Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton: Match Ratings as Toffees Top the Premier League

26 September 2020 19:07

Everton moved top of the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin applied the finishing touches to a slick Everton move to give the Toffees the lead, but this was cancelled out by a powerful Cheikhou Kouyaté header.

Everton regained their advantage through a Richarlison penalty after Joel Ward had been penalised for one of those modern day handballs.

Palace came at Everton in the second half but failed to create anything clear cut as the Toffees saw the game out to take all three points.

Crystal Palace

1. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Vicente Guaita (GK) - 5/10 - Looked suspect for Everton's opening goal, allowing Calvert-Lewin's effort to squirm through his clutches.

Joel Ward (RB) - 6/10 - Was penalised for handball when the ball struck his hand, which was by his side, from not far away. But rules are rules, and all that.

Cheikhou Kouyaté (CB) - 7/10 - Levelled the scores with an absolute bullet of a header, climbing highest to emphatically power home. Playing in an unnatural central defensive role, he did not look out of place in the back four.

Mamadou Sakho (CB) - 6/10 - Kouyaté was the more impressive of the Palace centre-backs, despite being a midfielder by trade. Sakho won plenty in the air, but occasionally looked awkward and laboured in possession.

Tyrick Mitchell (LB) - 7/10 - Combined well with Eze down the left flank, and willingly charged forward all afternoon. Looking more accomplished in the top flight with each passing game.

2. Midfield

Eberechi Eze (LM) - 7/10 - Looked so exciting, confident and fearless, and linked up well with Mitchell. Like Townsend on the opposite flank, he diligently stuck to his defensive duties. His final ball was lacking on occasions, but a thoroughly promising first Premier League start.

James McArthur (CM) - 6/10 - Sent Ayew away with a lovely reverse pass and was his usual diligent, determined and dogged self defensively.

James McCarthy (CM)`- 6/10 - Like his midfield partner put in his typical hard working shift, but Palace were perhaps lacking a little bit of creative quality in the centre of midfield - which Everton had in abundance.

Andros Townsend (RM) - 7/10 - Produced a wicked, in-swinging corner that was duly headed home by Kouyaté. Demonstrated superb desire a discipline to track back following a Palace corner and halt Richarlison with a well-timed sliding tackle. His set piece deliveries caused Everton all sorts of problems.

3. Forwards

Jordan Ayew (FW) - 5/10 - Sent in a fantastic, teasing cross in the second half that should have been buried, and was substituted after 81 minutes after an otherwise quiet afternoon.

Wilfried Zaha (FW) - 6/10 - Always looked threatening but was never quite able to exert his attacking influence on the game, consistently being thwarted and frustrated by the Everton backline.

4. Substitutes

Michy Batshuayi - 5/10

Christian Benteke - N/A

Jaïro Riedewald - N/A

Everton

5. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Jordan Pickford (GK) - 6/10 - Had very little to do all afternoon. Could do nothing about Palace's equaliser, and dealt well with a dangerous Townsend corner in the second half.

Seamus Coleman (RB) - 7/10 - Set up the opening goal with a measured delivery to perfectly pick out Calvert-Lewin. Energetically marauded forward all afternoon.

Yerry Mina (CB) - 6/10 - Made Ally McCoist chuckle with a spot of unorthodox, head-first defending after a slip. Seriously, the former Rangers man hasn't laughed that hard since his Question of Sport days.

Michael Keane (CB) - 6/10 - Distribution was good and held firm defensively, winning a couple of important headers as Palace applied a bit of pressure in the dying stages.

Lucas Digne (LB) - 6/10 - Ventured forward all afternoon and was rewarded when he was picked out by Rodriguez, and his attempted flick on struck the hand of Ward to win Everton their penalty.

6. Midfield

Allan (CM) - 7/10 - Did all his usual unsung but vital defensive work, shielding the back four impeccably. Hardly ever gave the ball away.

Andre Gomes (CM) - 6/10 - Sprayed a terrific pass to Coleman in the buildup to Everton's first. Like all of Everton's midfield three, he was composed in possession and dogged out of it. Was substituted after 75 minutes.

Abdoulaye Doucouré (CM) - 7/10 Diligently racked Zaha and produced an excellent bit of defending in the second half when the Palace man looked like he could be racing clean through.

7. Forwards

James Rodriguez (RW) - 8/10 - Had a major hand in the opening goal with a fabulous reverse pass to Coleman. Sent Richarlison away in the first half with a perfectly weighted, defence splitting first time pass, and he played the lofted ball to Digne in the build up to Everton's second - two a number of superb pick outs the Colombian produced.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (ST) - 7/10 - Opened the scoring in classic Calvert-Lewin style: right place, right time, instinctive first time finish. Could have doubled his tally in the second half but he poked wide from a corner.

Richarlison (LW) - 7/10 - Emphatically buried his spot kick as Everton retook the lead. Ran and ran all afternoon, offering another dimension to Everton's unorthodox front three.

8. Substitutes

Gylfi Sigurðsson - 7/10

Alex Iwobi - N/A

Tom Davies - N/A

Source: 90min