Crystal Palace‘s long unbeaten run was ended on Sunday as Everton came from behind to win 2-1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Eagles took the lead in the 37th minute through Daniel Munoz and were good value for it, dominating the first 45 minutes of the match.
But David Moyes’ men rallied after the break, with Iliman Ndiaye converting a penalty in the 76th minute and Jack Grealish fortunately diverting a Munoz clearance into the net in second-half stoppage time.
As a result, Everton are now unbeaten in five competitive games at Hill Dickinson Stadium, while Palace see their 19-game unbeaten streak finally come to an end.
In this article, we’ll cover
Sarr and Co. tear Everton apart
Everton deserve a lot of credit for salvaging a victory from this match, and we’ll get to that shortly. However, even the staunchest supporter of a royal blue persuasion inside Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday will admit their side spent huge periods of the game as second best.
At times, Crystal Palace looked capable of opening the Toffees up at will, and it was Ismaila Sarr who was the architect.
The Senegal international lined up alongside Yeremi Pino as dual 10s behind Jean-Philippe Mateta, with the two dovetailing beautifully to pull the hosts out of shape.
Sarr created a match-high three chances throughout his 89 minutes on the pitch, including the assist for Munoz’s opener — the Colombian’s second goal in a week and his 12th direct goal involvement across all competitions in 2025 (6g/6a), the most of any Premier League defender.
The 27-year-old should’ve scored a goal of his own, too, almost getting around Jordan Pickford before forcing a save from the England No.1.
But Sarr was at it the entire game, winning five of his 12 duels and attempting three dribbles, while always keeping Everton looking over their shoulders with his counter-attacking threat — even when the hosts rallied after the break.
Palace have endured two huge departures over the past two years in Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, but Sarr has stepped up to become a real difference-maker for Oliver Glasner and should have been on the winning side here.
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Persistent Everton hold onto Hill Dickinson Stadium unbeaten record
Somehow, Everton are still unbeaten in five matches at their new stadium.
As of the 85th minute, Palace had outshot them 12-10 to the tune of 1.31 to 0.51 non-penalty xG, while creating four big chances to Everton’s four.
And yet, the Toffees hung in there, thanks in no small part to five important saves from Pickford and some desperate defending from the likes of James Tarkowski and Michael Keane.
Moyes’ side made huge improvements in the second half after Carlos Alcaraz and Beto replaced the underwhelming Tyler Dibling and Thierno Barry, coming out fast and getting into the faces of Palace defenders.
Their endeavour was rewarded when Maxence Lacroix brought down Tim Iroegbunam in the 74th minute, with Ndiaye calmly dispatching the resulting penalty.
Both sides pushed hard for a winner afterwards, but it was Everton who found a fortunate way to a somewhat undeserved victory, with Grealish deflecting a clearance from the unfortunate Munoz into the back of the net in stoppage time after Beto had inexplicably missed a sitter of a header.
- This win sends Everton seventh in the table on 11 points, just one point behind Palace in fifth.
Everton finally at home?
While Everton have remained unbeaten at their new stadium, many fans are yet to feel at home. That’s very understandable, given the deep roots and emotional ties this club and fanbase have to Goodison Park.
But was Sunday’s dramatic winner the spark that ignites the flame on the banks of the River Mersey?
It was absolute pandemonium on the terraces when Grealish diverted the ball home, with fans in that towering South Stand in serious danger of tumbling all the way down to the pitch, such was the mass of limbs in the air.
It’s moments like these that define a stadium’s history. Think Trevor Steven against Bayern Munich in 1985, Mikel Arteta against Fiorentina in 2008, and the stunning 3-2 comeback win against Palace in 2022 to avoid relegation.
While this goal was not of the same magnitude, its importance was multiplied thanks to where it was scored and the raw noise that followed.
Evertonians everywhere will hope it’s a moment that can finally make this stunning stadium feel like a home.