EPL: Crystal Palace dampen Everton Champions League hope
League football suffered a big blow with a
surprise 3-2 home defeat by Crystal Palace,
who reached 40 points for the season.
Jason Puncheon put the Eagles ahead on 23
minutes after good work from Yannick Bolasie,
who got around Leighton Baines before
crossing from the right into the centre. Tim
Howard could only parry the ball and
Marouane Chamakh laid it off to Puncheon to
slot home.
Bolasie also hit the woodwork in the first half
while Julian Speroni got down well to deny
Romelu Lukaku at the other end.
Four minutes after the restart, Scott Dann
headed Palace two up from Bolasie's corner
but Everton substitute Steven Naismith pulled
one back on 61 minutes from Baines' header.
However, Cameron Jerome restored Palace's
advantage with a low shot on 73 minutes from
Puncheon's assist.
Speroni made a good save to deny Ross
Barkley but Kevin Mirallas scored with four
minutes remaining to set up a nervy finish.
However, Palace held on to win and surely
make themselves safe, while denting the
Toffees' hopes of Champions League football.
Everton had been looking to take the
opportunity to leapfrog Arsenal into fourth but
instead they remain fifth - a point behind the
Gunners, with both clubs having four more
games to go - after they were undone by a
Palace side who were worthy victors of an
absorbing contest.
The result, Everton's first home loss since
Boxing Day and only their second all season,
brought their seven-match top-flight winning
streak to an end.
Palace's own run of victories, meanwhile,
extended to four games as they moved up to
11th, on to 40 points - the total widely
regarded as a guarantee of safety - and 10
points clear of the relegation zone, with four
more fixtures left.
Everton looked to probe in the early stages but
had little joy, with Aiden McGeady firing over
from distance.
As well as doing their job at the back, Palace
started to cause some problems going forward
and broke the deadlock when Bolasie burst
forward, got the better of Baines and delivered
a cross that Howard could only push to
Chamakh, whose tee-up was turned in by
Puncheon.
Five minutes later Mirallas flashed an effort
just over, before Bolasie shrugged off Seamus
Coleman and cracked a shot against the post
from outside the box, with Jerome putting the
rebound wide.
Everton came close to levelling with five
minutes of the first half to go when Barkley did
well to keep the ball in and fashioned a cut-
back which Lukaku met with a swivel shot that
Speroni got down to palm around the post.
Palace's response in the remaining time
before the interval came through their danger
man Bolasie, who cut in from the left and
lashed an effort over the bar.
Toffees boss Roberto Martinez threw on
Naismith for Gerard Deulofeu at the break, but
Palace were soon in the ascendancy again
and Joe Ledley brought a save out of Howard.
Seconds later it was 2-0 as Bolasie's corner
was met by the unmarked Dann, who gleefully
nodded the ball in.
Everton sought a quick reply, and they pulled a
goal back when Baines met a Mirallas cross
with his head and sent the ball to Naismith,
who prodded it over the line.
Everton kept up the tempo and Mirallas put a
shot over, before Speroni tipped an effort from
substitute Leon Osman onto the bar.
But the home supporters were stunned into
silence as Jerome extended Palace's
advantage, collecting the ball from Puncheon,
getting away from John Stones and slotting in.
Everton pushed forward again and Speroni
pulled off a decent save to deny Barkley,
before Baines' effort was blocked and Osman
struck wide.
The pressure paid off as Mirallas latched on to
a through-ball from Barkley - which took a
deflection off a Palace man - and beat
Speroni.
The Toffees then desperately pushed for an
equaliser, but they could not find one, with
Mirallas spurning a great-looking opportunity
in stoppage time.
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