Upon the restart, lightning struck twice: from the visitors’ first real attack, a corner was only half-cleared, and Mykolenko sidefooted an accurate volley against the base of Johnstone’s post, allowing Doucouré to tap home from close range.
That second shock paved the way for wave upon wave of relentless Palace pressure in the second-half, the charge well and truly led by the influential Eze.
Indeed, the No. 10 almost equalised immediately again, exchanging a one-two with Ward and having his fizzing drive deflect away off Pickford’s chest.
Moments later, a lovely cushioned pass from Tyrick Mitchell allowed Jeffrey Schlupp to lob a delicate cross to the back post, where Idrissa Gueye diverted the ball towards his own goal – and forced Pickford into a low reaction save.
Edouard was the next Palace forward to go close, having an effort blocked by Branthwaite on the slide, before laying off towards the edge of the box where Lerma – sprinting onto it – side-footed narrowly wide of the bottom corner.
The Palace fans sensed an equaliser was imminent, their roars were only bolstered by the introduction of Olise from the bench on 67 minutes – the Frenchman’s first competitive match since 25th June, some 139 days ago.
The winger looked to pick up where he left off, a series of darting runs and impressive skills only adding to Palace’s near-relentless pressure on the Everton goalmouth.
Olise almost brought about the equaliser within seconds, bending a deflected effort from 25 yards just beyond the crossbar, but with Palace’s next attack, they would claim a well-deserved equaliser.
A flat cross from Ward towards Eze was only headed out by Branthwaite to the edge of the box, where Lerma leapt to win it ahead of Doucouré. The ball looped over the entire Everton backline and found Edouard at the backpost, and he made no mistake in scooping the ball past the onrushing Pickford.
Although a wave of relief surged around Selhurst Park, the pressure from Palace did not let up. They continued to hunt for a winner, Olise testing Pickford at his near post with a low, drilled effort.
But there would be one final sting in the tale, as Gueye made a late run into Palace’s box and – picked out by Doucouré – slid a low finish into the bottom corner to snatch all three points for the Toffees against the run of play.
Palace: Johnstone (GK), Ward, Andersen, Guéhi, Mitchell, Lerma, Hughes (Ahamada, 89), Eze, Ayew, Schlupp (Olise, 67), Edouard (Mateta, 83)
Subs: Matthews (GK), Holding, Clyne, Richards, Doucouré, França
Everton: Pickford (GK), Young (Patterson, 90), Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Doucouré, Garner, Onana (Gueye, 45) Harrison, Calvert-Lewin (Beto, 77), McNeil
Subs: Virginia (GK), Keane, Godfrey, Chermiti, Dobbin, Danjuma
As It Happened
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
