Everton let a major opportunity slip in the Premier League, drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace after twice taking the lead. The result leaves Everton still outside the top seven, while Conference League finalists Palace fought back again to claim a point at Selhurst Park and extend Everton’s frustrating run.
The draw means Everton remain under pressure in the race for European football and now need victories in both of their remaining league fixtures, plus help from other results. Palace’s form after European nights also stays mixed, despite another strong response following midweek Conference League action.
Everton struck first after just six minutes, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner bounced dangerously across the six-yard box and reached James
Tarkowski at the far post, where Tarkowski finished from close range. Before the next goal, Maxence Lacroix threatened for Palace, while Dewsbury-Hall went close again at the opposite end.
Palace levelled in the 34th minute. Ismaila Sarr’s initial shot was blocked back into Sarr’s path, and Sarr smashed the rebound beyond the defence. That goal continued Sarr’s strong season and came despite Palace’s heavy schedule, with the squad still managing league duties alongside a Conference League campaign.
Everton restored the advantage early in the second half. Beto sprinted onto a long pass from Tarkowski, outmanoeuvred Lacroix, then guided a low finish through Dean Henderson’s legs. Soon afterwards, James Garner forced Henderson into another important intervention, with a powerful free-kick tipped over the crossbar as Everton looked for a third goal.
Palace responded with growing pressure and finally equalised in the 77th minute. Substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta reacted quickest inside the box and drove a rising strike into the roof of the net. The forward’s impact from the bench changed the momentum, with Everton pushed deeper as Palace chased a winner.
The closing minutes brought further drama. Adam Wharton almost completed the comeback on 89 minutes when a long-range attempt beat Jordan Pickford but slammed against the post. Iliman Ndiaye then fired a promising opening over the bar for Everton, while Mateta sent another effort narrowly wide in added time.
The match drew wider attention as the tense finale unfolded in South London. As Crystal Palace reflected on the draw, the club’s official account posted, It finishes level in South London
, alongside the full-time graphic for supporters following the Premier League action online.
It finishes level in South Londonpic.twitter.com/aaPCqh4hwmCrystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 10, 2026
Palace produced the stronger attacking numbers, finishing with an expected goals figure of 2.66 compared with Everton’s 1.55. Yet that superiority did not bring three points, continuing a pattern of inconsistent Premier League results following European fixtures for the south London team.
Palace have now won only one of their last six league matches played directly after European games, drawing three and losing two. Over their previous 12 matches in all competitions, Palace recorded five wins, but four of those victories came in the Conference League rather than the Premier League.
Sarr’s strike carried significant personal meaning. The winger’s 20th goal of the season in all competitions made Sarr just the second Palace player to reach that mark during a single campaign as a Premier League club, matching Andy Johnson’s total of 20 goals from the 2004-05 season.
| Team | xG | Final score | Recent league run |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Palace | 2.66 | 2 | After European games: W1 D3 L2 |
| Everton | 1.55 | 2 | Last five league matches: D3 L2 |
For Everton, this result extends a difficult spell. The team are now without a victory in five Premier League matches, drawing three and losing two, which is Everton’s longest winless league sequence since a six-game run between February and April 2025. Hopes of European qualification remain alive but depend heavily on other clubs’ results.
