Everton 3-0 Crystal Palace: Hosts cruise to big win to end three-game losing run

Everton ended a run of three straight league defeats as goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil secured Frank Lampard's side a 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.

Calvert-Lewin, who still hopes to make England's World Cup squad, did his chances no harm in front of the watching Gareth Southgate, opening the scoring with his first goal in five month to give the hosts the lead after just 11 minutes.

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Everton never really looked back, dominating Patrick Vieira's side as Gordon and McNeil added the finishing touches to a fine performance, which Lampard described as having everything.

"I'm absolutely delighted," he said. "It was everything we needed today. We've been on a tough run of games which we have competed in but today had everything. It had the organisation, the aggression and real energy in the team and them some real quality goals from us against a real quality opposition."

The three points eases the pressure on Lampard and sees Everton move above Palace into 11th on goal difference.

How Everton eased to an emphatic victory...

After consecutive defeats to Man Utd, Tottenham and Newcastle, Lampard may have begun to feel the pressure once again, but Everton started brightly, and Calvert-Lewin gave them the perfect start.

The forward showed how crucial he is to Everton, tackling back to dispossess Luka Milivojevic and when the impressive Alex Iwobi returned the ball to him, he turned Marc Guehi on the edge of the penalty area with a delicate flick before beating Vicente Guaita with a low shot.

He flicks it around the defender and fires home a proper good finish. A great bit of play. What a finish. What a bit of skill.

Anthony Gordon was also causing Palace plenty of problems as Everton continued to dominate and they were inches from doubling their lead as Guaita tipped Gordon's powerful long-range effort over the crossbar.

The visitors just couldn't get going at Goodison Park. "There are little flashes from Palace, but nothing special," Paul Merson said on Soccer Saturday. "Pickford hasn't really been tested." Wilfried Zaha, who is so often Palace's dangerman, couldn't get into the game as Everton went in at the break with their lead intact.

Palace started the second half brightly and went close to an equaliser when Michael Olise latched on to Jordan Ayew's low cross, but the forward was denied by an excellent last-ditch block from Conor Coady.

Palace's spirit was eventually broken as the hosts doubled their advantage in the 63rd minute.

Left-back Vitalii Mykolenko's shot was only half saved by Guaita and Gordon followed up to score from close range. Initially, the flag went up for offside, but the goal was eventually awarded after a Video Assistant Referee check.

Everton's win was rounded off in fine style five minutes from time as substitute O'Neil exchanged passes with Iwobi, whose backheel teed up his team-mate perfectly to seal an comprehensive win.

Vieira: We made it easy for Everton

Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira:

"We didn't play, we didn't compete and we made it easy for Everton. Everything was missing in our game today.

"This is the first time that I have a bad feeling about the way we perform. We let ourselves down.

"We were second-best in every department of the game. In the end we got what we deserved."

'Everton blew Palace away'

Sky Sports Paul Merson on Soccer Saturday:

"Goodison Park is a hard place to play, and Everton just blew Crystal Palace away. Everton dominated the game from the first whistle and thoroughly deserved the victory.

"I was really impressed with Everton. Alex Iwobi, Seamus Coleman, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jordan Pickford were all very good. Coleman was outstanding up against Zaha, who didn't really get a kick.

"I can't talk highly enough of Everton. They were back to their best and Goodison was rocking.

"That's all the fans ask that the players work their socks off and anything on top of that is an extra. Today they worked hard and had everything. They looked like a team that are going to be very hard to beat at home."

England World Cup squad watch: DCL's timely reminder

Southgate was in the stands at Goodison Park and he would have been pleased with what he saw as Calvert-Lewin showed signs of getting back to his best with a fine finish for Everton's first.

Calvert-Lewin, when fully fit, was a regular in the England squad and was in Southgate's 26-man squad for Euro 2020.

Injury issues have seen him fall down the pecking order, but this was a timely reminder of his abilities.

Watching the game for Sky Sports on Soccer Saturday was Paul Merson, and the former England international was impressed with what he saw from the Everton striker.

"Calvert-Lewin was a handful. He was playing up against a very good player in Joachim Andersen, who is also going to the World Cup, and Marc Guehi, who has featured for England. He was up against two really good centre backs and he more than held his own.

"He held the ball up well, he won headers and he looked back to his best. His finish was superb.

"He might just be one of those you take a chance on for England. Who knows? He's certainly fresh.

"He's a player who may pick up an injury here or there but if you get them fit and on the pitch, they can certainly have an impact on a game.

"Particularly with Calvert-Lewin, he can hold the ball up. He's a different kind of player to everyone else in the squad. He can hold the ball up and sometimes in a game that just might have to happen. We may also have to stick the ball in the box in certain parts of a game."

Meanwhile, Everton boss Frank Lampard championed the cases of centre back pairing Conor Coady and James Tarkowski.

"Their performances on the pitch have taken us forward and they work well together," the Everton boss said. "Gareth will know what he can get from them and that's pure professionalism, quality and a real desire. They have given themselves a case today with how they have played in front of Gareth."

Gareth Southgate has until Friday October 21 to submit his provisional England squad for the World Cup in Qatar, which gets underway on November 20.

Any provisional squad will have to be whittled down to a final 26-man list, which has to be submitted to FIFA on Monday November 14.

'Southgate knows what Calvert-Lewin can do'

Everton boss Frank Lampard:

"I'm delighted for Dominic because I know how much he wants to force his way into that picture. He loves playing for his country and has been involved many times before. His injury has been a huge frustration to him.

"All I would say is I won't pick Gareth's team for him at all, but he does know what Dominic can do because he's worked with him before. Dominic has to show how fit and fresh he is for Everton and today was an all-round performance of what he is, which makes him an England striker, Everton striker, Premier League striker. The rest is for Gareth to choose. But I am delighted because I see the work he puts in behind the scenes to get fit. If he can stay fit then maybe he can make a case for himself."

Opta stats: Palace's wait for an away win goes on...

Crystal Palace are without a win in seven Premier League away games (D4 L3), last enduring a longer winless streak on the road in the top-flight between May and December 2017 (10).

Everton have won six of their last 12 home Premier League games (D3 L3), after enjoying just two victories in 10 at Goodison in the league directly before that.

Everton's haul of three goals in this game is as many as they'd managed in their previous five home Premier League games this season.

Alex Iwobi has been directly involved in six Premier League goals this season (1 goal, 5 assists), his best-ever return in a season for Everton and his most since scoring three and assisting six for Arsenal in 2018-19.

Merson: Palace don't have any ball winners!

Sky Sports Paul Merson on Soccer Saturday:

"When the Crystal Palace team came out, you looked at it and there was no one in there to win the ball.

"They are all good players when they've got the ball, but you can't go away from home in the Premier League and be that open, playing with loads of dribblers.

"You just can't do it. You need to be solid in midfield.

"Vieira made two subs early in the second half to give it a right go but literally one minute later Everton scored again.

"I just don't see Palace winning an away game all season with the way they are setting up at the moment."

What's next?

Live: SNF

Everton are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Fulham in the Premier League, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 5.30pm. Crystal Palace will also play on October 29, welcoming Southampton to Selhurst Park in the Premier League; kick-off 3pm.

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