had the lead when Eberechi Eze lobbed Jordan Pickford, only for offside to rule the goal out.
Everton’s best chance of the match then came from a Pickford long ball, which fell kindly for Iwobi before his pass found the returning Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose smart turn was followed by a low strike that just missed the near post.
Everton’s remaining fixtures
27 April – Newcastle (h)
1 May – Leicester (a)
8 May – Brighton (a)
14 May – Man City (h)
20 May – Wolves (a)
28 May – Bournemouth (h)
With 25 minutes remaining this match had the feel of a 0-0, as it had done throughout the first half, but still it presented Everton an opportunity to sneak all three points with Nottingham Forest in a right back-and-forth at Liverpool and Leicester being held by Wolves.
Everton were then down to 10 men when Mason Holgate received a second yellow card with 10 minutes to go, switching their focus to earning a point despite the fact Leicester took the lead against Wolves at around a similar time.
And that’s how it ended. Leicester picking up three points, Everton one, and though defeat for Nottingham Forest at Anfield means there are problems elsewhere, Dyche has some job on his hands to preserve his side’s Premier League status.
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