No change out of Guaita for Silva
BILL KENWRIGHT left a five pound note for a drink on the seat of every supporter who made their way from Merseyside to south London on Everton’s official coaches yesterday.
The Toffees fans should have clubbed their chairman’s money together to buy a goal.
Quite how Everton didn’t score here at Selhurst Park will remain one of football’s mysteries.
They peppered Crystal Palace’s goal with 22 shots, struck the woodwork twice and Cenk Tosun was denied by a brilliant save from Vicente Guaita as Marco Silva side’s hopes of finishing seventh suffered a blow.
They could still be playing now and Everton would not have scored. It was one of those days.
‘We deserved the three points, it was clear we were the best team on the pitch,’ said Silva.
‘We tried everything to win the match. We came here to dominate the game and we did that. If we are more clinical we win.’
But that’s not to say Roy Hodgson’s side weren’t worth their point as they pulled down the shutters with a heroic defensive display. The fact Palace have little to play for made their rearguard effort all the more admirable.
‘We dreamed of a different game but we weren’t able to do that — you have to play the game that is out there in front of you,’ said Hodgson. ‘We had to make sure our defending was brave.’
Palace entered the clash knowing they’ll be a Premier League outfit next season after last weekend’s shock win at Arsenal. For Everton, all that’s left to compete for is a Europa League spot. Given the disruption qualifying for the competition has caused English sides in the past, you’d forgive Silva for wanting to give the competition a miss. Yet they started here at Selhurst Park like a team intent on making an honest fist of pipping Wolves and Watford — who met at Vicarage Road — to seventh. Even after this draw, hope remains for the Toffees. Dominic CalvertLewin was the biggest culprit for Everton, squandering three good first-half chances — the best of which arrived in the sixth minute when his finish lacked the required conviction to take advantage of Martin Kelly’s error from keeper Jordan Pickford’s long ball. Everton’s luck in front of goal didn’t change in the moments after the restart, Bernard striking a post with a low effort that had Guaita beaten.
Patrick van Aanholt and Richarlison squared up in the 55th minute after the Toffees forward fumed at referee Lee Mason’s decision not to award award a penalty — but replays showed the Palace defender caught the ball.
It was wave after wave of Everton pressure by this point, so credit to Hodgson’s dogged side for hanging in there.
Palace started to have a moment or two of their own. A flurry of corners before Wilfried Zaha tore down Everton’s right to raise hope of a late home winner.
But Palace had keeper Guaita to thank for a point — the Spaniard producing a brilliantly instinctive one-handed save to stop substitute Tosun’s audacious flick.
Then Lucas Digne’s deflected cross bounced off the post as Hodgson’s men clung on.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Guaita 7.5; Wan-Bissaka 7, Kelly 7.5, Dann 7, Van Aanholt 7; McArthur 6.5, Milivojevic 6.5, Kouyate 7, Meyer 6 (Townsend 72min, 6); Benteke 6, Zaha 6.5. Booked: Milivojevic, Kouyate. Subs (not used): Hennessey, Ward, Ayew, Batshuayi, Sako, Riedewald. EVERTON (4-4-1-1): Pickford 6.5; Coleman 7, Keane 7, Zouma 7, Digne 6.5; Richarlison 6.5, Gueye 7.5, Schneiderlin 6.5, Bernard 6 (Lookman 84); Sigurdsson 6.5 (Walcott 86); Calvert-Lewin 6 (Tosun 73). Subs (not used): Steklenburg, Baines, Jagielka, McCarthy. Referee: L Mason 6.5.