Connor O'Neill's Everton analysis following the dramatic 2-1 Premier League victory over Crystal Palace at Hill Dickinson Stadium
David Moyes made some key changes against Crystal Palace
David Moyes made some key changes against Crystal Palace
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David Moyes was given a nickname during his first spell in charge of Everton. The Blues manager would often be referred to as “Dithering Dave”, as supporters spoke of their frustration at the Scot’s inability to make game-changing substitutions.
Even when Moyes came back to the club in January, supporters were quick to wonder whether their new boss had changed. The evidence so far this season suggests he has.Moyes hasn’t been shy in making changes. Beto and Thierno Barry have often been the two players who have been hooked off at the break.
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Barry was once again replaced after 45 minutes here, but so too was Tyler Dibing. On came Charly Alcaraz and Beto, and the Argentine made an instant impact. He was simply superb and helped swing the game in Everton’s favour.
Alcaraz, in the eyes of many, was unlucky to be replaced at the break against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the recent 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat. However, if he wanted to send the right message to his manager, then he did exactly that here.
His performance was everything you want to see from a player when he comes off the bench. So much so that he has now given his manager a real headache when his side return to action after the international break. But for Moyes, although he hasn’t been shy in making changes this season, this was the first time he has made a game-changing one.
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£18m transfer mistake must not be repeated
There was less than five minutes on the clock when Adam Wharton sliced open Everton’s defence with one simple pass.
It was the start of things to come. He simply bossed this game and showed just why he is being hyped up the way he is.
Wharton made the headlines for all the right reasons this week when he was left out of the England squad for the upcoming games against Wales and Latvia.
Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel revealed on Friday that he had called Wharton to explain his decision.
But no words can do justice to the call made by the German. The midfielder should be in the squad. It is as simple as that.
But there is another thing when it comes to Wharton, and it is why the Blues weren’t in the mix to secure his signature when he left Blackburn Rovers back in February 2024.
A product of the Rovers academy, he played against the Blues as a youngster, and plenty already knew about his talents long before he started playing in the Sky Bet Championship.
Perhaps it was the £18million fee rising to £22m that put the Blues off. But that is nothing in today’s football world.
It would have been a gamble worth taking. Wharton’s contribution here was so telling that Jack Grealish admitted after the game that he was the best player on the pitch.
“Adam Wharton today,” he said. “I concede the Man of the Match Award. That should have gone to Adam Wharton because, in my opinion, he was the best player on the pitch today.”
Wharton, with all due respect to Palace, will likely go on to bigger and better things when he eventually leaves Selhurst Park.
He will likely head to a club in the Champions League. Talk of Real Madrid being interested should come as no surprise.
But as Everton look to move to a brighter future, having learnt from previous mistakes, they should look at Wharton as someone who got away.
Recruitment is everything in football these days, and the Blues must make sure that moving forward they don’t miss out on the next Adam Wharton.
Jack Grealish £50m transfer decision could be made for Everton
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Just when Everton needed Jack Grealish to come up trumps, he did exactly that.
Grealish will have scored and will hope to score better goals than this one, but he might not score a more important one.
His side had been second best, and had it not been for Jordan Pickford, they would have been dead and buried at half-time.
Speaking in the build-up to this game, David Moyes revealed he had told Grealish to start shooting more.
“Yes, I do want him to shoot more and I want him to get into positions to score,” the Scot said.
“I am sure managers far better than me have spoken to him about it as well, but I am looking at him and saying I want to get more goals, more assists.
“His assist numbers are good, that is for sure, and I want to get him on the scoresheet, getting in at the back post more, a bit more instinctive.”
Following on from those talks, the England international managed two efforts on goal before his big moment arrived in stoppage time.
His impact since his loan move from Manchester City has been eye-catching; he has even admitted himself that he has fallen back in love with football.
And the scenes that followed his dramatic late winner here will have made him fall in love with football and Everton even more.
This is what football is all about. It has been claimed that Everton’s deal with City included a £50m option to make the transfer permanent in the summer of 2026.More moments like this one here, and one suspects that Grealish and Blues supporters could well be making that £50m decision for the club.