Fan belief, and some tactical brilliance from Frank Lampard, pulled Everton to an unlikely turnaround against a Palace team that dominated them in the first half. It was a great spectacle for the neutrals. I will confess to a fondness for the Toffees, plus I wanted them to have nothing to play for against Arsenal Sunday (though Newcastle had nothing to play for and killed us). Everton showed enough life in the first half to make watching the second half seem worth it, so I did, and I was glad. It was end to end in a very open game. There was some question as to whether both teams, and especially Palace, would have eleven men on the field to the end, the action was that intense. Even the scrappy goals were watchable. And the jubilation of the home fans was an amazing sight. Well, they'll be in the top flight for a 69th successive year. Well done blues.
Palace was very dangerous too. They had a few gilt-edged chances in the second half but hit straight to Pickford, who did not look very sure of himself.
I was afraid Everton would show up and play well in order to avoid relegation. They did exactly that. I have been surprised a team with a as much history as Everton has been performing so poorly this year, and also have been reading about their financial issues. So they will survive another year.
ReplyDeleteThe supporters were brilliant, as they say in Blighty. They never stopped roaring for their team, and trying to call every foul, handball, and card. Their explosion of joy at the end was remarkable even by English football standards. Everton's recent form has been pretty good. Like you, I was bemused by their poor play for most of the season.
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ReplyDeletehttps://arseblog.com/2022/05/friday-thoughts-defenders-vieira-and-london-calling/
ReplyDeleteCheck out the twitter video in the above Arseblog post. Your manager is a real badass!
I as well have some fondness for Everton. But I still wanted to win against them.
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