For the majority of the match the Eagles were the dominant side and looked set to end a long run without a win in Sunday’s fixture, but two late goals turned the match on its head and saw Palace suffer an unfortunate defeat following a 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
“Obviously we know Everton are a top team,” Wharton told Sky Sports. “They’ve got some top players and when they're at home, if they get the crowd behind them, they're very difficult to play against.
“I thought the first 60-70 minutes we played very well, dominated the game. We had a lot of chances to put the game to bed, but we didn't. And then I think we sort of brought it upon ourselves. A few sloppy mistakes on the ball… maybe we thought we were comfortable.
“They sort of gained momentum, the crowd got behind them, and then it's always a difficult battle against them.”
Wharton said Palace’s midweek European travels were not in their thinking after the defeat, noting: “We made a few subs, and we can't be putting it down to playing on Thursday. This is what our whole season is going to look like.
“We've got four competitions to play in, so we're going to be playing a lot of games. We can't be making excuses, saying we played on Thursday.
“We've got three days to recover. We've got 90 minutes to work hard and grind out a result. I don't think we can put it down to that. It’s just frustrating.”