Everton vs Crystal Palace

Everton made a statement on the opening weekend of the season, seeing off Crystal Palace 2-0 at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Toffees looked sharp throughout, even after Palace rattled the post and appeared set to strike first. The breakthrough came just before halftime, as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall curled home a left-footed finish in the 42nd minute off a setup from Harrison Armstrong. Palace's Daichi Kamada had already picked up a yellow card in the 30th minute for a rough challenge. Early in the second half, Thierno Barry doubled the lead with a spectacular strike in the 53rd minute, assisted by Iliman Ndiaye. Palace tried to respond, sending on Yeremy Pino and Evann Guessand, with Guessand testing the keeper in the 66th minute, but the visitors never found a way back. For Everton, it's the perfect start under the new campaign, showing defensive discipline and clinical finishing. Crystal Palace, by contrast, will need to regroup quickly after an opening-day defeat in which they failed to trouble the scoresheet.