Everton vs Crystal Palace news: Can Toffees secure Premier League safety?
- Andy Schooler
- 19 May 2022
Frank Lampard's men know victory over the mid-table Eagles will ensure they are playing Premier League football again next season.
The last time Goodison was this worried about relegation was the final day of the 1997/98 season and it can be argued that this is the famous old ground's most important game in the ensuing 24 years.
Like this season, Everton had their fate in their own hands that day yet failed to beat Coventry. They stayed up nonetheless, at Bolton's expense.
Win this and they will avoid any such nervy final-day moments; fail to win and they could well be relying on Brentford denying Leeds on Sunday.
Palace have less to play for, although doubtless Patrick Vieira will be pushing his side on in a bid to secure a top-half finish and the club's highest-ever Premier League points tally.
When: Thursday May 19, 19:45 BST
Where: Goodison Park, Liverpool
How to watch: Not on UK TV
Who is the ref for Everton vs Crystal Palace?
This will be Anthony Taylor's 27th Premier League game of the season - more than any other official.
Just one of those has featured Everton - the Toffees' 3-1 defeat at Newcastle in February which was Frank Lampard's first away game. He produced five yellow cards that day, three to Everton.
Taylor has also officiated in one Palace league game this season - their 2-2 home draw with Leicester in October. On that occasion he booked four players just one of whom was in red and blue.
Overall, the Cheshire-based ref has averaged 3.65 yellow cards per game this season, just above the average of 3.46. He's also shown five reds, putting him second only to Michael Oliver (7). You might expect a high number given his amount of matches, but the per-game stats also put Taylor in second place for reds produced.
Season stats 2021/22: All matches 26, yellow cards 95, red cards 5, penalties 9
Recent form
For a side deep in relegation trouble, Everton's form hasn't been too bad. They've won three and drawn two of their last seven to get their head above the dreaded drop line, the two defeats coming at title contenders Liverpool and with 10 men for much of Sunday's home game with Brentford.
Prior to that weekend defeat, Everton had taken 10 points from the last 12 on offer at Goodison Park.
Palace arrive on Merseyside on the back of a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa on Sunday. They are now unbeaten in four, a run which suggests the mid-table Eagles are far from 'on the beach' yet.
A more negative outlook would show they've won just two of their last seven - at home to now-relegated Watford and away to fading Southampton. Goals have been a problem during that spell with only five scored in those seven matches.
Everton and Crystal Palace players in form
Like him or loathe him, you can't deny Richarlison has been putting in a shift for his side of late with his battling qualities helping Everton find their fighting spirit of late.
His efforts have been rewarded with five goals in his last eight games, while he's scored in the last three on home turf.
One-time boo-boy Alex Iwobi has also caught the eye recently. He's enjoying the best spell of his Everton career and has started the last 10 Premier League games - his best such run since 2017.
Local lad Anthony Gordon is another who is giving everything for the cause, although his enthusiasm can overstep the mark - he's collected four cards in his last 10 starts.
For Palace, Wilfried Zaha is doing his best to solve Palace's goalscoring problems - he has five in his last nine games in all competitions, moving onto 14 for the season.
In midfield, Conor Gallagher may not be hitting his early-season heights but he's still been a very consistent performer, while at the back Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell continue to show why England honours have come their way this season.
Previous meetings
Crystal Palace 4-0 Everton (March 20, 2022)
Everton fans will have grim memories of this season's FA Cup quarter-final at Selhurst Park where their defensive frailties were brutally exposed.
The Toffees actually started well and should have been ahead by the time Andros Townsend suffered a season-ending injury.
The enforced change saw momentum lost and the hosts were soon in front thanks to Marc Guehi's header as Everton's defence once again failed to defend a corner.
Jean-Philippe Mateta made it 2-0 just before the break.
Everton tried but struggled to fight back in the second half and late goals from Wilfried Zaha and Will Hughes eased Palace into the last four.
Crystal Palace 3-1 Everton (December 12, 2021)
Palace were also deserved winners of this season's previous league encounter during the dark days of Rafael Benitez's Everton reign.
Again, Everton didn't help themselves, Demarai Gray gifting the hosts the chance to open the scoring just before half time, one Conor Gallagher accepted.
James Tomkins - from a corner - made it 2-0 before the visitors launched a comeback, substitute Salomon Rondon reducing the deficit.
Andros Townsend and Anthony Gordon both missed decent chances to equalise before Gallagher smashed home a third Palace goal in injury time following another defensive shambles.
Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace (April 5, 2021)
The last Goodison meeting between these sides ended all square after Palace bagged a late equaliser through Michy Batshuayi.
Everton had hoped to boost their ailing Champions League hopes - a win would have taken them within three points of the top four with a game in hand - and looked on course to do so when James Rodriguez drove home what would be his final Everton goal on 56 minutes.
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— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 5, 2021
Rodriguez fires Everton in front against Palace with a clinical finish 👁️🇨🇴
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But Batshuayi struck four minutes from time to earn his side a point. However, the result did stretch Palace's winless run at Goodison to six games.
Last 10 meetings
Everton wins: 4
Draws: 4
Crystal Palace wins: 2
Everton scored: 14
Palace scored: 13
Managers' thoughts
Ahead of the crucial clash, Frank Lampard insisted his side are "determined" and "focused", and he urged the Goodison faithful to get behind the team.
"We're determined, focused.
"I think you saw that against Brentford in the first 17 minutes, after that, the work ethic & spirit of the team was something you could be proud of.
"We have to approach it as a game at Goodison & understand it as what it is.
"It's nice that it's in our hands if we can put in a good performance."
Lampard's old midfield rival Patrick Vieira added that his Crystal Palace side are targetting a top-half finish this season.
"It's a challenge [to finish top-half] and there is a possibility to go over the 49 points record, which can be a target for us. What I was really pleased about at Villa was the performance.
"The challenge for us was to keep competing until the end of the season. I was really pleased with the attitude we showed on the pitch. We kept competing, we kept fighting and played some really good football at time, and that made me really happy."
Predicted Everton vs Crystal Palace teams
Patrick Vieira confirmed pre-match that the trio of James McArthur, Nathan Ferguson and James Tomkins will all not travel to Merseyside.
As for Everton, Lampard confirmed that neither Fabian Delph or Yerry Mina are fit enough to make the squad. But the Toffees boss was able to welcome Donny van de Beek and Michael Keane back to the squad, while Ben Godfrey could also make an appearance.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is also expected to start again for the Toffees after scoring on his return last week.
Everton XI: Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Holgate, Mykolenko; Iwobi, Doucoure, Allan, Gordon; Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison
Crystal Palace XI: Butland; Clyne, Kouyate, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Eze, Gallagher, Milivojevic; Zaha, Mateta
Everton vs Crystal Palace prediction
The only way Everton will be safe prior to the final day is if they win this match - and with Arsenal away to come on Sunday, they will be extremely keen to get things done here.
Home form has been strong and Frank Lampard will doubtless have told his men they were playing well (and seemingly on course for victory) against Brentford before a controversial non-penalty decision was followed seconds later by a red card.
The worry will be defensively where numbers are looking very short.
Palace could yet finish in the top half but in truth they have little to play for.
With that extra motivation, Everton may well have enough to nick this but it's likely to be nervy and they'll probably need to score more than once to ensure t
