Everton probably had one player in particular to thank for avoiding a real embarrassment against Crystal Palace.
There is real disappointment following Sunday’s 2-2 draw with the Eagles at Selhurst Park, after Everton did not take all three points despite taking the lead twice.
Has that just ended Everton’s hopes of European qualification? 😫
More points dropped by the Blues… 😡
James Tarkowski put Everton ahead early doors, but Ismaila Sarr equalised for Palace.
In the second-half, Beto produced some brilliant centre-forward play to put Everton back in front.
But slack marking in the penalty area allowed Jean-Philippe Mateta to score for Palace and restore parity.
There is an overwhelming sense of missed opportunity for Everton given the club’s recent record against Palace and the fact they were involved in the Conference League on Thursday night.
Everton could even have lost this game, but thankfully Jordan Pickford was back to his best.
- READ MORE: Beto lifts the lid on the chat he had with Dewsbury-Hall after Everton 2-2 Crystal Palace
Jordan Pickford prevented an embarrassment for Everton against Crystal Palace
Pickford has had another top season for Everton, but his form has just dipped a little recently.
After making a string of world-class saves a couple of months ago, there has been criticism of Pickford for not being commanding enough for balls into the Everton box.
He also conceded a penalty in the 2-2 draw with Brentford.
But the England number one was pretty much back to his best against Palace, coming up with a number of saves.
He produced six in total, with five of those coming from Palace efforts inside the Everton area.
As per Sofascore data, he finished the game with a goals prevented metric of 1.41. He also executed one successful punch and one high claim, giving him a match rating of 8.3. This was considerably higher than his opposite number and England teammate Dean Henderson (6.4).
There was little he could do about Ismaila Sarr’s opening goal for Palace.
Although it went in at the near post, there was simply too much ferocity in the strike, leaving Pickford with no real chance.
And the finish by Mateta was from close range and high into the roof of the net, again giving him next to no chance.
His stop in the first-half from Maxence Lacroix with his foot was very impressive though.
Two games to go… where do you see Everton actually finishing in the table? 😫
Europe now feels incredibly unlikely… 👋
He also positioned himself perfectly when Mateta went through right at the end, forcing the striker to lash his effort high and wide.
While it does feel like Everton dropped two points against Palace, there was also a chance things could have been very embarrassing for the Toffees.
Thankfully though Pickford brought his A-game and, who knows, the point he helped Everton to gain might yet help the Toffees – although it’s unlikely.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
