Jack Grealish’s first Everton goal completed an impressive 2-1 comeback victory and snapped Crystal Palace’s 19-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Palace went into Sunday’s Premier League fixture at Hill Dickinson Stadium in top form, and Oliver Glasner’s team looked set to continue their hot streak after deservedly going ahead through Daniel Munoz’s 37th-minute strike.
Jordan Pickford had been forced into a string of earlier saves, with Tyrick Mitchell grazing the top of the crossbar, while Jean-Philippe Mateta passed up gilt-edged chances either side of half-time.
Yet having rode their luck, Everton equalised through Iliman Ndiaye’s penalty in the 76th minute before Grealish diverted Munoz’s attempted clearance home in stoppage time.
Some last-gasp Pickford heroics helped Everton get over the line as they moved to eighth, one point and two places behind Palace.
How the match unfolded
Pickford was tested inside two minutes as Yeremy Pino fizzed in a low effort, and the England goalkeeper was called into action again after Chris Richards’ long throw-in trickled through to Marc Guehi.
Mitchell rattled the woodwork and Mateta was thwarted by Pickford, but after Thierno Barry failed to connect with an inviting James Garner cross at the other end, Palace made their dominance count when Ismaila Sarr released Munoz, who slotted calmly beyond Pickford.
Mateta saw a dinked effort cleared off the line by Jake O’Brien on the hour, and the Frenchman might have done better when scuffing wide soon after.
But a lapse in concentration cost them when Maxence Lacroix clumsily fouled Tim Iroegbunam in the area, and Ndiaye coolly sent Dean Henderson the wrong way from 12 yards.
And Everton had their first late winner at their new home to celebrate when Grealish got in the way of Munoz’s clearance in the 93rd minute, after Henderson had kept out Beto’s header, with Pickford coming up big to deny Justin Devenny in the dying embers.
Toffees stick at it
Everton were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham United last time out, extending their winless run to four matches across all competitions.
Without the suspended Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, David Moyes handed a full league debut to Tyler Dibling, but the winger struggled to make an impact in a first half dominated by Palace.
Pickford, who was making his 300th Premier League appearance for Everton, made several key interventions, denying Pino, Guehi, and Mateta inside the opening 30 minutes.
Moyes was swift in his response, switching Dibling and the misfiring Barry out Charly Alcaraz and Beto at half-time, and these changes proved effective.
Alcaraz added energy and spark into Everton’s midfield, while Beto showed the hustle that endeared him to Toffees fans last season.
Iroegbunam was also impressive from the bench, and he forced the error from Lacroix while chasing what appeared to be a lost cause – Ndiaye knocking in the subsequent spot-kick.
Everton’s response then went from good to great, with Ndiaye turning from goalscorer to provider as his cross wreaked havoc in the Palace six-yard box, with Grealish finding the winner in the ensuing carnage.
Grealish will not play when Everton travel to Manchester City after the international break, but the Toffees can go into that game with confidence after maintaining their unbeaten start at home.
Palace live to regret missed chances
The Eagles landed a win in their first ever European tie on Thursday, as they started their UEFA Conference League journey by beating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0, on the back of dramatically overcoming Liverpool in their previous top-flight outing.
They carried that excellent form into the first half here. Adam Wharton, a notable omission from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming internationals, once again played a key role in the Eagles’ build-up.
Linking effortlessly with Daichi Kamada and Pino, he helped drive wave after wave of dangerous counter-attacks.
While their first-half opener was much-deserved, Palace’s profligacy after the break was ultimately their undoing. Mateta, in particular, was guilty of some wasteful finishing.
Lapses in focus by Lacroix for the Everton penalty, and then by the entire defensive unit for Grealish’s winner, saw Palace’s status as the Premier League’s only unbeaten team in 2025/26 come to an end.
Palace will aim to recover from their first competitive defeat since April when they face AFC Bournemouth on 18 October.
Club reports
Everton report | Crystal Palace report
What the managers said
David Moyes: "We were poor in the first half at times. We made changes at half-time. I thought all the subs that came on made a brilliant impact, they really did, and probably helped us win the game."
Oliver Glasner: "We're very disappointed today about the result because for 60 or 70 minutes we played so well, it was a top, top performance. I think we could have been 3-0 up easily. This is what we're missing to be a top Premier League team, the efficiency in our attack."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Everton have won just three of their last 31 home Premier League matches when they've conceded first, but all three have come against Palace - 3-2 in May 2022, 2-1 in September 2024 and 2-1 today.
Since David Moyes' first game back in charge of Everton in January, only six teams have won more points in the Premier League than the Toffees (42).
Sarr has now either scored (four) or assisted (three) in seven of his last eight Premier League appearances for Palace. Since the start of May, only three players have been involved in more Premier League goals than Sarr (four goals, three assists).
Munoz today became the first player Opta has on record in a Premier League match to score a goal, win possession five times or more (eight), make five or more tackles (seven), make five or more interceptions (five), win five or more aerial duels (five) and win 10+ overall duels (13).