Crystal Palace rally twice to draw with Everton in thrilling four-goal match

Everton had only suffered defeat once in their prior 22 Premier League encounters with Crystal Palace, and they were targeting a third successive win at a venue they hold dear, so they began with more vigour and turned a series of corners to their advantage after merely five minutes.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall swung in a corner ball at high speed, Michael Keane nodded it across to his centre-back teammate James Tarkowski, who slotted home an effortless finish at the back post.

This proved a perfect opening for Everton regarding their aspirations in Europe, yet a warning lingered, as Palace had previously equalised after falling behind in the last two meetings in London.

Similar to those instances, Palace started to find their rhythm once trailing, and both keepers had to make desperate blocks with their legs only 26 seconds apart, the second of which stopped Dewsbury-Hall during a clear chance.

Palace duly punished Everton for missing that opportunity, levelling the score just past the half-hour when clever passing between Ismaila Sarr and Daniel Munoz caused the ball to ricochet off Keane’s leg, letting Sarr smash a half-volley beyond Jordan Pickford for his first league strike since March.

Sarr played a key role defensively too, blocking an Iliman Ndiaye header on the line right before half-time.

Though Sarr could not add another, Beto managed it in untidy style under two minutes into the second half, collecting a long pass from Tarkowski and spinning away from Maxence Lacroix twice before guiding the ball under Dean Henderson.

Dewsbury-Hall broke free on goal shortly before the hour, but Palace’s keeper combined with two defenders to disrupt his footing and avert a probable third goal for Everton.

Apprehensions of a repeat for Everton, reminiscent of the first half after Dewsbury-Hall’s missed chance, almost came true on 65 minutes, as Sarr’s dipping header required Pickford to tip it around the post.

Even with fresh substitute Thierno Barry entering for Beto and aiming to extend his two-goal haul from Monday’s game against Manchester City, it was Jean-Philippe Mateta who struck next for Palace, tapping in after Tyrick Mitchell’s cross skipped past defenders, marking his second goal in a row in this matchup following his equaliser against Everton in February 2025.

Having just become the first team to ship a decisive goal in added time across three straight Premier League fixtures last Monday, Palace could have sensed an opportunity in the closing stages.

Sarr nearly seized it, coming close to meeting a ball at the near post from above, while Adam Wharton struck the upright at 90 minutes.

With Ndiaye and Mateta unable to decide it late on at either end, the points were shared, extending Palace’s unbeaten streak at home to nine outings since February.

For Everton, struggles in the capital persisted, their London league form this season now at W1 D2 L3. On a positive note though, a single point from their final two matches would secure their highest tally over 50 points in five years.