Crystal Palacevs.Everton

James Tarkowski scored a phenomenal 98th-minute volley to salvage a point against rivals Liverpool, and draw the curtain on the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Match preview

David Moyes and Everton may need more than two days off to recover from the chaotic scenes at Goodison on Wednesday night, in one of the most remarkable endings to a match anywhere in Europe this season.

Tarkowski's one-in-a-million strike sent the Gwladys Street into absolute rapture, as the ensuing celebrations saw fans spill onto the pitch, and those joyous scenes were repeated a few minutes later when VAR confirmed the goal was good.

When all the emotion and delirium is put to one side, Everton may also realise that Wednesday's draw moved them another step closer to safety, with Moyes's men now a comfortable 10 points clear of the drop.

Everton restricted Liverpool to their lowest xG (0.64) and number of shots (six) in any match this season, on a night where a point was the absolute minimum they deserved, and illustrated the continued improvement they have made under Moyes.

With 10 points from a possible 15 taken since Moyes replaced Sean Dyche, they now face opponents against whom they have a very impressive recent record against in Crystal Palace.

Despite going winless in their last seven trips to London, Everton's last success in the capital was against Palace in November 2023, and that was also the last time they managed to string together more than one away win in succession.

Moyes won his only other away game in charge since returning to Everton, away at Brighton & Hove Albion last month, and the visitors will know a win would move them above both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur for the time being, while also putting them level on points with Palace.

The Toffees are unbeaten in the last eight iterations of this fixture, four of which came last season, when they also met in the third round of the FA Cup, which needed a replay to settle it.

Dwight McNeil's double helped Everton to a come-from-behind 2-1 at Goodison earlier this season, extending Palace's dismal run in this fixture to just two wins in 23, but rather surprisingly, the Toffees have not completed a league double over Palace since Moyes's first spell, back in 2004-05.

The Eagles will be full of confidence ahead of this clash though, thanks to some excellent recent form that has catapulted them away from trouble.

Oliver Glasner's men won just three of their first 18 league games this season, but they have now won four of their last six, also keeping five clean sheets in their last six across all competitions.

However, it appears unlikely that Palace could mount a late charge for Europe, even if England are given an additional spot by UEFA, with Glasner's side down in 12th, seven points adrift of eighth-placed Aston Villa.

Palace won on the road yet again last week, beating Doncaster Rovers 2-0 in the FA Cup fourth round to set up a tie with fellow Londoners Millwall, but form at home in 2025 has not been as reliable.

This will be the Eagles' third game at Selhurst since the turn of the year, and they are still awaiting a first win, after drawing with Chelsea and losing to Brentford.

Crystal Palace Premier League form:

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Crystal Palace form (all competitions):

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Everton Premier League form:

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Everton form (all competitions):

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Team News

Palace will be without Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure for the rest of the season due to serious knee injuries, while Eddie Nketiah (ankle), Eberechi Eze (foot) and Ismaila Sarr (illness) are all doubtful, but should return.

Adam Wharton did return to the side last week, making his first start since October against Doncaster, and playing an hour, suggesting he is ready to feature prominently in the Premier League run-in.

Ben Chilwell was given 45 minutes on his Palace debut, but after barely featuring for Chelsea in the first half of the season, it may take a little longer for him to be back at full fitness.

Everton will be without Abdoulaye Doucoure after his antagonising antics in front of the Liverpool fans on Wednesday sparked a mass melee after the full-time whistle, resulting in him being sent off.

The injury to Everton's star man Iliman Ndiaye was a sobering moment on Wednesday night, and no official prognosis has been given yet, but first fears suggest it could be a bad one.

Doucoure and Ndiaye's absences should see Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Harrison start here, with the former set for a full debut, and they will offer support for Beto, who netted his third goal in two league games to open the scoring in the derby.

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Eze

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Lindstrom, Gueye, Garner, Alcaraz, Harrison; Beto

We say: Crystal Palace 1-1 Everton

Even in defeats to Villa and Bournemouth, Everton could easily have taken something, and they were excellent all over the pitch against Liverpool, showing what a brilliant job Moyes has done with limited resources since returning to the club.

Written by

Andrew Delaney

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