Dyche defiant after slide into drop zone
STom
EAN DYCHE insists the only league table he’s worried about is the one at the end of the season after his Everton side picked up a gritty point in South London but still dropped into the relegation zone.
The result itself was a decent one for a struggling team who had won just once in their previous eight games.
But Everton, who finished with 10 men after Mason Holgate was sent off for two bookable offences, have just six games to save their status and Dyche (left) said: “The most important table is the one at the end of the season. Nothing means anything apart from that one, so my focus stays on that.
“The bit in between is the performance levels, the fitness of the players, the organisation, the strategy and the process we go through to make sure that table looks all right for us.
“The reality is we need to win games.”
To do that they need to score goals and Dominic Calvert-lewin’s return will give them more hope on that front.this was only his second appearance under Dyche, who added: “The whole team unit needs to deliver more because the league table doesn’t lie.
“Players should demand more of each other, no matter what the position is.”
There were few clear-cut chances at either end. Eberechi Eze did find the net with a lovely lob over Jordan Pickford but he’d strayed well offside, and he forced the best save of the game when a teasing, curling effort was well dealt with by the Everton keeper.
Alex Iwobi’s first-half drive was well saved by Sam Johnstone and Calvert-lewin went close after a nice turn.
Palace boss Roy Hodgson said: “This game will never go down in the annals of history as one of the best matches ever but our fans have been spoiled in the last few weeks. And if you want to survive in the Premier League you have to be able to battle in these games.”
CRYSTAL PALACE: Johnstone 7; Ward 6, Andersen 6, Guehi 6, Mitchell 6; Eze 7, Doucoure 6 (Milivojevic 77, 6), Schlupp 6 (Hughes 70, 6); Olise 7, Edouard 6 (Mateta 70, 6), Ayew 7
Pickford 7; Holgate 5, Keane 6, Tarkowski 6, Mykolenko 6; Garner 6, Gueye 6; Gray 6 (Godfrey 81, 6), Mcneil 6, Iwobi 6; Calvert-lewin 6 (Maupay 90, 6)
MICHAEL OLISE – Had that little bit of individual quality that was lacking elsewhere on the pitch
J Brooks 25,20