Late Equaliser Denies Everton As Gbamin Returns

Everton gained one point on the teams above them in the fight for European football – but this was a hurtful conclusion for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, who led between minutes 56 and 86.

James Rodriguez, back from a six-week absence, scored Everton’s goal.

It was excellent, too, a move started and finished by the Colombian.

He swept a pass left for Lucas Digne from the halfway line and continued moving forwards.

Digne’s subsequent exchange with Richarlison was of the highest order, the Frenchman motoring onto a skilful, flicked return to square for Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Vicente Guaita in Palace’s goal had been a thorn in Everton’s side all evening and it appeared he would thwart them, once more, after repelling Sigurdsson’s low drive.

But Seamus Coleman collected the rebound and coolly rolled a pass back along the ground for James, who guided his finish inside Guaita’s left post.

When James took his bow on 78 minutes, Everton were in the box seat.

His replacement was Jean-Philippe Gbamin, back in an Everton shirt for the first time in 597 days.

And the Ivorian’s return probably counts as the highlight of Everton’s night after Palace struck late for a draw.

Jeffrey Schlupp collected a pass from Luka Milivojevic and fed fellow substitute Michy Batshuayi for a left-foot strike across Robin Olsen and into the far corner.

Everton would have been out of sight but for Guaita, who saved brilliantly from Richarlison either side of Bathusayi’s goal and produced a string of terrific stops.

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01:58

HIGHLIGHTS: EVERTON 1-1 CRYSTAL PALACE

James on target at Goodison but late Batshuayi goal denies Blues.


Ancelotti’s side remain eighth in the Premier League. Victory in their game in hand would move Everton within one point and one place of Chelsea, who sat fourth at full-time.

If Everton could have chosen the recipient of their clearest chance of the opening half, Dominic Calvert-Lewin would have been the nominated man.

It was an encouraging development, then, when Mason Holgate’s fabulous ball from deep arced behind Gary Cahill and released Calvert-Lewin.

Guaita, Palace’s goalkeeper, was probably aware who posed Everton’s greatest goal threat, too, and the Spaniard was rapidly off his line to meet Calvert-Lewin at the edge of his box.

Calvert-Lewin tried to slip the ball to his opponent’s left but was denied by a strong hand.

That opportunity arrived in the 21st minute. It was the home team’s first of note – and a direct response to the visitors’ first attempt.

Palace play a lot of intricate football in the penalty box, zipping the ball quickly in a bid to confused and create space.

Everton were wise to the tactic most the time.

But, on occasion, such as in the 20th minute, one of Palace’s fleet-footed attackers got his angles spot on.

Eberechi Eze sped onto Jordan Ayew’s return pass before trying to catch out Olsen at his near post.

Olsen was alert to make the save, down to his right, – and that, for the Swede, was that in an opening half when he was otherwise a bystander.

Wilfried Zaha was visibly frustrated after dragging off-target from 25 yards and Holgate flew out of the blocks to remove the sting from a Christian Benteke strike.

Much earlier, Michael Keane halted a Benteke surge into the area, with Zaha crowded out on the follow up.

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02:29 Mon 05 Apr 2021

ANCELOTTI ON PALACE DRAW AND JAMES RETURN

Boss disappointed but identifies areas where Blues improved.


Everton went forward with Andre Gomes soon after, the Portuguese mugging Milivojevic but feeding an offside Richarlison – Cahill and Joel Ward combined to deny Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, in any case.

Coleman was employed in his increasingly familiar role as a wing-back and the Irishman’s first excursion into opposition territory ended with Richarlison coming close.

Coleman skipped past Patrick van Aanholt, then cut back to completely eliminate the Dutchman and stand-up a cross Richarlison greeted with a header that flew over the top.

There was an identical outcome for Richarlison in the 45th minute.

The outstanding James served a free-kick from the left but Richarlison, about 10 yards out, couldn’t get over his headed effort and directed the ball too high.

Gomes would be replaced by Sigurdsson on the half hour after sustaining a knock.

But before he went, the midfielder carved Palace open for another presentable chance.

Gomes actually surrendered possession in the first instance and went about retrieving it like a man possessed.

Ayew, perhaps not appreciating the urgency of Gomes’ closing, dawdled, allowing the Everton man to pounce.

Gomes’ straight pass sprung Richarlison, who swept into the penalty area, feinting to deceive Cahill but unable to outwit Guaita with a shot across the keeper.

Cahill was exasperated when Cheikhou Kouyate couldn’t resist a nibble at Richarlison 20 yards out.

The dead ball, however, struck by Richarlison, flashed beyond the far post.

James, too, fizzed an effort wide from 25 yards . He’d previously been high after deftly cushioning a lofted Coleman delivery.

Kouyate was back in Cahill’s good books eight minutes after the restart, the centre-back making a decisive block when Sigurdsson drove goalwards following a low cross from  Digne that was half-cleared by the former England centre-back.

Neither Yerry Mina, nor Richarlison could believe their poor fortune after failing to make contact on James’ resulting corner.

The two weren’t downcast for long, made up when their fellow South American steered his side in front.

Three minutes later and Everton could have doubled their advantage.

It was Calvert-Lewin vs Guaita again after Richarlison’s precise pass unzipped Palace’s rearguard.

And the end result was a mirror image of the pair’s first encounter, albeit Guaita was much closer to his own line as he stayed big to resist Calvert-Lewin’s shot.

Eze, the gifted winger, brought Olsen back into action with a stinging drive the Everton keeper pushed away to his left.

And Keane made life sufficiently difficult for Zaha, as the forward skipped into the box, that the eventual strike was easy for Olsen.

James made way for Gbamin’s welcome return with 12 minutes remaining – two minutes after Ben Godfrey replaced Coleman.

Palace remained a live threat, attacking in numbers and increasingly willing to pull the trigger from distance.

Certainly, the howls of frustration when Guaita incredibly pawed over a Richarlison effort that reared off the turf indicated Everton felt they needed a second.

And those fears were confirmed when Palace substitutes Schlupp and Batshuayi combined for the equaliser on 86 minutes.

Guaita dived to his right tip behind another Richarlison effort, this one skimmed along the floor and destined for the far corner.

It was the goalkeeper's night.

And one Everton will remember for the return of the magical James and Gbamin ending his 20-month exile.