There was always a unique feel to events at Goodison Park last Thursday. Many teams search for a repeatable formula for winning games. It rarely involves a long delay when a protester cuffs themselves to a goalpost, being reduced to 10 men, and then getting a 99th-minute winner from Alex Iwobi.
If much of that was never likely to happen again at Selhurst Park on Sunday, Everton at least finished with a full complement of players; numerically anyway.
Frank Lampard accused them of playing at “70 per cent throughout". They lost 4-0 to Crystal Palace and exited the FA Cup ignominiously. Their supporters’ 27 Campaign was formed when their trophy drought only actually extended to 26 years. Pessimism proved justified: there will be no silverware in the 27th. More worryingly, a 68-year stay in the top flight may end.
The last few days seem Everton’s season in microcosm. One step forward, in beating Newcastle, was followed by several steps back.
Like the start of Rafa Benitez’s reign, it may prove another false dawn, rather than the springboard to safety Everton needed.
A second manager was left struggling to find answers. In his brief reign, Lampard has changed system and personnel but had generally been supportive in his comments. This time, putting it politely, he questioned his players’ mentality. He is not alone in doing so.
If some would accuse Lampard of deflecting blame for failure, the underachievement of Everton’s expensively-assembled, badly-compiled squad is a recurring theme. A battle against relegation could be determined by old-fashioned qualities, some of which they can lack.
Palace v Everton player ratings
CRYSTAL PALACE RATINGS: Jack Butland – 7 Despite a lively start for Everton, had little to do thanks to his players and was equal to an improvised shot by Richarlison before half-time and everything that followed.
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Nathaniel Clyne – 7 Perhaps a shaky beginning which helped sparked a chaotic start by Everton but grew into the game and looked seamless by the end.
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Joachim Andersen – 7 Perhaps quieter than his centre-back partner, Andersen looked comfortable and untroubled as Palace eased into the game.
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Marc Guehi – 8 The former Chelsea man had his work cut out to justify his first call-up to the England squad in a feisty encounter with Richarlison. He then capitalised on a dream week by finding the goal early on when he was left unmarked in the box.
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Tyrick Mitchell – 7 A busy and tireless display by the promising left-back and ended a lovely worked move by Everton, before Townsend’s injury.
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Conor Gallagher – 7 The 22-year-old could have sealed the game when he forced Pickford to push his shot wide, before it landed at Hughes’ feet.
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Cheikhou Kouyate – 7 Beaten a couple of times in the middle of the park by the neat feet of Gordon, the Senegalese international was crucial in the air and allowing Eze and Gallagher to play with ease.
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Michael Olise – 8 The set-piece provider kept Pickford on his toes when his corner looked to be curling goalwards on its own before he again sent in a dangerous cross seconds later which found an unmarked Guehi. Had a few chances to get his own, though his ambitious hit from distance hit the woodwork and fell into Zaha’s path for the third.
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Eberechi Eze – 7 Provided some light relief for a very chaotic first 20 minutes before he was fed through by Zaha and turned to shoot directly at Pickford in goal. Linked up well with Zaha in the build up to Palace’s second.
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Wilfried Zaha – 9 Palace’s top goalscorer could have double his side’s lead at the half-hour point when he ran across Godfrey in the face of goal and saw his neat shot find the side netting. Still, he was left unfazed as he continued to create for his teammates and was handed a goal of his own when Olise’s shot bounced on the woodwork and into his path for an easy finish.
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Jean-Philippe Mateta – 7 The Frenchman has found form in recent weeks and added his fifth of the season in a brilliantly worked goal on the left, with the 24-year-old’s strike squeezing through Holgate’s legs and past Pickford. Could have added another moments later when he was through on goal before an excellent challenge by Coleman to deny him.
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SUBS: Luka Milivojevic (Eze 71’) – N/A Part of a double change for Palace and played his part in Palace’s comfortable win.
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Odsonne Edouard (Mateta 71’) – N/A Busy on his introduction, Edouard played a part in the third and fourth goal and picked up where Mateta and Eze left off.
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Will Hughes (Kouyate 83’) – N/R Joined the party in the closing stages by marking his first goal for Palace when Gallagher’s effort fell into the substitute’s path.
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Christian Benteke (Olise 83’) – N/R Didn’t see the ball a lot in the time he was on the pitch.
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EVERTON RATINGS: Jordan Pickford – 5 The England goalkeeper had to be quick on his toes when Olise’s curling corner looked to be heading goalward on its own but was unable to keep out Guehi’s header moments later.
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Seamus Coleman – 6 The Toffees captain put in an excellent challenge in the box to deny Mateta a second goal within a matter of minutes when the Frenchman failed to take his strike on the first attempt.
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Mason Holgate – 4 Starting in a back three, he struggled to deal with Palace’s attacking threat and didn’t look comfortable against Mateta.
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Michael Keane – 4 Miscued his kick when Townsend laid his free-kick on a plate for the defender in Everton’s early chance, though nearly turned provider when it landed for Godfrey.
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Ben Godfrey – 4 A millisecond earlier, Godfrey would have had an easy tap in at the back-post as Townsend dangerous free-kick was deflected into the centre-back’s path but found it hard dealing with Palace’s attacking threat.
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Jonjoe Kenny – 4 Sacrificed in a half-time tactical change, the Scotsman was largely unable to make anything happen, barring a couple of tackles.
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Anthony Gordon – 6 The youngster did well to turn on the ball and bypass Kouyate and Gallagher with ease before finding an offside Richarlison early on. Everton’s brightest hope as he continuously worked hard. Booked.
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Abdoulaye Doucoure – 5 Struggled to influence the game in a manner that would have countered Palace’s force and domination going forward.
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Andros Townsend – N/R Sent in a delightful ball for Keane in the opening seconds of the game for Everton’s early chance but saw his afternoon come to a very early end when he seemingly rolled his ankle and was unable to continue, changing the shape of the game.
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Andre Gomes – 4 Escaped an early booking for a dangerously high foot connecting with Gallagher’s nose and saw his deflected shot from outside of the box go well wide of goal in 29 minutes. Booked.
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Richarlison – 5 Centre of attention in the opening minutes, the Brazilian was left protesting twice after he was brought down in the box by Guehi, with the offside flag raised for the second foul. Didn’t improve much afterwards.
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SUBS: Demarai Gray (Townsend 17’) – 6 The former Leicester man was unlucky to see his side’s energy deflate following Townsend’s early departure, Gray started the second half well and saw his shot on the turn go narrowly wide of the post.
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Kenny 46’) – 5 Benched as a precaution, the forward was brought on at half-time in hopes of saving their cup tie but couldn’t make much happen.
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Alex Iwobi (Coleman 73’) – N/A Slotted into a rather unfamiliar role in wingback, with Gordon occupying the other wing.
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“If anyone doesn’t want to show character and doesn’t want to fight, they won’t be part of it,” Lampard pledged and if that suggested he may struggle to name 11 players, there are other complications.
The captain Seamus Coleman is as committed a figure as Everton have, but he lacks the running power he once had and may not merit a place in the side. Anthony Gordon has allied commitment and quality better than anyone else over the last three months, but the fact Everton’s best recent performer is a product of their academy feels another indictment of their £550 million spending spree under Farhad Moshiri’s ownership.
It was supposed to position Everton for a top-four challenge. Instead, they often look short-staffed, shuffling formations because they lack the available players to use others.
Allan’s red card on Thursday annoyed them but there is no other defensive midfielder. They signed three midfielders in January, but all are cup-tied and could not face Palace. A toiling Coleman carries on and Jonjoe Kenny, who has never convinced at Premier League level, plays out of position on the left while the £28 million pair of full-backs they signed in January, Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson, are not trusted. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has not scored since August, with injury limiting him to six starts in that time, and they have no adequate understudy.
Collectively, they are too porous at set-pieces, as Palace’s opener again showed. They got worse on the ball under Benitez and struggle to control games. For much of the season, they were slow starters.
Recently, they have lost their way in too many second halves. Their away form is abominable, with just four points since August. And, after the euphoria of Thursday subsided, it has become apparent that their destiny could be decided on the road.
Their home games may not offer the potential for enough points. Their away matches include trips to Burnley and Watford. Everton need to rediscover the resolve to at least deny relegation rivals victory in six-pointers. They call for the attributes Lampard accepted they lacked against Palace: character, fight, determination, a refusal to be beaten.