Everton manager David Moyes admitted his team were fortunate to still be in the game at home to Crystal Palace before their late turnaround culminated in Jack Grealish’s added-time winner.
The visitors looked comfortable at 1-0 but did not make the most of their chances after Daniel Munoz’s first-half goal and, when Iliman Ndiaye converted a 76th-minute penalty, the hosts sensed their chance.
On-loan Manchester City winger Grealish was then in the right place to block a Munoz clearance and see it rebound into the net in the third minute of stoppage time.
“I thought Crystal Palace should have been out of sight, they should have been 3-0 up, but we stuck at it,” said Moyes, whose side maintained their unbeaten start to life at Hill-Dickinson Stadium while also ending Palace’s 19-match run without defeat.
“Jack’s done great again; he had a couple of shots on target which were comfortable for the goalkeeper to save.
“I have been pushing him to get goals and assists – Johnny on the spot, that is the key.
“Ndiaye’s cross was incredible and really Beto should have buried it, the keeper saves it and Jack is in and around to get it.”
Grealish has been playing through the pain for the last two matches, having had a scan last week, but it was not enough to hamper him having a decisive impact.
“Jack has had a couple of minor injuries which we have had to nurse a bit and he has had to miss the odd day’s training, but I don’t think his performance is in question,” Moyes added.
“The team didn’t play particularly well in the first half and Jack was part of that as well.
“At half-time we needed to change the mentality because we started the game so poorly. We never got to grips with the game.
“The subs (Charly Alcaraz, Beto and Tim Iroegbunam) all made an incredible impact because we needed them to change it around.”
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, on his 300th Premier League appearance for the club, was the difference in the first half, making a string of saves to keep the score down.
“His ability to make saves is something we don’t underestimate,” Moyes said.
“He has a mad streak in him and you never know what he will do, but overall he is a terrific goalkeeper and that is why he has had 300 games and eight or nine years with England.”
Palace boss Oliver Glasner agreed with Moyes about his side’s shortcomings.
“Massively disappointed, it hurts, how the game was played,” he said.
“I have seen 60 to 70 minutes of fantastic performance of our team and we didn’t decide the game when we could have done. It has happened a few times.
“As long as it is 1-0 everything is possible and then we made one mistake in defence – we don’t make many – and they got the penalty. It really hurts. We all feel it was our fault.”
On the end of their unbeaten run, he added: “Wrong question today. I am a terrible loser.
“Maybe in the international break I can reflect on this great run but I told the players it is not my feeling at the minute.
“But they can be really proud of the next chapter they wrote in the Crystal Palace history book after winning two trophies, the longest unbeaten run in over 120 years.
“Maybe we need to feel this pain again, we don’t want it but we need it to make the next step forward.”
