It was raining goals at Selhurst Park in South London as Malian midfielders Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye both scored a goal to help Everton overcome Crystal Palace 3-2 in the Premier League on Saturday.
Doucoure put the Toffees back in the lead four minutes after the second half restart to put them 2-1 ahead, while Gueye had the honour of being the match winner as his close-range strike sealed all three points for Sea Dyche’s men.
WHAT A WIN! UTFT!! pic.twitter.com/5LWtiuYWWj
— Everton (@Everton) November 11, 2023
Everton came into the game unbeaten in their last three games since the Merseyside derby, and they looked like a side in form as Ukrainian defender Vitaliy Mykolenko put them ahead inside one minute with the fastest goal in the league so far this season.
The former Dynamo Kyiv man powered home a thumping header at the back post off a Jack Harrison cross after a scramble in the palace’s box.
The home team, however, regained composure and got themselves back in the game via a calmly struck penalty kick from Eberechi Eze, who took the spotkick after he was felled in the box by Jarrod Braithwaite in the fifth minute.
The second half began just like the first, with Everton on the front foot, and it paid off with the easiest of goals for Doucoure to put them back in the lead.
After the Eagles defence cleared Everton’s corner, it fell into the path of Gueye, who tees up Mykolenko, before the latter sent in a thunderous strike that bounced off the post and fell to Doucoure, who taps the ball into an empty net for his fourth Premier League goal of the season.
Roy Hodgson’s side fought their way back into the game, and Odsonne Edouard drew them level for the second time in the game. After Jefferson Lerma sent a header back into Everton’s box, James Tarkowski uncharacteristically fumbled the clearance, and the ball dropped for Edouard, who pounced on the mistake and poked the ball past Jordan Pickford.
With the game entering its frantic moments, Gueye stepped up for the Toffees winner four minutes away from full time. The Senegalese midfielder received a perfectly weighted pass from Doucoure, who covered every blade of grass for Everton, before sending it past Sam Johnstone in goal for Palace.
The win meant Dyche became the first Everton manager to win three away matches in London in a single season since Carlo Ancelotti won five in the 2020–21 season.
The Merseyside outfit recorded their fourth win of the season and improved to 14 points from 12 games to climb two spots from 16th to 14th in the league standings. They will face Manchester United at Goodison Park next after the international break, while Palace will visit Kenilworth Road to play Luton Town.
