Everton secured a victory against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third-round replay, with Andre Gomes’ impressive free-kick playing a pivotal role. This win now positions Everton to face Luton Town in the subsequent round.
After 42 minutes at Goodison Park, Gomes broke the deadlock for the hosts, skillfully curling a free-kick into the top corner from a distance of 25 yards.
In a game with limited significant chances, this was the singular moment of true quality, allowing Everton to secure their first win since December 16.
The match occurred just two days after the hosts were charged with violating the Premier League’s financial rules for the second time this season.
Prior to the game, Everton fans displayed a banner with the message “onwards Evertonians, we shall not be moved.”
Gomes shines with textbook free-kick
Gomes, aged 30, made only his second start for Everton since May 2022, having spent the previous season on loan at Lille and subsequently dealing with a calf injury.
The midfielder delivered an impressive performance for the Toffees at Goodison, scoring his second goal in five appearances through a well-executed set-piece.
Throughout much of the first half, Everton asserted dominance, with an early chance from Dominic Calvert-Lewin being tipped over the bar by Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. In the 72nd minute, the forward narrowly missed the target with a shot, and a flicked effort from Lewis Dobbin in second-half stoppage time was thwarted by Johnstone’s feet.
Despite the narrow lead, Everton managed to hold on, setting them up for a home match against Luton on Saturday, January 27. They aim to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the third consecutive season.
But they are likely to be without Abdoulaye Doucoure and Seamus Coleman for that fixture with manager Sean Dyche saying after full-time that both were absent from Wednesday’s tie with “minor hamstring issues” and a return date is “too early to tell”.
Palace fans boo Eze sub
Crystal Palace’s struggles persist as they have now secured just one victory in their last 11 matches, succumbing to six defeats during this challenging stretch.
The recent loss also marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that Roy Hodgson’s side has been eliminated at the third-round stage of the FA Cup. The sole exception occurred in the 2021-22 season when they reached the semi-finals.
Palace faced difficulties in generating clear-cut opportunities, and Hodgson’s decision to substitute key forward Eberechi Eze in the second half was met with disapproval, including boos and chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” from some away supporters.
Their next Premier League fixture sees Palace away to Arsenal in just three days.
“If I was a fan, I wouldn’t have wanted to see Eze taken off either,” Hodgson told BBC Radio London. “But we play at 12:30 GMT on Saturday and we need people like Eze who is one of our very best players.
“I would have loved all of my players to play 95 minutes but unfortunately we decided, in order to protect as many players as we can, that we would replace them with players who also deserved a chance to play.”
The best chance for the visitors arose immediately after conceding, with Tyrick Mitchell’s attempt from a narrow angle being thwarted by Everton goalkeeper Joao Virginia.