FINALLY.. a Win

 

The growing nerves after three consecutive defeats have been dissipated, at least for now. Everton has some exceptional footballers in their squad, yet they are a poor "team" - as evidenced in their performance at Selhurst Park. 

Despatching poor teams hasn't been Palace's forté, and the fact they almost gave away a 2-0 cushion was probably a good reflection of that. Having dominated proceeding for the best part of the game, a lack of focus allowed Everton back into a match that should have been a straightforward victory. 

An exceptional low-save from Vicente Guaita from Anthony Gordon's driven shot, followed by a captivating curling effort from Conor Gallagher (who remembered to hold down the finesse button), swung the result comfortably back in Palace's favour in the final stages, allaying the fears of a late equaliser. 

That third goal does oddly mean Palace are yet to hold onto a single goal-lead and win, which eventually they will need to do, but it was an emphatic way to send the crowd home.

The result does take Palace's points-per-game trajectory away from that "relegation" mix of 38-40 points, which remains the ultimate goal for this team. 

 

Gallagher Caps Mixed Attacking Display

 

You must never fall in love with a loan player, but if Palace fans only get to experience another 21 games from Conor Gallagher in (diagonal) red and blue, the games should be cherished. 

At times, much like in this fixture, Palace has struggled to capitalise on good attacking positions. The passing can seem a bit disjointed around the opposition's area, the cross may be wayward, or the wrong option is taken. Yet time and again, Conor Gallagher appears to find a way to overcome all that background noise. 

Back in his attacking-central-midfield spot, able to roam free, Gallagher was the proverbial thorn in Everton's side. Continually making his way into good attacking positions, Ayew's pass found him in between four Everton defenders, each ball-watching as he cooly struck it past Pickford in goal. 

The second, which couldn't have been struck better, may have sewn up the goal-of-the-season crown from a Palace perspective. There was uncertainty in the game with only a single goal cushion, and another Everton error gave him the chance to shoot, this time from range. Pickford, who must feel particularly let down by his defence, was helpless once again.

 

Some boy.#CPFC pic.twitter.com/9Z23z4ao0e

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) December 12, 2021

 

Not to diminish what Christian Benteke has achieved this season, but Odsonne Édouard brings far more energy to the front line as the starter. The team eventually needs to make this count, as the passing when in the ascendency hasn't been intelligent enough. Zaha, who had a few flashes on the ball, flattered to deceive at times opposite Ayew, who punished Everton with his dribbling. 

Late into the second half, the team was particularly wasteful on the break, in one instance turning an excellent attacking position into the counter-attack that Gordon almost scored. However, scoring three times when the team wasn't wholly effective in and around the Everton area is a good sign.

 

Hughes' Long-Awaited Debut

 

Will Hughes finally getting a start for Crystal Palace brings up mixed emotions. There is a sense of vindication for fans that felt he was the right player to come into the team, but it also highlights the wasted opportunity by leaving him out of the last three matches. 

His performance against Everton was mature, capped off with an assist from consistent in-swinging corners. With the team in possession, he looked to drop deeper than Kouyaté to link the defence and midfield that has been lacking, drifting into spaces to create easy passes for his teammates.  

The team only needed him to be economical with other key playmakers around him, which he achieved with a calm demeanour. He cleverly drew multiple free-kicks to maintain the team's control of the ball, which was subtle, but a good display of his experience. 

His flashy pirouette to elude Everton tackles drew applause from the crowd, but after his assist, his most significant contribution was allowing Gallagher to be Gallagher. 

With Hughes and Kouyaté occupying their spots with convincing performances, Gallagher, untethered from the responsibilities of the last few matches, returned to his attacking free role, which paid dividends.

That midfield balance does lead into a single negative. 

Dougie Freedman's acquisition of Will Hughes was opportunistic and good forward-planning to get a value-signing as a long-term James McArthur-like replacement.

That comparison, at least one that we drew when he signed, can't have been shared by the manager - as every central option other than Jaïro Riedewald has been given a run-out before him since the McArthur injury.

It is frustrating to think Hughes could have had a similar impact on the Aston Villa, Leeds and Man United games when it seemed such an obvious choice to make. At least the team has landed on the correct combination now and potentially for the next few seasons.

 

The xG Battle

 

 

Speculative long-range Demarai Gray seemed to be the only route-to-goal Everton could muster for the bulk of this match until Salomón Rondón's chance and goal distorted the final xG figures. 

The ball that deflected into his path was the highest-percentage chance of the game, despite having an element of good fortune in the build-up. Otherwise, Vicente Guaita's only critical intervention was dealing with Anthony Gordon. His save was possibly the difference between the win and the draw and essential for Palace 'keeper's confidence in a mixed season to date.

For Palace in attack, it isn't surprising that Jordan Ayew failed to score with a "big chance" for the second game in a row. He is the only Palace forward/attacking player that is vastly underperforming against his xG for the season (0 goals from ~2.0xG), despite being in good form in almost every other department. 

Palace did score from their other two clear-cut chances, James Tomkins benefitting from Palace-like defending from a corner bundled in the team's best chance for his first Premier League goal since December 2019.

Conor Gallagher - as we know - was clinical as ever. His tally goes to 6 goals from 5.41xG on the season. 

 

Next Up: Southampton (H)

 

Southampton head to Selhurst Park on Wednesday night in the second of the two "must-win" games. Task one is complete, and there are plenty of positives for Patrick Vieira and his staff to draw upon. 

Joachim Andersen would still be a welcome addition to the passing game despite James Tomkin's goal against Everton. But, unless the team has been specifically planning for him to be reintroduced mid-week, it would seem doubtful he will make a return. 

General rotation would otherwise be expected, especially upfront where Christian Benteke and Michael Olise would make sense, to keep legs fresh into the Xmas period.