NIASSE FACES BAN WHILE UNSWORTH’S HOPES DIVE

IF NOTHING else, David Unsworth is a realist. He isn’t the manager Everton’s top brass want in charge of their salvage mission, but he showed on Saturday he at least understands the severity of the situation. ‘How many guarantees are there in football?’ he asked after luck and diving scraped a 2-2 draw at bottom club Crystal Palace. It remains an incredible tale of this season that Everton are in such a dire mess on the back of such mass investment. It is equally boggling that they have made such a hash of finding Ronald Koeman’s replacement. That process enters its second month this week. Many caretakers merely hold the broom, but Unsworth has tried to do some proper cleaning. He has shown courage in leaving Wayne

Rooney on the bench and backed his own judgment, as in the case of Oumar Niasse, largely an outcast under Koeman. Everton need more. Three defeats, a win and a lucky draw just isn’t enough for Unsworth to get the job. The luck of this draw was plain to see, as were Everton’s fallibilities. A weak defence conceded to James McArthur within a minute, before Niasse dived to win a penalty, which Leighton Baines converted. The FA will review the dive and a ban may follow. Scott Dann, whose slight shoulder charge led the Everton player to collapse, said: ‘You can see on the replays he has dived. He has conned the referee.’ And for Dann and Palace, retrospective action is of little use. ‘We have played them now so we haven’t got the three points.’ Wilfried Zaha (right) restored Palace’s lead before Niasse levelled during first-half stoppage time. Harsh on Palace and flattering for Everton.