Just when we thought Moyes the magician had used up all of his tricks, the Everton boss dug deep to pull another rabbit out of the hat.
On paper, of course, this victory wasn’t as unlikely as that statement suggests. Certainly not given Everton’s remarkable resurgence under David Moyes.
But surely, we all thought, that unforgettable, energy-sapping final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park was bound to take its toll.
Surely, given the torrid injury situation which left Moyes without nine players for the trip to Selhurst Park, getting a result here was one step too far.
But not for the first time in his long career, Moyes made a laughing stock of his doubters.
The menacing threat of relegation that once loomed large is now firmly in the rear-view mirror after goals from Beto and Carlos Alcaraz secured a fourth victory in the six league games since Moyes’ return.
Carlos Alcaraz scored his first goal in an Everton shirt to seal the points for the visitors
The fear of relegation is now firmly in the rear-view mirror for David Moyes’ Everton side
The goals secured a fourth victory in the six league games since the ‘Moyes-iah’ returned
‘I didn’t think the performance was great but it’s great to see an improving team getting another win because it’s really important for us,’ said Moyes.
‘I didn’t think we played at our best, I think Wednesday took so much out of us. It took a real resilient performance to make sure we didn’t concede a second. The players have been fantastic. They deserve a great deal of credit.’
Victory, as Moyes admitted, didn’t come without the odd scare.
Everton fans won’t ever utter James Tarkowski’s name in vain after his late derby heroics, but that theory was almost put to test in the opening stages.
The defender flung a lazy leg at Jake O’Brien’s wayward pass, diverting the ball into the path of Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. But the Frenchman took an age to survey his options before firing too close to Jordan Pickford, who saved down to his right.
Palace thought they’d taken a deserved lead when Jefferson Lerma headed home Justin Devenny’s corner with aplomb. The joy, however, was short-lived.
Eagle-eyed linesman Adam Nunn reckoned that the ball had gone out of play as it was swung into the box. His call was confirmed shortly after by a remarkably rapid VAR check.
There was more agony to come for the hosts when Ismaila Sarr blasted the ball against the underside of the bar before it dropped to safety. At that point, Palace had every right to feel they hadn’t had the rub of the green.
Jean-Philippe Mateta levelled the scoring after Beto gave Everton the lead at Selhurst Park
The win takes Everton level on points with Palace in the Premier League table, sitting in 13th
But they could have no complaints about the manner in which they fell behind.
Tyrick Mitchell somehow made a hash of a throw-in deep inside the Everton half, allowing Alcaraz, on his full debut for the visitors, to storm clear before he picked out Beto.
The old Beto, one who netted only four times in 42 league games under Dyche, would have found a way to fluff his lines. The Beto, who has found the golden touch under Moyes, though, kept his head before finishing past Dean Henderson for his fifth goal in six league games.
Their lead didn’t last long after the break, though, as Tarkowski and O’Brien got in a tangle under substitute Adam Wharton’s header back into the box.
Marc Guehi pounced and played a clever ball over his head into the path of Mateta, who made no mistake this time, finishing past Pickford. Palace fans feared a painful case of history repeating itself when a lengthy VAR check for offside followed. This time the decision fell in their favour.
But it was the visitors and Alcaraz who had the last laugh. The energetic Argentinian was in the right place at the right time to pick up the pieces after Ashley Young’s shot was blocked by Will Hughes. Alcaraz fired low past Henderson to cap off a fine week for Moyes’ men.
‘It was a good reaction straight after half-time and we had the momentum but we couldn’t take it again and Everton did well,’ said Glasner.
‘It is not a game we should lose. We had opportunities to win it and we lost the game at Everton in a similar way.’
