Fantastic comeback ends Palace's unbeaten run

COYB

Or will they mix it up in game? No, don't be daft, Davey's never trying that one .

Does it really matter so long as Barry scores!!

Hope they do. Attack them, take the chance when it comes, but do the hard work when we have lost the ball. Coyb.

Yes, I think you're right. Dibling and Grealish will not be nearly as effective as Harrison and Doucoure when we don't have the ball. To the extent that I think we will play more of a patient possession game so that we reduce the risk.

Doucoure and Harrison were not pretty to watch, but for the system we were playing last season they were very effective. But with Grealish and Dibling, we effectively now do not have a press. Especially when you factor in we are playing with a low block cos no Jarrad.

If Nathan Patterson can't get in the team now, he never will do. I feel for the lad.

And your reference to 'the ineffectual Barry'. He's had one start in the Premier League. And in that game, he played his part in both the goals we scored.

Barry and Dibling can't get into the game.

Again, we look ineffectual against good opposition.

A chain is as strong as its weakest link. On the ball, we just have so many of them.

Palace go down the pitch and score.

Palace look miles better

Play Ndiaye up front and fuck Barry off for good. Badly hope we get Gabriel Jesus in January… Wouldn't mind Doucoure's goal threat right now. Gana, Barry, Beto offer nothing going forward.

Jake is not a right-back who gets up and supplies crosses, so why do we play a target man forward? Our team is so imbalanced and blunt for an elite Premier League team in the biggest sports league in the entire world. It's a borderline piss take…

Barry makes Victor Anichebe look like Pele…. Get Barry off and put Ndiaye up front. This is a fucking joke!! The lad is beyond shit… Get Beto on for the second half, at least he creates opportunities by his own hard work.

Palace have got Eddie Nketiah on the bench, for fuck's sake… I need to know who specifically is in charge of scouting and signing our players. And he/she needs sacking asap. Not even joking…

We call for managers' and players' heads all the time but this goes deeper. Who is signing forwards like Beto and Barry? Ellis Simms was better than both of them.

If we don't change something here, we will get embarrassed.

Asked and answered by the utterly useless Barry.

Next question?

Sadly, I think he was on the money. I'm not sure how you find a player in there from what we've seen.

Mind you, the other expensive young fella looks petrified too and I've at least seen him play with confidence before.

It's going to take some time to right the wrongs of many years. But the lack of quality on the ball sticks out as soon as we play a decent side.

There was an attack in that half where O'Brien received the ball; played safe to Gana, who goes safe to Keane, who goes safe to Mykolenko. Kind of sums up where we're at. They're all fill-in players at this level.

Playing Barry seems just as damaging to his confidence as dragging him off, so we might as well take him off for the good of this game. If we had an option, then I'd do the same to Dibling. He needs to figure out whether even he thinks he can hack it at this level before we find out.

But I suspect we'll see Beto and just hope things change.

But my oh my, Barry... should have buried it.

Hard to see where to make changes that will make a difference but they have the run of the middle of the park, by-passing Gana with ease; that has to stop, we are letting them play. We are a yard behind them in mind and body.

A typical, avoidable but totally predictable blunder from the man.

Palace tired from their long European trip... so what the hell excuse do Everton have?

Poor so far but surely has to be better in the second half.

The only player we have that can do this is Grealish... occasionally Ndiaye.

Barry looks woeful albeit he'd had nothing to work with for 30 minutes but he should have put us one up just before they scored.

And for that goal, where were our central defenders? Tarkowski nowhere to be found, Keane watching his man, so Mykolenko had to leave his man to stop Sarr(?) just walking through.

If not for Pickford, this would have been all over for a game.

Anyone think we'll see some Moyes half time magic or will the players have to yet again tell him it has to change.

Nothing new with this team. He's got to change it at half-time.

Barry is fucking wank… I hope Beto plays every game and stays fit for the love of god. He's all we have up top.

Come on, you Blues!

The fault lies not with the player, who didn't ask to be paid £50,000 a week on a 4-year contract, and costing £27M, but the highly paid idiot' who sign them.

When we have big defenders in the team, you don't need a 6'-5" striker, especially one who can't head the ball. I called for a 4-3-3 formation with a front three swapping positions to confuse the defence.

I hope Beto plays well today and I'll take a draw against a very good Palace side, but I ain't holding my breath. We should be three-down but, while it's one-nil, we are still in it.

He's a far better option than Dewsbury-Hall.

Crap first half, great second half. The two Bs not the answer.

Thank fuck we won, what with Man City next, we needed that one.👮👮👮

Relief!

Let's go with the positives. Alcaraz's effort and intent changed the game... and we've just beaten a very good side.

Other than that, we were dreadful!

Alcaraz, brilliant, we got at them and what a difference, stopped them playing... brilliant second-half display from all.

Happy face in the moonlight here, well done, Blues!

Let me think... 'He was forced into the changes, and got lucky.' How about that?

Doing alright.

I don't know what happened to Palace as they seemed to drop off but that was probably due to our extra effort of the second half. To be honest, I didn't think we had any chance of winning that after such a poor first half.

For those who don't like Beto, he did far more than Barry in the first half... but Beto did have Alcaraz playing off him and more happening all around him.

Dibling, it's harder to say as not much came his way.

Will Mr Moyes take heed and we see more attacking effort and possibly that second-half line-up starting next game or will it be, "Defend -- it's Man City" and we get a plucky loss.

Never fall in love with a loan player... too late!

Dibling is a worry too, the fact he's 19 gives him a bit of leeway but I thought he had some pace and he doesn't!

Unbelievable result after a very poor display and a vital 3 points.

What a great weekend before the international break!

MotM: Alcaraz. Totally changed the game, a nice little cameo from Tim Iroegbunam.

Moyes is going to have to be more Iraola and think first 16 -- not first 11 and subs when needed.

What about our summer recruitment is that bad? It was clear we wanted a right-back. But there weren't any available after Tete decided to stay.

We have limited funds (due to PSR), so we needed to be sensible with signings. We could have spent up to £40M on a right-back but that would have impacted all other targets.

I don't know... I kind of feel we know there's an issue but circumstances stopped us. Give it 2 more windows and I think we'll be buzzing.

That's just my opinion and thoughts, pal.

There are a few things on the right path but we're still a way away.

Personally, I'd be playing Alcaraz up front, as I said in the pre-match thread. He can link up play, puts in the work, and he's got a knack of making things happen.

We were hardly ever at the races but somehow, a nice rarely given penalty in our favour, and a great move that looked to have failed with a missed Beto header from 2 yards out...

But there was Jack -- whose shots had been poor at best, and who never looked like scoring -- in the thick of it to swing his boot at the critical moment and smash the ball into the roof of the net to win what had looked to be an unwinnable game.

Nothing short of fantastic!

Not sure at all he is going to fit in to our much slower build-up play. He gets the ball already tightly marked with no space to use. Pity... as lad is a real talent when he's on fire.

Moyes is an idiot, the signings are all shit, he hasn't got a clue.

But then we beat the form team, and they have to pipe down a bit. Until the next defeat...

We're desperate for two full-backs, a central midfielder, and a striker.

Set your bar higher.

It's a pity that they discontinued the old Central League, it was perfect to get new players up to speed, as well as not having to send players like Harrison Armstrong out on loan.

Even at the end, we had the players going down with cramp.
Is there a fitness issue here?

Thankfully Palace also started to blow a bit by the end, and -- with no small amount of fortune -- we toughed it out.

Obviously as everyone will say about Palace, if you don't take your chances...

(And I think I deserve an assist for taking Grealish out of my fantasy team!)

Link

Moyes did what many fans have asked for, playing Ndiaye at Number 10, but the balance of the team requires a midfielder there. Alcaraz deserves to keep his place for the next game with Dewsbury-Hall slotting in at Number 8.

Dibling and Barry are simply not ready to be first-team starters. That doesn't mean they won't become good players for us.

Alcaraz had his best game for us and made their defence sweat. We rode our luck against a very good side. Coyb

Moyes was forced to make changes at half-time today and he came up trumps. I thought Alcaraz was great and Beto made a difference with his physical presence and effort. We rode our luck though.

I would like to see Moyes make more proactive and positive substitutions when games are in the balance rather than waiting too long. He has some options, as today proved.

Three points however and we've regained some momentum. Always an added bonus when Liverpool lose during the same round of games!

Although Alcaraz played well when he came on.

Ref was a wanker with the extras at the end.

Moyes finally noting change is the name of the game?

Sweet rewards, huh.

Moyes got it right. Someone got to the chip in Moyes's brain. Barry and Dibling showed a lot of promise. Suddenly, the path forward looks different.

Well done, boys. COYB

A great battling performance. Alcaraz showed why it was good we secured his services, and why he should be getting more minutes.

I thought Gana was incredible in the latter stages.

He's getting a lot of stick, I would say the bulk of Evertonians are doubting him right now, and the expectations of us supporters are weighing heavily on him.

Same with all strikers that have signed for us -- it is probably the most scrutinised position in the team.

I would love him to score, to see his reaction and above all give him a boost.
COYB

I'll take that. NSNO

Memories of Moise Kean??

What is it about young strikers and Everton?

He's made mistakes, of course he has. But we're a work in progress with all sorts of flaws in the squad and a lot of new players bedding in. The season will be very up and down.

Brilliant to get the win today -- with some of the unfashionable players (and the consistently brilliant Pickford) putting in a good contribution.

7th in the table.

It's a big 3 points for us today, fortuitous against a better side that tired after a Thursday European game. Alcaraz made a difference when he came on.

Sorry for Keane, he was having another good game. Right back is a big worry.

First half awful, same predictable pattern. Second-half changes gave us fresh momentum. We got the breaks.

Get that into our training routine, Moyesie!

The 50,000 toffees in attendance today did us proud. Alcaraz was brilliant and having been playing football with South American guys for decades, I know exactly what kind of passion he plays with. He was chasing all the balls out of play, helping opposing players with cramp and really hurried the game up in our favour; none of this goes unnoticed.

Beto was a usual nuisance and must be our main striker. Big team effort and we stood up to adversity. That was a good Palace team today, unbeaten in 19 games. The stadium is making a difference in our favour, I have no doubt.

There's a love-in with Grealish, I get it. But Jordan made a couple of huge saves that are basically goals.

Misplaced passes, wayward shooting etc. So there was a good reason he didn't start. But second half, he showed the form we saw from his last season.

Hopefully he maintains it. But it's a good reminder of the difference between a decent player and a great player: consistency.

Ndiaye and Alcaraz look top class on their day but their day isn't every week. That's why we need more depth so hopefully, when they're out of form, it coincides with McNeil's occasional burst of form, and so on.

The subs made a massive difference in the 2nd half, Alcaraz was immense and has to start in the Number 10 role after the International break.

Beto also put in a good shift, probably should have buried the header, but a big improvement on his previous performances.

Delighted with the 3 points and hopefully Branthwaite and Röhl will be available after the break, but you have to give credit to Moyes for the changes in the 2nd half.

Although Tim was because of Keane's injury, he was the right player though. He could've brought a right-back on but mixed it up in midfield and it worked a treat.

I'm often critical of Moyes but today he was very good.

That's the job, as it is for every profession. All this ‘whining' nonsense that Kevin peddles is just that, nonsense.

The first half was terrible, but I was pleased that Moyes was finally decisive in making substitutions that changed the game. I want more of that version of the manager, if he is capable of it.

I was in the North Stand and the atmosphere was good but I did get frustrated on a number of occasions when those around me did the classic ‘mumble and chew finger nails' rather than giving the players a lift. Old habits die hard I guess?

Credit to Moyes for the subs. Alcaraz, Beto and Iroegbunam are all high-energy players who will feed off games with a little bit of chaos in them which is what happened in the second half when we had little to lose.

I'm not sure that means they should necessarily be starting matches but clearly they helped swing the momentum on this occasion.

The first half was worrying and showed a superior tactician at work in my opinion, but Moyes is a fighter and his teams will usually keep themselves in the contest, which means you always have a chance.

I'm not sure the performances leave me hugely optimistic for the future but 8th after 7 matches is a very decent start.

So to my joyful surprise when I checked the final score, we actually turned things around.

I'll take a win, however it is achieved. Well done, Everton.

You just can't help yourself, can you, Kenrick?

Write the report and save the biased editorial, please.

Alcaraz was very good in his natural position -- go figure. I was frustrated that Garner was moved to right-back when we have two right-backs on the bench: What for?

However, on this occasion, it worked out as Tim Iroegbunam got the important penalty, that Ndiaye scored with aplomb.

8th as it stands and momentum to go forward but alas another international break. AArgghhh.

Brave starting XI by Moyes, and brave and decisive changes at half-time. Now we don't have to suffer a fortnight of endless catastrophising about him.

The referee was dreadful, and we huffed and puffed for large spells, and offered very little. But we hung in and got some luck that we missed vs Aston Villa and West Ham.

Subs made a difference. Beto, Alcaraz, Iroegbunam all made a difference. There were some around me moaning that Garner went to right-back over Patterson.

For me it was 100% the right call. Garner gave us another player into the midfield when he stepped forward. With the close control of Iroegbunam and Alcaraz looking as lively as I've seen him in a while, the tide turned.

A good 3 points at our new stadium. Great atmosphere and celebrations.

Never felt more like singin' the blues. UTFT.

Good comeback but outclassed in the first half and ponderous moving forward.

I thought Gueye got his second wind from about 75 minutes and O'Brien is a good central defender.

The team were booed off by plenty at half-time and then Moyes made the two moves that I'd suggest again were the moves most fans had decided were the ones they'd make.

The team stunk the place out, with no energy or movement all over the field by Everton. Alcaraz and to a certain extent Beto brought that energy to the team and revitalised the Blues to a certain extent — but Palace should have wrapped the game up with two golden opportunities.

Then we got a penalty that no referee on the field or in the studio could deny and Ndiaye, cool as a cucumber, slotted the ball home. This got the crowd really going and another very good move produced the winner, which Beto should have buried before the ball was slammed against Grealish by a Palace defender to fly into the net.

The realists in the crowd who whined and moaned in the first half also roared the team on in the second half and celebrated that victory with the same enthusiasm as those who thought that we should have accepted that putrid, pathetic first half performance...

A great result and comeback doesn't wipe out that performance but it certainly was very welcome.

What happens next in the coming fixtures will be very interesting: will the decent start to the season that was altered by Moyes's stupid team selection at Wolves be revived by today's second-half improved performance?

Or will Moyes prove he is just an average manager that a lot of us think he is?

We've done very well to beat them, make no mistake.

About half the money was spent on two players that were bollocks once again. We're resorting to bringing players on that were first teamers last season and looked better for doing so.

Apart from that, nothing.

Now I know Gana Gueye has many fans on this site but I have never been impressed. I have seen him play some good games, but heavens above, he loses the ball so easily and he just can't make a telling pass. We need a midfield rejig with Gueye on the bench.

I also agree with the guys who say "give Barry and Dibling some time".

I'm not sure how we managed to win that game. I was very impressed with Palace: Munoz showed what we are lacking at right-wing back, Pino was excellent, Wharton is a good player. But, as we have seen so often, you have to take your chances.

Alcaraz played very well when he came on. It looks like he may be a Latino “passion player”, not so great conforming to a system but revelling when something a bit extra is required.

Fair play, we battled hard for the victory. I had a chat with a Palace fan after the game, told him I thought we were fortunate to win, he shrugged his shoulders and said it had been a good game which either team could have won.

A bit generous, perhaps, after an awful first half from us.

Big shout out to Charly.

It's amazing how luck impacts things. I'm sure you recall the Brighton win was very similar in terms of them having ample opportunity to seal the win.

A year ago, Gary O'Neill got sacked by Wolves after PGMOL admitted his team had been affected by incorrect referee decisions more than any other team, and it was generally accepted they were playing well but incredibly unlucky at either end of the field.

That said, we've always had a raw deal when it comes to luck, so a few lucky wins are well overdue. But I don't think anyone is fooled into thinking Moyes is more than average.

I know the Bournemouth coach gets a lot of praise but personally I rate Glasner much higher as he's spent much less and won a trophy.

Credit to Palace for giving him a shot versus our managerial hiring process which has been:

A) Turn back the clock — Harvey, HK II, HK III, Royle, Moyes II — and hope the Evertonian spirit triumphs.

B) Blow money on a big name: Koeman, Carlo.

C) Firefighter to stay above water — Allardyce, Dyche. Or...

D) Flavour of the month: Walker, Lampard.

In my lifetime, the only manager we've ever appointed seemingly based upon doing due diligence and seeing if he has good ideas, solid track record, and the potential to do more, is Marco Silva.

(I think Gordon Lee was similar but I was only 2 when he got sacked, so I'm excluding him.) And ironically he was hired by Moshiri -- the biggest culprit in making poor decisions.

Obviously he didn't work out and I'm not among those romanticizing his era thinking “What if...” He failed... but he's the type of manager we should be going after, eg, in the Glasner, Frank, De Zerbi mold.

If they don't work out, they're not as expensive as Koeman or Carlo to fire. They offer an upside where Allardyce, Dyche and Moyes don't.

So, massive upside... little downside. But here we are again with another pragmatic, reverse time, bleary eyed Bill type managerial appointment again.

I heard rumours he was going to be.

Alcaraz changed the game by occupying the space that Ndiaye left criminally empty in the first half. Wharton had a field day. Wasn't helped by Gana running around like a headless chicken. At times, it was like we had no midfield.

Just by having midfielders in the midfield, we got a foot in the game. You simply can't leave that much space in the middle of the park.

I had never heard of Barry prior to the transfer, but I had seen Dibling, but only on TV, and I was not impressed.

I also think we paid well over the odds for him and should have concentrated on buying a player for one of the other positions.

I think it will be some time, before we see the above players starting another game for Everton.

I think Gordon Lee came close to winning a title with a team that played good attacking football, was robbed of a cup final game through a Welsh referee's terrible decision, and lost a cup final after three games.

Billy Bingham was another who could have claimed a league title with a less than exciting style and wasn't adventurous enough.

They were both better managers than Moyes but never lasted anywhere near the 11½ years that he was entrusted with and nowhere near the vast wages he received whilst at Everton.

But some like him and think he is a very good manager — mind you, he must think a lot of himself if he thought he was good enough to go to Man Utd. He's got a great ego to think that!

Christ, he's had one half of football, how can anybody in any team be judged after one half of football where his team where totally out-played -- and he saw very very little of the ball, I just don't get it.

I do agree with the sentiment about Barry, however; he just seems to be another Moise Keen in the waiting.

We could analyse it to death and come up with so many different things that were contributing to such an awful lacklustre display but when words like lacklustre are used, then I think it's usually fair to say it means that the team lacked desire, enthusiasm and energy.

I like Alcaraz and thought his energy made a difference, just like I thought Beto's energy also gave us a better foothold in the game. But the biggest change came about because our best player got injured and had to go off.

Keane has been playing very well but I was actually glad that he had to go off because it meant that Jake O'Brien, who has been struggling badly, was relieved from playing at full-back.

It's obviously easy saying this after the game but I don't think Moyes would have taken off O'Brien and he would have been mad to replace Michael Keane.

Tim Iroegbunam got us the penalty which got us level, and Garner gave us a much better balance without really doing anything effective at full-back except giving us a balance that is sometimes vital; suddenly, Everton began to look like a much more energetic team.

It was great for the fans inside the stadium, and coming from behind sometimes also helps to galvanise everyone.

I couldn't meet Andy Crooks but I'm glad he helped bring us “The Luck of the Irish” on his first visit to Bramley-Moore Dock, and the stadium looked fantastic watching the happy Evertonians celebrating an unlikely victory with everyone pulling together at the end.

I'm not one for conspiracy theories and I don't believe anyone has it in for us but where did the ref get the extra 5 minutes from? 13 minutes added on at the end of the game yet, in the derby, it was 3 minutes exactly.

Some fans saying about other fans moaning about the first half when we were dreadful -- it wasn't just the first half, we've played like that since the derby. There's too many good sides in the Premier League now so we can't afford to go on runs of 5 games without a win.

Great to see Alcaraz change the game with his introduction at half-time, playing in his proper Number 10 position and not shoved on the right wing where he is ineffective and doesn't see enough of the ball.

He played himself into the team today, as far as I'm concerned. Great to stay unbeaten in our new ground.

None of them could deliver a trophy, they all bottled it when they got close. I wouldn't rate any over the other personally.

I think Palace cut through Everton's midfield with plenty of ease in the second half as well and only poor finishing and good saves by Pickford stopped them going home with the points.

Alcaraz coming on gave us the energy and movement to at least make us look like a team that could engineer a goal or two, along with making Palace, until they tired, work harder to win the ball in midfield... and I think Beto deserves praise for having a hand in that.

I think O'Brien has done alright at right-back as a solid defender... but that's also because none of our opponents seemed to try and run at him and see how agile the big lad is.

Unfortunately, West Ham decided to do that, so that cat is out of the bag and he's an obvious weak link going forward. To be honest, I'm surprised he lasted so long before anyone put him to the test.

They were 19 games without defeat -- so they were due a loss. Add to that we are also one of their bogey teams. It's amazing how events happen which fit a pattern and defy logic.

I have to admit, I got cold feet earlier today and said that it would probably finish a draw. I should have stayed with my gut feeling and how coincidences seem to occur.

But I thought it was painful watching him and Mykolenko from an attacking perspective, especially when you could see how fluid Crystal Palace looked with the width and the balance that their full-backs gave them.

With Man Utd, Newcastle Utd and Aston Villa all struggling again, the Champions League places are there for the taking for these two managers but we'll obviously have to see whether they have the acumen. They'll certainly never have a better chance.

Bingham's career as a top-level manager was very short-lived... Lee had a longer tenure but ran out of road pretty early.

Moyes has held his own mostly in the top flight for a generation or more.

There is no comparison.

Is it true?

The problem was Palace had 4 in midfield and Grealish and Dibling were hugging the touch line.

Second half, the whole team were much more on the front foot and playing further up the pitch as we played narrower and through the middle rather than down the flanks.

Charly and Beto were a major improvement on the players they replaced.

No, their last defeat was 5-0 v Newcastle.

The second half was a good comeback and showed that there is a good team -- it just needs managing better; whether it is Moyes is up for debate.

This game was a good example of his positive and negative managing.

Agreed on both fullbacks.

Robert,

I'd argue Glasner broke the glass ceiling when he won the FA Cup. I'm assuming you're referring to the Champions League spot but a trophy is a trophy.

We are now conditioned to expect the Sky 6 or really just Man City and Chelsea winning every cup that most teams don't even try. But he did and he won.

Iraola, on the other hand, you could argue is a latter day Alan Curbishley. Curbs got Charlton into the Premier League and kept them in it for years as a safe mid-table-ish team but never got into Europe, never won a trophy and eventually fans got tired and drove him out.

Different style but similar story to Pulis at Stoke. If Iraola maintains the sort of “almost got into Europe” thing for long enough, people will likely turn on him too, push him out, then live to regret it when Bournemouth go the way of Charlton and Stoke.

What an example he was to his team mates.

O'Brien has been solid, but he's being targeted now. He gets caught up field and has limited pace (against quick wingers) to recover.

We looked so much more balanced once Garner moved to right-back, and O'Brien looked solid in the middle.

Charly Alcaraz does something our other midfielders do not do -- he turns and runs with the ball forward! Towards their goalkeeper! Shock, it gets the fans going and opens up space!

He then makes Beto work harder, as he plays balls into his feet or close for him to run on to… changes our dynamic completely!

Moyes has to find a way of incorporating Charly and Dewsbury-Hall in the same team!

Just before the penalty, you could feel we were going to get something out of this. After the penalty, you could feel a win coming!

Last mention, but Keane has been brilliant so far this season. He looks confident and assured -- I cannot believe I've just typed that!

Bingham managed for 23 years, he managed the Greek national team as well as Northern Ireland whom he took to two World Cups, and he managed both AEK & PAOK Athens.

Lee also managed for 23 years, including Newcastle, Blackburn and Leicester City. I'd say they more than hold their own alongside Moyes, although he has won a trophy!

He's been very good all season, but I would have been happy if he'd have moved on in the summer, but credit where credit is due, well done, Michael Keane.

I was very worried when he went off, which says a lot.

Not saying they didn't have very good careers but it was at a much lower level.

It's a bloody funny old game... West Ham under the lights should have been done at half-time, the same applied today.

But we had a point from last Monday and all three today, a decent home record and some reason to be cheerful...

I will sleep well on that tonight and save further comment until the next time!

I was lucky enough to be at the game today. When I walked up the steps and saw the pitch, I just thought... wow!! Fucking wow!!

We will get a team fit for this stadium and today was another small step.

Bingham and Lee could hold their own against the current incumbent who would never have lasted 11½ years at Everton in the era they both served the club.

Along with Jordan Pickford, who has been our most consistent player.

For me, Charly Alcaraz is the game changer. If Moyes gave him 30 minutes or the second half against West Ham, we win that as well. He is a busy player always looking to drive forward.

Alcaraz had assisted a number of opportunities for Beto last season so perhaps having him in the side at the expense of Dewsbury-Hall would again provide the linkup play with Beto and bring about further chances for him again this season.

When I say "lower level"... I mean not the top division.

Moyes is/has been there for 20 plus years?

Bingham? Lee?

He survived the first period so long and is enjoying his comeback because our circumstances since the Bingham and Lee era have sadly changed for the worse.

So 2 World Cups is lower-level management in your world?

But he kept his job because, unlike Bingham and Lee... he was moving the club forward.

Who won two World Cups?

Billy Bingham managed at 2 World Cups.

I shook my head and smiled, Brendan, until I read it again, mate.

By the way, thanks for recommending the Irish version of The City Is Ours -- Liverpool version to me, Brendan.

It's rare for me to agree with you, Brendan, but I have to agree with you about Kin, because I found it so much better, like you had stated.

A little bit to much killing, but I suppose that's life for people who make certain career choices, and I was wondering how they got rid of a few of the bodies, until I read what Jeff posted @126! Goodnight!

Jordan Pickford once again was top drawer today, we could have been 4 down but for him!

It doesn t matter how fluent they looked. A game of football lasts 90 minutes and, although we were abject for the first 45, we capitalised against a team that were winning in Ukraine on Thursday night whilst all of our players had their feet up with their families.

So, the longer the game went on, the less fluent they looked. Because their good players got tired. And us with a home advantage and a bit of quality, took advantage and won the game.

Barry once again was a 1/10. A truly dreadful performance.

For what it's worth, perhaps Billy found his niche with Northern Ireland... it doesn't really resonate with me, nor does it a top manager make, but well done, Billy.

Doesn't mean he could cut it in the cut and thrust of the old First Division... in fact, he floundered. As did many... so no disrespect there.

It’s all rather academic, I guess but there is little to no chance Moyes would have retained his job back in the 1970s. In his second full season he finished 17th and there is no way the Everton hierarchy of the past would have tolerated that, Kenwright for good or ill was blindly loyal to Moyes.

To be fair to the much maligned Bingham and Lee they both produced sides in 74-75 and 77-78 that were credible contenders for the title something Moyes has never has done anywhere.

In 74-75, Everton’s ability to draw too many games cost us, and we ended up three points behind the champions Derby and lost fewer games than anyone else that season.

In 77-78 we lost three games more than the champions Forest, and recorded the highest home and away wins of the season, and we were a great team to watch., finishing third.

In Moyes best season 2004-05 when we secured fourth place, we had eleven fewer wins than the champions Man U, and that is with fewer games played than in the 70’s.

I don’t think he is a bad manager but he isn’t a messiah either, his biggest impact has been to systematically adjust Evertonians expectations to accept our place as plucky little Everton, punching above their weight.

We've had way too many poor starts, so I'm not in the mood to praise Moyes for fixing his own fuck-ups -- glad we did though.

He's not a long-term option.

I was going to surrender my ticket to one of my grandsons, but he was unable to attend as he wanted to play. I've been struggling a bit with the new stadium -- on the one hand, I love it and am staggered that we have come out of the last decade in possession of such a magnificent home.

On the other hand, it has no emotional attachment (of course). The only answer is to develop new memories. The Brighton game did that, it was a great occasion. But, in a footballing sense, perhaps today's added-time winner was a crucial first.

Bingham & Lee...

Peters & Lee were more credible contenders.

That really got us going. That's what changed the game.

Lovely nostalgic reference there, Peters and Lee! Perhaps like me you are of an age where your memory fails you???

On 4 April 1975, we were top of the league, with four games to play.

On 25 April 1978, we were 2nd with one game to play.

These statistics would indicate to me that Everton were involved as credible challengers for the title in those seasons???

This is worrying now.

I am possibly of your vintage but my memory is pretty sound and as for stats... not for me mate.

We were always going to be thrown the bouquet in those seasons.

Agree re 78-79. Although we went top in January, Shite had about 4 games in hand on us, and were always going to win it.

74-75 though we had every chance (as did Shite, and Stoke as well as Derby who won it) It was a very odd season. We got beaten home and away by the team who finished bottom, despite being 2-0 up at Goodison. Everton, that.

Also the winner, fantastic work from Ndiaye, and actually Beto did nearly everything right. He was there to take the chance (not sure Barry would have been). He headed it on target, and down, and the keeper makes the save.

Why? Well, it was a time when Derby County twice won the league when newly promoted with a host of so-called non-entity players.

Also, them across the park started to win the European Cup repeatedly until newly promoted Nottm Forest. with a host of so-called non-entity players, emulated them.

We, the School of Science, bought a plethora of genuine non-entity losers who won diddly squat. Further, when Howard Kendall was first appointed, our squad was dross, so let's put a bit of perspective on Bingham and Lee, eh?

Moyes under Kenwright was either the leech that drank the other's blood whilst winning diddly squat for 11 years, or was acquiescent to being the blood from which the mega-leech drank as he destroyed our club until he found a moron buyer to fabulously enrich him whilst we sunk ever deeper into the mire.

So, I've little faith in Moyes second time around.

"Beto did nearly everything right."

Actually Beto did everything wrong. He went for power (from 2 yards!) instead of placement. His header was straight at the keeper and we got lucky with Grealish trying to block the clearance.

Again, how we won that one, I don't know. Same as the Brighton game, we rode our luck. I wish Everton would stop this shite of only trying in one half.

Didn't expect to win today so over the moon, the second-half performance was fantastic (apart from the chances conceded, but at least we were going for it).

How can Moyes drop Alcaraz for the impressive Dewsbury-Hall? I can't see how we can accommodate both without losing a winger, but Grealish and Ndiaye are our best outlets.

With Grealish ineligible against Man City, will we sacrifice a winger for more in the middle?

I can see this team improving as the season goes on, if we are lucky with injuries. I'm worried about Keane going off, he's been such a strong asset this season so far and proved many of his naysayers wrong.

It's ridiculous to say Beto did everything wrong with his header. The only thing wrong with it was the placement but the goalie still had to have his wits about him to keep it out.

How did we get ‘lucky' when Grealish did a good job on following up and getting his block in? There must have been literally thousands of goals scored that way at the top level. It's good play and gets rewarded on occasion.

I acknowledge Michael Keane's current form but he is still essentially the same player he always was (often got too much criticism) and so I was not too bothered when he went off, and I am not worried about the centre-back pairing if he's out with injury for a while.

Jake O'Brien is as competent as any other we have barring Branthwaite. They all have the odd mistake in them.
The biggest issue if neither Keane nor Branthwaite are available is who plays right-back.

He chose a team many of us would have selected, but it did not work first half. Barry lacked any confidence, Dibling was starved of the ball and looked tense when he got it. He made the right changes at half-time.

It also reinforced for me that the current squad quality means we require a midfielder playing Number 10 and not a forward. Ndiaye did his best, but we need someone comfortable to drop into midfield and add numbers. Dewsbury-Hall or Alcaraz going forward should get selected there.

Also, on Beto. He played with aggression and energy when he came on and fixed the centre-backs in position. I wish he could recognise the physical power he has compared to many centre-backs.

Tony A hit the nail on the head when he said Garner gave the team a lot more balance when he moved to right-back. He can take a ball from the centre-backs and link up with midfield, even if he doesn't push on aggressively. He can also cross the ball into the box, which Mykolenko struggles with.

It may be a sacrifice, but I would consider playing him right-back for a period. O'Brien has done his absolute best there, but I think teams are now targeting him as a weak point and doubling up on him.

Bar one or two positions we have a very talented squad. Our main problem is Moyes. He is hit and miss with his tactics resulting in losing games we should have won.

The ‘78 team should have been Champions. Great to watch and full of quality.

Great that you made it to Bramley-Moore Dock and seen it in all its glory — and you brought us that Irish luck as well. We've never lost when you've made your first visit to one of grounds!

Sorry I couldn't make it to see you. Tony wanted to see you as well but I held him back getting me to the ground although it's not too bad getting there, it's walking back up that bleedin' sloping Boundary Street that slows me down.

Hope you are well, Andy, but I can imagine you when we scored that winning goal and coming out of the ground on a ‘high'! I bet you could have flown home without a plane!!!

I think Gordon Lee was a better manager than Moyes -- and he was definitely more handsome than him!

I watched the game on Stan this morning with my younger brother in Victor Harbour here in South Australia, both wearing our Everton shirts.

He is 15 years younger than me (I'm 77) and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 3 weeks ago. He's been given 3 to 6 weeks EOL. The win, from a potential maybe 5 - 0 loss, really made us both happy.

So, Thank You Everton!!!!

The whole Bingham, Lee, Moyes debate carried on cos Brendan thought there was “no comparison” that Moyes was the better of the three. I tend to think they are all much of a muchness, there certainly is a comparison.

Brendan was correct in the fact that were was no comparison; there wasn't.

Bingham and Lee were proper managers with no ego, Gordon even let it be known that he didn't like McKenzie and his antics. The fans didn't like that, did they, and it put him in a bad spot from the start, not with me, to be honest.

You queried why Moyes was delaying the introduction of a teenager into our team, and then in the same breath labelled another new starter ineffectual when he'd had one start to his name.

With such a rush to judgment, is it any wonder Moyes thinks long and hard about how he's going to introduce young players to this bear pit?

I remember back in 1977 meeting a fellow-Evertonian who didn't rate Duncan McKenzie. I couldn't believe it.

My reaction was similar to Brian Labone's [reportedly] when he was told that Kanchelskis was finding it difficult to decide between Everton and Middlesbrough -- a sort of goldfish-like open-mouthed astonishment.

Ditto the way a more recent Duncan arouses mixed emotions among Evertonians. I guess it's all about opinions, Saint.

Obviously the introduction of Alcaraz was a game changer, but I thought that Grealish was a lot more direct yesterday, cut inside at pace a lot more which seemed to baffle his marker(s).

Whilst still not perfect by a long way, it's a much better watch than previous seasons in my opinion. Small steps and all that.

He did well when he took over from Dyche last season. We are sitting in 8th at the moment with most of the teams above us you would expect to be there. I think we are overachieving as a team this season.

Some fans criticising individual players and the team's performance don't seem to take into account who they are playing against, especially as we are playing with a reduced and patched-up squad at the moment.

You may disagree but some of us I suspect have been able to make an all too clear and accurate assessment of what this bloke can do for the team. And sadly it doesn't amount to much.

With almost a quarter of the season gone already, I would offer that such a "rush to judgment" is anything but.

I think anyone thinking we have a "very talented squad" is wearing rose-colored glasses the size of manhole covers.

For all our improvement, we are still one of the slowest teams in the Premier League and lack scoring ability. And as Raymond points out, your Moyes comment is... off target to say the least.

As for Alcaraz having to be in the team, my question is simple: In place of who? Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall or Ndiaye?

Sorry to hear about your brother. That's a really tough one for a family to bear.

With apologies for adding a football comment on this post in light of the above there's just under a fifth of the season gone so far, not almost a quarter. Michael, perhaps when we've reached a quarter, you'll be able to make your judgement on firmer ground. :)

I am speaking from a tactical point of view. No doubt he has done very well since he has arrived. Yesterday, he got it right in the second half with his substitutions.

In the first half yesterday, he got it completely wrong and we could have been 0-3 down by half-time. In other games -- our neighbours and West Ham -- he got it wrong.

Yesterday, by accident, I think he found a very effective formation by having more midfielders on the pitch. Control midfield and you control the game.

I believe we have quality players who can be very effective in the right formation. It's the manager's job to get that right.

The opposition are not passive though, they have their own plans to be successful. As I said before, it depends a great deal on how good the opponents are, one or two very good opposing players can make all the difference to the result.

I think we need another three class players before we can seriously challenge the Top 6 teams.

Most were signed by the recently expanded recruitment team -- a flop if I ever saw one! Patterson, Aznou, Röhl, Beto, Barry and Dibling all unlikely to contribute much for a very considerable outlay!

For 70 minutes, Palace dominated and the game should have been out of sight but, as the old adage goes, if you don't put away your chances when on top, then don't moan if it comes back to bite you.

I have to admit I would have picked the same starting line-up and many of us before the game were suggesting Ndiaye play in the Number 10 role.

But Moyes realised the players starting the game were way off the pace, and fair play to him for making the changes at half-time, the boo boys couldn't criticize you for leaving the substitutions too late.

Alcaraz, who had to be subbed at half-time against Wolves in the Carabao Cup, produced his best display in a blue shirt. He chased and harried and forced Palace into mistakes.

He also had the confidence to carry the game to Palace. I think most of us thought we were a bit lucky to pick up all 3 points, but in the last 20 minutes that's probably as good as we have played all season.

Also, how nice for Michael Keane that he got a standing ovation when he sadly had to come off, what a great piece of work extending his contract was.

It will be interesting, given Alcaraz's 2nd half performance, to see our line-up in 2 weeks against Man City. I would just say I felt a little sorry for Dibling as, apart from one cross, nothing seemed to click for him.

Young Barry, who has played a few games, looks way off the pace. If we had signed him for £10/15M, I would suggest we sent him out on loan... but at £27M it would leave egg on somebody's face if we did that.

Finall,y delighted Grealish got his goal; yes, a bit fortunate... but he was in the right place to block the clearance.

I think different fans want players to play in a different way. McKenzie was a player who entertained the crowd, for me, at the expense of the team. He played for himself, not the team.

If I wanted to be entertained, I'd have gone to The Empire or The Philarmonic Hall. He was famous for the match against Stoke at Goodison is often recalled when he held onto the ball beating four or five players, taking the piss really, and he did that while going across the field sideways and he'd moved the team up the pitch by a yard, sorry I exaggerate, a foot!

Duncan Ferguson was an idol when we had no one else to cling onto. I liked him a few times when we played Liverpool or Man Utd when he was up for it. In plenty of other games, he wasn't and did next to nothing, as his goals record for Everton might prove.

A few times he wasn't sent off at his leisure, an idol has to be consistently good in my opinion and definitely has to be a team player.

Alcaraz could play instead of Gana Gueye and let Dewsbury-Hall play centre-mid next to Garner.

Moyes has competition across the midfield for the first time in a while. He has no competition for places up front or at the back.

Alcaraz is the nearest thing we have to a Cahill. He actually wants to impact games and not just pass sideways.

McKenzie a show boater who produced very little and was far from being a team player.

Dave, you and I are very lucky we have seen some truly great players for the Blues where the younger generation have been starved of great players, hence why Ferguson and McKenzie were idolised by some.

Isn't that what football is supposed to be about?

Back to the match, I felt James Garner was our best player in the first half by some measure but the introduction of Charlie Alcaraz at half-time was a great decision. He was the 2nd half MotM from me.

Also, Beto came out strong and made a difference. He looked fitter too. Barry looks somewhat lost.