The cascading rain subsided just in time for the FA Cup third round’s very extended weekend to get underway at Selhurst Park, but neither Crystal Palace nor visitors Everton could summon anything remotely resembling cup magic. They’ll do it all again at Goodison Park after a goalless draw.
Eberechi Eze — Palace’s creative spark in the absence of last Saturday’s injured match-winner against Brentford, Michael Olise — endured a mixed night under the lights, and it was the same for the Eagles more broadly.
Quite rightly booked by referee Chris Kavanagh in the 13th minute for an inane dive, Eze then lost the ball in the middle of the park, allowing Arnaut Danjuma to fashion the first meaningful shot of the game. Eze raised his level in the second half, looking closer to deserving of his status as a full England international.
Former Tottenham man Danjuma was excellent for Everton, and Dean Henderson needed to stay alert to push away the Dutchman’s stinging front-post effort.
Matheus Franca, the 19-year-old summer recruit from Flamengo, was at long last awarded his first start for the Eagles by Roy Hodgson. A picture of enthusiasm throughout, the Brazilian always offered himself and showed glimpses of his clearly rich potential, before another youngster, Naouirou Ahamada, replaced him with 19 minutes to go.
Palace’s best periods of a tight and gritty encounter fell either side of the interval. Jefferson Lerma struck narrowly over with a powerful shot from range before the break, and then Eze hammered at goalkeeper Joao Virginia shortly after it.
Amadou Onana nodded over the bar when he ought to have at least hit the target from a corner, and Danjuma forced Henderson into another save low down as the visitors sought to force the issue.
But right before Dominic Calvert-Lewin was about to be substituted, he produced a needless studs-up challenge on Lerma, and after a VAR check and Kavanagh’s visit to the pitch-side monitor, the striker was sent off.
Ahamada fizzed the ball just wide, and shortly after Hodgson threw Odsonne Edouard on — his first appearance since his knee injury — up front alongside Jean-Philippe Mateta. Palace believed they could nick it 1-0 and avoid a tricky replay on Merseyside in the coming weeks. They couldn’t.
