5 Telling Stats from Everton’s 4-0 Drubbing at Crystal Palace

Frank Lampard’s men suffered a heavy defeat at Selhurst Park on Sunday after quickly falling off despite a very bright start to the game.

Historic Low in the Cup

Everton’s performance against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Quarterfinal was historic for all the wrong reasons. This was the heaviest loss for the club in the FA Cup in 67 years, and it was not against particularly prestigious opposition. The Eagles have twice been runners-up in the world’s oldest national football competition, in 1990 and 2016, but have never won it, yet they now share this record with the club from the red half of Merseyside, who conversely have won the competition 7 times.

Richarlison Alone

Although the Brazilian’s commitment to Everton Football Club cannot in any way be questioned, as he missed his own grandfather’s funeral to play against Newcastle, his lack of impact on most games he’s played in continues to be a point of concern for the Toffees.

The 24-year old has picked up more bookings than goals so far this season and is on track for a personal low in goal contributions in the Premier League since joining Watford in 2017. Frank Lampard will need to get more out of him if Everton want to secure survival before the last few games of the season. He doesn’t seem well-suited for the sole striker position where he often gets swallowed up by bigger, more physical defenders.

Proper Recruitment

I tweeted during the match that Michael Olise is exactly what Everton thought they’d be getting when they spent an initial £28 million on Alex Iwobi. The fact of the matter is that in recent years, Crystal Palace’s recruitment has been light years ahead of Everton’s, and the performances of the Eagles’ young talents today is testament to that. Marc Guehi wore the armband for the first time for Palace and put in a Man of the Match performance,

Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze and the loanee Conor Gallagher shone in the middle of the park. Olise was the pick of the bunch for me; Everton’s midfield and backline couldn’t handle his pace and trickery, and although the former Reading man did not get a goal for himself, he assisted Guehi’s opening goal and his shot off the woodwork gave Wilfried Zaha a tap in for Crystal Palace’s third, a fine way to mark his call-up to the star-studded France squad for the international break.

London Woes

This stat does not include the FA Cup Semi-Final in 2009 when Everton beat Manchester United at Wembley, as not only was that a neutral venue (this stat speaks more to road games in the Capital), but the game was also won in a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of scoreless football. The main point is that folding in the Capital is nothing new for Everton FC, as the last time they won on the road against a London-side was way back in 1991.

Toothless Away From Goodison

It’s become very clear that Goodison Park will need to be at its very best every week in order for this Everton side to escape relegation. Everton have picked up the least amount of points on the road of any side in the Premier League this season, with just 6 from 13 games, and have only scored 10 goals. The Toffees last away goal was a lucky ricochet in early February at Newcastle in a losing effort.

With yet another despicable performance away from home, it’s clearer than ever that results at the Grand Old Lady will likely decide the Toffees’ fate at the end of the season. That being said, the match at Turf Moor in a few weeks’ time will also be crucial in the relegation battle’s eventual resolution. It’s going to be a difficult end to a beyond-difficult season for the Blues.