Jack Grealish scored a 93rd-minute winner as Everton ended Crystal Palace’s club record 19-game unbeaten run across all competitions by beating them 2-1, with the result also stretching the Eagles’ winless run in Premier League (PL) away H2Hs to 11 games.
Key stats
- Everton have won after trailing at half time in the Premier League for the first time since 28th September 2024 against Crystal Palace (six games without a win after trailing at half time)
- Crystal Palace have lost 5 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, only Brentford (eight) and Fulham (six) have lost more
- Only the second time Jack Grealish has netted a 90th minute goal in the Premier League (also November 2020 for Aston Villa v Southampton)
Analysis
Crystal Palace had plenty of chances to put the game to bed, but were left to rue the missed opportunity to go second in the Premier League as Everton applied the pressure late on in the game.
Match report
Those in attendance at the Hill Dickinson Stadium were treated to a lively opening in which both teams registered a shot on target inside the opening 10 minutes.
Jordan Pickford got down low to thwart Yéremy Pino, before England colleague Dean Henderson gathered Jack Grealish’s driven effort.
Rather than the hosts, it was the in-form visitors who kicked on from the entertaining start, with Tyrick Mitchell rattling the upright to demonstrate the threat of Palace’s wing-backs in Oliver Glasner’s system.
The Toffees failed to take heed of that warning, and were subsequently punished by Daniel Muñoz in the 37th minute. The right wing-back made an untracked run to latch onto Ismaïla Sarr’s layoff and calmly guide the ball past the onrushing Pickford at the near post to break the deadlock.
The Eagles went into the break with a lead for the fifth time in the PL this season, and they went close to doubling their advantage just before the hour-mark when Jean-Philippe Mateta saw his goalbound chip desperately headed away by Jake O’Brien.
Just moments later, Mateta failed to capitalise on another gilt-edged opportunity, dragging his effort wide when it seemed easier to roll it into the bottom corner. The disappointment of that miss was compounded when the Toffees were awarded a penalty for a clumsy challenge on Tim Iroegbunam.
Everton talisman Iliman Ndiaye shouldered the responsibility to stroke home his third goal of the season and leave the game finely poised for the final 15 minutes.
The contest appeared to be heading towards a draw until Grealish snatched all three points in stoppage time. Muñoz attempted to clear his lines after Henderson denied Beto, only for Grealish to block the clearance and force the ball over the line for Everton’s first win since the end of August.
As a result, David Moyes’s charges climb to seventh, leaving them just a point behind the fifth-placed Eagles, who were beaten for the first time since mid-April.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Iliman Ndiaye (Everton)
Post-match comments
Jack Grealish told Sky Sports that he ran straight to where his parents were sitting after scoring his first Everton goal.
"It's brilliant. It's so nice to score here," he said.
"Do you know what's mad? The last games we've played here we've been drawing and I keep saying to myself in the 85th minute, 'Come on Jack, go and score. Imagine if you scored now'.
I did it against Villa, I did it against West Ham and I didn't score, so today I actually said the same thing again and I scored and I ran to where my mum and dad were, so it was nice. That goal goes to all the Evertonians for making me feel so welcome here.
"That's what you want to do as a winger, I have one goal and four assists that's what I want to do. It was difficult to do that today against such a good team. They have some unbelievable players.
"I think Adam Wharton today, I can see the Man of the Match award there, I think it's coming to me but I think it should go to Adam Wharton because, in my opinion, he was the best player on the pitch today."
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner said he hopes his side will learn from the defeat and "make the next step forward".
"We're very disappointed today about the result definitely because 60/70 minutes we played so well, so it was a top, top performance," he told Sky Sports.
"We had a similar situation against Liverpool, we could be 3-0 up easily but we were just 1-0 up and then they came back and it was just the same. I think we could be up 3-0 easily and then we make one mistake in defence, penalty 1-1 and then it's an open game again.
"So on the other side this is what we're missing to be a top Premier League team is the efficiency in our attack because I saw a really top game over 60/70 minutes and this is maybe the step we have to go, the development we have to take. The performance for a very long time was fantastic.
"The crowd was here, the stadium was loud and they got the confidence back and then I think it was one situation where it was decided.
"It hurts really massively today because I think the last defeat was in April but maybe we need this disappointment, to feel this pain to make the next step forward. From the last defeat we have great learning and we will now do the same."