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Tim Howard’s day to forget gifts Crystal Palace first win of the season Tim Howard’s day to forget gifts Crystal Palace first win of the season
(about 2 hours later)
Crystal Palace and Europe do not combine well for Everton. Five months on from a 3-2 win that edged Tony Pulis’ team towards safety and floored Roberto Martínez’s Champions League aims at Goodison Park, they conjured a repeat to give Neil Warnock his first victory since returning to the club as manager. This was not so much a post-Europa League hangover for Martínez’s men as a display littered with basic errors. A European hangover offered a convenient excuse for Everton’s second home defeat by Crystal Palace in five months but Roberto Martínez did not go there for good reason. It was nonsense. His team remain winless in the league at Goodison Park, and officially in the realm of a bad start to the season, because of another display strewn with basic defensive errors. A side with Everton’s ambition cannot afford such repetition.
Everton failed their first test of the dual demands of European and Premier League football not because of tiredness and rotation but casual, careless defending, with Tim Howard in particular enduring an afternoon to forget. Palace triumphed 3-2 at Goodison in April during their escapology feat under Tony Pulis and repeated the act to give Neil Warnock his first win since returning to the club as manager. “A massive relief,” said Warnock, albeit he claimed a victory based on industry and resilient defending was richly deserved. It was an outcome few would have predicted as Everton dominated the opening 25 minutes with the confidence and fluency that characterised Thursday’s Europa League win over Wolfsburg.
The USA international was culpable for two of Palace’s goals and received little protection from those around him. Not that they were overworked by the visitors either. Warnock’s team accepted their gifts, defended resolutely and deserved the high-fives that came from their jubilant manager on the pitch after the final whistle. However, with Tim Howard gifting Palace their opening two goals in a match to forget for the goalkeeper, Leon Osman caught dawdling for the visitors’ third and his defence creaking under the slightest pressure, Martínez was left with familiar torment. “It is an incredible situation when you look at how solid we were against West Bromwich Albion last weekend and Wolfsburg,” said the Everton manager. “There is something spooky about the statistics. Three shots on target, three individual errors, three goals. It was a strange game. We were fantastic for the first 20 minutes and looked like we had seven days to prepare, not just a few.”
Martínez had made four changes to the team that defeated Wolfsburg in the Europa League on Thursday as rotation made a rare appearance at Goodison following the continuity of recent years. If anything, the opening half hour was a little too comfortable for Everton who, with the luxury of an early goal and unthreatening opponents, failed to rouse themselves when the chance to take control of the contest presented itself. Romelu Lukaku swept the home side ahead as James McCarthy, Everton’s best player, and Osman combined to send the Belgium international clear of the Palace defence for his second goal of the season. It should have been the foundation for an Everton side showing four changes to the Europa League game to flourish but, if anything, the opening proved too comfortable for Martínez’s team. Despite the luxury of an early goal and unthreatening opposition, Everton could not seize the opportunity to take control of the contest when it presented itself and paid with a second defeat in three home league games.
Leon Osman and Christian Atsu, two of the fresh faces, swiftly sliced through the Palace defence and the on-loan Chelsea winger shot into the side-netting having evaded Damien Delaney’s challenge in the area and goalkeeper Julian Speroni at the near post. Romelu Lukaku bemoaned Atsu’s decision to shoot rather than cut the ball back to the unmarked centre-orward. His irritation lasted less than 60 seconds, however, as James McCarth and the prominent Osman combined to create the striker’s second league goal of the season. Everton enjoyed 76% possession in the first half, comfortably contained the occasional counterattack from Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon and almost doubled their advantage when Osman shot straight at Julián Speroni from Christian Atsu’s lay-off. Seconds later, a straightforward chance became a turning point when Palace were gifted an equaliser and valuable momentum. “We needed to kill the game in that period,”Martínez said. “If Leon scores the game is over.”
Taking McCarthy’s pass first time, Osman flicked the ball between the visitors’ central defenders and Lukaku raced clear to bury a confident finish inside Speroni’s right-hand post. He almost had a second from a smart turn and cross from Samuel Eto’o while Osman had a clearer opportunity when Gareth Barry picked out Atsu with a lofted chip into the area. The Ghana international squared for his fellow midfielder but Osman’s shot was straight at the Palace keeper. Seconds later, and from out of nowhere, it became a turning point. There appeared little danger when Bolasie’s flick-on landed between three Everton players inside the penalty area but, with John Stones waiting for Howard to collect and the goalkeeper hesitating, James McArthur was able to intercept. Palace’s record signing touched the ball a fraction before Howard and the referee Michael Oliver had no hesitation pointing to the spot when the USA international sent him sprawling. The captain Mile Jedinak sent an unstoppable spot-kick into the top corner.
Everton enjoyed 76% possession in the first half, coasted at times and dealt easily with the occasional counterattacks from Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon. Yet they gifted Warnock’s team an equaliser on the half hour and suddenly Palace had the momentum as Everton’s performance disintegrated. Palace were unfortunate not to take the lead before half-time when Bolasie’s long-range effort deflected off Stones and struck the crossbar with Howard stranded. It arrived shortly after the restart with another error from the Everton goalkeeper, so commanding against Wolfsburg but part of a creaking defence against Palace. The source was simple, a deep cross to the back post by the former Liverpool defender Martin Kelly, yet Howard was unable to claim under pressure from Fraizer Campbell and the ball struck the striker unwittingly on the back of the head and looped over Phil Jagielka on the line.
There appeared little danger when Bolasie’s flick-on landed between three Everton players inside the penalty area but, with John Stones waiting for Howard to collect and the goalkeeper hesitating, McArthur was able to intercept. Palace’s record signing touched the ball a fraction before Howard and referee Michael Oliver had no hesitation pointing to the spot when Howard sent him sprawling. The captain Mile Jedinak sent an unstoppable spot-kick into the top corner. Martínez replaced Stones and the ineffective Atsu with Kevin Mirallas and Steven Naismith in an attempt to inject some urgency and quality into the Everton attack but defensive errors continued to undermine their performance. With 20 minutes remaining Puncheon dispossessed Osman outside the home area and released Bolasie inside the area for an emphatic low finish into Howard’s far corner.
Palace were unfortunate not to take the lead before half-time when Bolasie’s long-range effort deflected off Stones and struck the crossbar with Howard stranded. It arrived shortly after the restart courtesy of another error from the Everton goalkeeper, so commanding against Wolfsburg but part of a creaking defence against Palace. The source was simple: a deep cross to the back post by the former Liverpool defender Martin Kelly, yet Howard was unable to claim under pressure from Fraizer Campbell and the ball struck the striker unwittingly on the back of the head and looped over Phil Jagielka on the line. Palace’s first league win of the season appeared assured but they had to survive a nervous finale when Scott Dann upended McCarthy in the box with eight minutes remaining and Leighton Baines converted the penalty. Lukaku almost levelled from a Mirallas cross in the final moments but Palace’s tireless defenders merited the reprieve.
Martínez replaced Stones and the ineffective Atsu with Kevin Mirallas and Steven Naismith in an attempt to inject urgency and quality into the Everton attack but defensive errors continued to undermine their performance. With 20 minutes remaining Puncheon dispossessed a dawdling Osman outside the home area and released Bolasie inside the area for an emphatic low finish into Howard’s far corner. “We deserved to win it,” Warnock said. “We gave Everton too much respect at the start but I felt at half-time that if we were more confident on the ball we had the ammunition to hurt them on the counterattack. Every fixture in the Premier League is winnable.”
Palace’s first league win of the season appeared assured but they had to endure a nervous finale when Scott Dann upended McCarthy in the box with eight minutes remaining and Leighton Baines converted the penalty with ease. Lukaku almost levelled from a Mirallas cross in the final moments but Palace held out. Man of the match Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace)