Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton: Final | Beto and Alcaraz score in magnificent away win

Fulltime Thoughts - A resolute performance from Everton, shaky in the back but did enough led by Jordan Pickford while up top Beto and Alcaraz were resplendent in their roles. Blues full value for the 2-1 win.

90+7’ - Garner clears, Iroegbunam blocks a Sarr shot, Blues partly clear their lines, and there’s the final whistle!! EVERTON HAVE WON 2-1!!

90+6’ - Three Everton players on the left out of position chasing a ball, it comes to Sarr and Tarkowski is across to block. Huge.

90+4’ - Cross into the Everton box, Tarky falls down again and Taylor is unmoved. Gana can’t clear and Mateta puts the ball into the box, Eze can’t control and Young confidently marshalls the ball out.

90+2’ - Beto gets the ball, holds on to it, finds Young, who takes it to the corner and run the clock down some more.

90’ - Irogebunam fouled, ref plays advantage. Then Garner and Beto are clattered, but it’s all near the Palace goal and no one cares.
There will be six-plus minutes added on.

89’ - Lots of space to counter now and Beto almost gets away, and then Harrison was close to getting the ball in space too.
Beto doing so well to hold up the ball in the Palace half and run the clock down.

86’ - Great play again from Eze, O’Brien can’t clear the ball and the Palace player fires a shot at the far post that’s always going wide.
Blues make their second change now with Alcaraz coming off, and it’s Tim Iroegbunam finally on.

84’ - Simply brilliant sliding tackle by Branthwaite to keep Mateta from getting through on goal.
The traveling support is very vocal now, with ‘Spirit of the Blues’ ringing out across the Selhurst Park pitch.

80’ - Ball pinging about in the Palace box, and it’s a goal!!! Cross from Harrison, headed by O’Brien and comes off an arm, Everton want a penalty! Ball falls to Young who shoots, blocked by Hughes, comes to Alcaraz AND HE FIRES HOME PAST HENDERSON!! A DEBUT GOAL AND ASSIST FOR THE NEW SIGNING!! Everton lead 2-1!!
Alcaraz rolls out the CR7 “Siiiuuu!!” goal celebration as well.

78’ - Oooh! Gana catches Wharton in possession and nicks the ball off him, it goes to Beto but he’s in an offside position.
Lindstrom is coming off and Ashley Young is the Toffees’ first substitute.

75’ - Still no subs for the Blues, they have to be feeling their legs at this point after Wednesday’s derby exertions.

74’ - Another error from Palace and the ball comes to Beto to shoot, takes too much time to sort out his feet and the shot is blocked.
Now the Eagles launch a ball upfield that evades Branthwaite, but luckily beats Sarr too and Pickford collects.

70’ - Rapid counter from Palace, beautiful diagonal into acres of space behind O’Brien for Chilwell to run into, and wow, Garner discovered an extra tank of gas there coming screaming back.. Chilwell with a quick shot at the far post and Pickford does very well to get down and palm that away for a corner.
Corner is cleared and Everton can breathe again.

66’ - Guehi crashes into Wharton and Lindstrom can get away, ball falls to Alcaraz, passed to Gana, shot blocked for a corner on the right.
Corner is cleared and Garner fails to put the ball out, Eze goes screaming down the left and Garner brings him down. Taylor should have allowed play to continue, but the whistle has gone and the Everton midfielder is the first player in the book this game.

65’ - Sarr’s cross after an Alcaraz giveaway, goes through the box and falls to Chilwell, Lindstrom blocks for a corner.
Corner is headed away, and then Munoz is offside.

64’ - Eze weaves through three or four Everton players, finds Munoz steaming in from the right, the fullback then muffs his shot luckily for the Blues. Eze is such a fun player to watch.

60’ - Palace making a like-for-like change, on-loan Chilwell on for Mitchell.

57’ - Oooh! JOB plays in Lindstrom, gets a lovely cross into the box that Beto hits towards goal, Henderson makes a meal of it and pushes it out for an eventual corner, the Blues first of the game.
Harrison’s corner from the right is headed right back to him, he crosses it back in and Palace clear.

56’ - Ball falls to Alcaraz on the edge of the box, his volley is blocked. Everton’s midfield needs to show up soon, hopefully with Iroegbunam in for Garner.

54’ - Everton counter down the right through Lindstrom, cuts back to his left foot in the box, and a beautiful curler but not enough power on it and Henderson palms it away!
Now Palace counter back, and Eze’s shot is blocked for a corner. Taken short and eventually comes to Lacroix in the box, he turns and fires off a wayward shot.

53’ - Eze drives at goal, and the river parts in front of him but his shot is poor and flies over.

47’ - Sarr immediately wins a freekick down the right, which Branthwaite clears for a corner.
Corner is whiffed on, with Tarky heading it into O’Brien and the ball falls for Mateta and he tucks it home! Palace have their equalizer almost immediately.
Wait though, VAR is reviewing this. Looks like he’s onside, this will be 1-1. VAR taking ages on this one, to be honest it’s impossible to draw a line from Mateta with two Everton players in the way, but there’s the call, it’s a good goal.

46’ - Second half underway, Palace bring on two subs, with Eze and Wharton on, Devenny and Lerma off.

Halftime Thoughts - Everton did well to pounce on an error to score. The defence has been shaky, and will be tested by Palace’s bench strength in the second half.

45+4’ - Another turnover and Beto finds Lindstrom in space, he drifts a bit too wide and can’t get a shot off, argh, halftime whistle goes.

45+2’ - Sarr wins a cheap freekick off Garner. Ball into the box and Pickford gathers.

45’ - Four minutes to be added on.

43’ - Mitchell with an awful throw-in and Alcaraz sets off down the right.. finds Beto in space wide open and he very calmly beats Henderson, GOAL 1-0 to the visitors!!

41’ - Everton defence at sixes and sevens again, as Richards and Mateta cut right through the right channel, it falls for Sarr who smashes the ball as Pickford comes rushing out, and it goes up and off the bar and away!!

35’ - Drama in the Everton box. Palace are passing the ball about very well in tight spaces, and Tarky gets to the ball and falls over it, and is lucky to get a foul called when he was scrambling over the ball trying to clear it.

32’ - Alcaraz with a great bit of anticipation as Beto goes up for the ball, it comes to the midfielder and he tries a shot from about thirty yards out, straight at Henderson.
Hughes giveaway comes to Charly and he tries another shot from about the same distance, this one is well over. Hopefully he’s got his range after those two sighters.

29’ - Lovely ball into the box from Harrison, deep and volleyed back across goal by Lindstrom.. before it can for the waiting Beto though Lacroix clears before crashing into goalie Henderson and he goes down clutching his face, ouch.
Henderson gets some running repairs with a wad of cotton up one nostril to stop the bleeding.

28’ - Brilliant tackle by Gana on Hughes to nick the ball, Harrison can attack down the left but ball is cleared for a throw-in.

27’ - The game is opening up here, and that means there’s spaces to run into. Not displeasing to watch, though it would be nice to see more endeavour from the Blues.

24’ - Good pressure from the Blues as they put in three consecutive crosses into the box, Palace clear their lines and can counter themselves. Mateta weaves through a couple of Toffees before he’s fouled by looked like a retreating Tarky, but Taylor plays advantage and Palace’s counter fizzles out.

19’ - Palace get a cross in from the left, Guehi beats Branthwaite too easily and heads goalwards.. great save by Pickford to parry it away.
Corner into the box, Lerma header into the top corner and the Eagles have scored! Disappointing defending there.
WAIT! The assistant referee has his flag up, the ball had swung out of play on the delivery from the corner, phew.

18’ - Harrison brings down Hughes as he’s getting away, ref Anthony Taylor calls for a foul, lucky not to get a card even though the crowd wants it.

13’ - Munoz cross into the box, JOB clears. Ball recycled to Munoz, and this time it skims parallel to the six yard line and goes out for a throw. Everton not quite putting the foot on the ball and imposing their will yet.

11’ - Everton attack, Harrison’s shot blocked, falls to Alcaraz and Hughes gets to it a split second before the Argentine, given a foul as Charly kicked him instead of the ball.

9’ - The rain has picked up again at Selhurst Park.

7’ - Oh goodness. O’Brien’s back pass to Tarkowski catches him unawares and he gives the ball to the in-form Mateta, Branthwaite comes across to cut it out and whiffs on his clearance and the striker can compose himself and shoot, Pickford saves well low to his right.
Now Devenny can shoot from a good position, Pickford can’t quite catch hit cleanly but recovers to pick up the rebound behind him. Two very good chances for the hosts, Everton’s backline looking shaky again.

3’ - Everton are in their away/third kit with the cream tops and dark shorts, and the same cream socks.
Beto holds the ball on the right touchline, but his cross goes out of play.

1’ - Garner gets us underway at Selhurst Park.
Lindstrom almost gets behind Mitchell, but the ball goes out for a goalkick.

Everton - Moyes hands Alcaraz his first Everton start, with Harrison in as well.

Crystal Palace -

After a dramatic late draw in Goodison Park’s final Merseyside Derby, David Moyes will have to watch out his threadbare Everton squad doesn’t put put a foot wrong and not come out flat after such an emotionally-charged event.

Hosts Crystal Palace have wavered wildly between relegation fodder and European challenger this season, all based on a handful of key injuries.

Competition: Premier League Matchweek 25

Date and start time: Saturday, January 7th at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m ET / 3:00 p.m. BST

Stadium: Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace, London

Capacity: 25,486

Weather: 39°F/4°C, rain showers, 20% chance of precipitation, 6 mph winds

TV: Peacock, NBC - United States; Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League - United Kingdom; Fubo - Canada, beIN Sports Premium 2, SuperSport Premier League ROA, SuperSport MaXimo 2, Star Sports Select 1, Canal+ Sport 3 Afrique

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Gamethread: There will be a live blog for this game, with our coverage continuing after the final whistle with the match recap and reaction.

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Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

The Blues and the Eagles have fought some epic battles in recent years, with the Toffees having gained the advantage over their hosts in recent years, including a 3-2 away win in last season’s schedule.