Sigurdsson sends Palace lingering

Everton’s Sam Allardyce won the battle of the ex-england managers at Goodison Park to ease the growing pressure on him with victory over Roy Hodgson’s struggling Crystal Palace.

Gylfi Sigurdsson, restored to the starting line-up along with Wayne Rooney after the shambolic 5-1 drubbing at Arsenal, and Oumar Niasse scored early in the second half, with Tom Davies adding the third, before Luka Milivojevic’s consolation penalty.

Just a second win in 10 matches opened up a nine-point gap to the bottom three while extending Palace’s remarkable run of not having won without the injured Wilfried Zaha since September 2016.

This was the first Premier League meeting of two ex-england managers since Kevin Keegan’s Manchester City won 1-0 at home against Sir Bobby Robson’s Newcastle in May 2004.

The pair have recent history with Hodgson upset about being referred to as “Woy” during Allardyce’s meeting with undercover reporters posing as businessmen which eventually cost the Toffees boss his job as national team manager – but the pair did shake hands in the technical area.

Such friendliness was extended to the pitch in the first half, with both sides lacking the killer instinct to win a game in what was a home debut to forget for on-loan centreback Eliaquim Mangala.

His early backpass sold Jordan Pickford short, and the goalkeeper’s halfclearance dropped to Yohan Cabaye, whose return drifted wide.

Mangala was then muscled off the ball by Alexander Sorloth and although Keane came to his rescue the loose ball fell to Milivojevic’s whose shot was deflected wide and the defender’s departure to a knee injury just before half-time could have been viewed as a blessing in disguise for the hosts. Both