CRYSTAL PALACE 0
EVERTON 1 Coleman (87)
EVERTON earned a third win in four when Seamus Coleman’s late winner gave them a deserved victory at Crystal Palace and ensured their season continued to gain momentum.
Having unexpectedly beaten Manchester City 4-0, they looked at risk of dropping two points with Palace resisting their consistent and convincing attacks.
Victory strengthens Everton’s grip on seventh place, and leaves relegation-threatened Palace in the bottom three, but the hosts may yet take some consolation in knowing new manager Sam Allardyce’s influence is beginning to be felt.
Allardyce handed £12million recruit Jeffrey Schlupp his debut and retained only Loic Remy, Joel Ward and Damien Delaney from the side who started Tuesday’s 2-1 FA Cup defeat of Bolton.
Palace began with some belief and from James McArthur’s leftwing cross, Christian Benteke – who had scored twice against Bolton – headed against the bar.
The second chance came from Everton seven minutes later when the impressive Ross Barkley weaved his way into the penalty area before shaping up and sending a shot just too high and wide.
Kevin Mirallas was next to threaten when classily chesting the ball on the turn and shooting at the equally-impressive keeperWayne Hennessey, who saved well.
In the 34th minute, Lukaku and Barkley combined and the ball ended up in the net, but referee Anthony Taylor rightly ruled Barkley was offside.
When Ramiro Funes Mori forced a reaction save from Hennessey with another close-range shot, the impression was of a team getting closer to perhaps the only goal they would need to win, even if Palace were displaying an improved resilience. Barkley shot just wide in the 56th minute, and then brought a fine save from Hennessey.
Amid the growing pressure, Allardyce replaced the quiet Remy with Chung- yong Lee and Yohan Cabaye with Joe Ledley, while Everton’s Ronald Koeman brought on the promising Ademola Lookman for Mirallas.
The goal that had long been coming, and which Ever ton had ear ned, finally arrived in the 87th minute and left Palace unhappy given it came with Schlupp on the floor hoping for treatment.
Tom Davies played a through ball into the area towards Coleman, and from there the full- back powerfully struck it towards the top- right corner of the net, cruelly ending Hennessey’ s resistance.