Crystal Palace extended their unbeaten run to five Premier League matches courtesy of a 1-1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park this evening.
The home side took the lead 10 minutes before half time when Romelu Lukaku curled a powerful free kick over the wall and past a helpless Steve Mandanda.
It was another Belgian striker who had the final say of the match, though, as Christian Benteke's inch-perfect header five minutes into the second half sealed a point for the Eagles.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
7pmGood evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for this Friday night fixture between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park! Both of these sides have enjoyed a promising start to the season but had contrasting results last time out, so this one promises to be an intriguing contest tonight. Let's start with a look at the team news...
7.02pmEVERTON STARTING XI: Stekelenburg; Coleman, Williams, Jagielka, Oviedo; Barry, Gueye, Cleverley, Barkley, Bolasie; Lukaku
7.02pmEVERTON SUBS: Joel, Mirallas, Lennon, Valencia, Funes Mori, Davies, Holgate
7.04pmCRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Mandanda, Ward, Delaney, Tomkins, Kelly; Ledley, McArthur, Zaha, Puncheon, Townsend; Benteke
7.04pmCRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Hennessey, Fryers, Flamini, Cabaye, Lee, Wickham, Campbell
7.06pmWhat can we make of those two teams, then? Well, Ronald Koeman makes just one change to the team that fell to their first Premier League defeat of the season last weekend, with Tom Cleverley replacing Mirallas in the starting XI. Mirallas drops to the bench, with Cleverley expected to play in the attacking trio behind the striker alongside Barkley and Yannick Bolasie.
7.08pmFor Bolasie, this will be the first time he has faced his former club since switching Selhurst Park for Goodison in a big-money summer transfer, and he has already started to make his mark on Merseyside. He has two assists already for Everton - just one fewer than he managed throughout the 2015-16 campaign for Palace. In all, he made 144 appearances for the Eagles, scoring 13 goals, and you'd expect the visiting fans to give him a good reception tonight.
7.10pmAnother summer signing in Gueye has also made a good start to life as an Everton player, and he once again plays alongside Barry in a holding midfield role this evening. There is no change in the defence either as Williams partners captain Phil Jagielka, while Coleman and Oviedo make up the back four - with Baines still out due to a hamstring injury.
7.12pmAt the other end of the field, the main goalscoring burden will once again lie on the broad shoulders of Romelu Lukaku, who has four goals to his name from just five Premier League appearances so far this season. He has a good record against Crystal Palace too, finding the back of the net three times in his last four league games against the Eagles.
7.14pmCrystal Palace also have a big Belgian striker leading the line for them this evening, with Christian Benteke returning to Merseyside following a short and unsuccessful stay at Liverpool. He has had more joy in his early Palace career, though, scoring twice for his new club already from just four league appearances. He tends to enjoy himself against Everton too, eith four goals and an assist in his five league games against the Toffees.
7.16pmLike Everton, Palace have made just the one change this evening, and it is an interesting one as Yohan Cabaye drops to the bench for Alan Pardew's side. The Frenchman is replaced in the starting XI by the fit-again Wilfried Zaha, who missed the dramatic victory over Sunderland last weekend due to a slight hamstring problem. He has recovered for this one, though, and will be hoping to outshine former teammate Bolasie tonight.
7.18pmAlongside Zaha in that trio behind the striker will be Puncheon and Townsend, both of whom are more than capable of creating or scoring chances of their own, so there is a decent goal threat throughout this Palace side. McArthur and Ledley make up the midfield, with former Arsenal man Mathieu Flamini available from the bench following his free transfer.
7.20pmPalace traditionally get quite a few goals from defence too, but arguably their most potent defender is once again sidelined this evening. Captain Scott Dann misses out again due to a hamstring injury, which means that Tomkins retains his spot alongside Delaney at the heart of the defence. Ward and Kelly make up the back four, with Mandanda behind them in goal.
7.22pmEverton will need to be alert from all areas of play against the Palace side, as they are a team capable of scoring from open play and set pieces in equal measure, but Everton's defence has arguably been their biggest strength so far under Ronald Koeman. Indeed, only Tottenham Hotspur can boast a better defensive record than the Toffees this season, with Koeman's men having conceded just four goals in their six games.
7.24pmIn all it has been a very promising start to life under Koeman for Everton, and certainly a vast improvement on their time under Roberto Martinez last term. They currently sit level on points with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, only outside the top four on goal difference, and victory tonight would lift them up to second in the table until tomorrow at least. A win would also see them equal their best ever start to a Premier League season with 16 points from seven games - a tally they last achieved in 2004-05, when they went on to finish fourth, their highest ever Premier League finish.
7.26pmThe level of competition this season will make a top-four finish very difficult to achieve for the Toffees, but they are expected to be in the mix for European football at the end of the campaign. Koeman developed Southampton into a very strong Premier League team during his time in charge, earning them a place in the Europa League, and the early signs seem to be pointing at a return to Europe for Everton too.
7.28pmThat said, Everton's bright start has come to a bit of a halt over the past week or so, with back-to-back defeats in all competitions. The Toffees had been enjoying a five-match winning run before slumping to a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Norwich City in the EFL Cup, while a surprise 1-0 loss to Bournemouth last weekend also saw their unbeaten Premier League start come to an end.
7.30pmEverton had scored in every game before this current two-match drought, and had only dropped two league points before the Bournemouth defeat, but suddenly they are now on the verge of losing three games on the bounce for the first time since January 2015. Even last season when they really struggled under Martinez they didn't lose three in a row in all competitions, so this recent run has been a reminder of just how quickly things can change for Koeman.
7.32pmIt should also be noted that Everton have not had the toughest start to the season either. A draw against Tottenham on the opening day was a decent result, but since then they have faced West Brom, Stoke, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Bournemouth, so their bright start is perhaps not that big a surprise. Things will get more difficult from now on, though, with league leaders Manchester City next up after tonight.
7.34pmKoeman will be confident of returning to winning ways tonight, though, if only because of their good recent record here at Goodison. They are unbeaten in six home Premier League games dating back to March, winning four of those including two from three this season. Another win this evening would see them victorious in three consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since April 2015, although their last outing here did see them knocked out of the EFL Cup by Championship side Norwich.
7.36pmThe Toffees are also coming up against away-day specialists in Crystal Palace, although that reputation diminished somewhat during their poor run of form in the second half of last season. Indeed, before their current two-match winning streak on the road in the Premier League - both of which came in the North-East - Palace had gone 12 games without an away league win. Another victory tonight would see them make it three in a row for the first time since February 2015.
7.38pmThat would equal the club's top-flight record, which has been achieved on three occasions since the start of 2014, and they have actually amassed more away points in their last two games than in their previous 12 combined courtesy of their back-to-back victories. Goodison Park is a much tougher place to go than the Riverside or Stadium of Light, though, so they will do well to keep that run going.
7.40pmHome and away, Palace have turned their form around quite dramatically in recent weeks, coming into this match off the back of three consecutive wins - the same number of victories as in their previous 23 Premier League outings. Their unbeaten run now stands at four games, during which time they have picked up 10 points - just one fewer than in their other 21 Premier League games so far in 2016 combined.
7.42pmVictory this evening would only hand them four league wins in a row for the first time since April 2015, but it would also see them move level on points with Everton, in addition to Arsenal and Liverpool. Goal difference makes it unlikely, but they could even end the day in the top four with a big enough victory tonight. They already sit above Chelsea in the table, which is something that didn't look likely after they had lost their opening two games of the season.
7.44pmThere is, of course, still room to improve for Palace, though, and perhaps top of the agenda will be their defensive record. Their tally of seven goals conceded from six games this season is by no means the worst in the league, but you have to go back to Palace's last meeting with Everton in April for their most recent Premier League clean sheet. They have failed to keep any in 11 games since then, while in all competitions their 2-0 win over Blackpool in the EFL Cup last month provided them with their only one in 15 games.
7.46pmThey conceded twice last time out against Sunderland, although the lack of a clean sheet would not have worried Palace by the final whistle. The Eagles seemed destined for defeat courtesy of a Jermain Defoe brace, but they launched a remarkable comeback in the final half an hour to win 3-2. Ledley and McArthur scored to level things up, before Benteke sealed the victory in the 94th minute.
7.48pmSince then, it is matters off the field that have taken centre stage, with Sam Allardyce's resignation as England manager leading to renewed speculation that Pardew could get the job. Pardew described the role as the "pinnacle" of an English manager's career, but Palace fans will have been relieved to also hear him say that Selhurst Park is where he wants to be right now. Even so, when the time comes to pick a permanent successor, Pardew name will undoubtedly be in the mix.
7.50pmPREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff here, which means that it is time for a prediction! Both of these sides have impressed so far this term, but it is Palace who go into the game as the form team tonight. Even so, Everton look strong at home and will be eager to bounce back from their first defeat of the season. It could be a close one, but I'm going to go for a 2-1 home victory.
7.52pmThe Toffees don't actually have a particularly good record against Palace in recent years, winning just one of their last six Premier League meetings with the Eagles. That came in January 2015, with Lukaku getting the only goal of the game. Aside from that, there have been three draws and two Palace victories in that six-game spell.
7.54pmPalace are also unbeaten in their last three Premier League visits to Goodison and have not lost on this ground since 2005, 11 years ago. Their last three trips here have yielded two wins, a draw and seven goals for, including two 3-2 victories.
7.56pmLast season there was nothing to separate the two sides over both meetings, with the corresponding fixture ending 1-1 in December. Dann gave Palace the lead after 76 minutes, but Lukaku levelled things up five minutes later to earn a point. There were no goals the last time the two teams met back in April, although that was probably a better result for Everton after they had McCarthy sent off just seven minutes in to the second half.
7.58pmRight, we're just about ready to go here! The players are out, the pre-match niceties have been exchanged and Goodison is packed under the floodlights for this Friday night fixture.
1 minKICKOFF: Jonathan Moss, who is a late replacement as ref for the ill Mark Clattenburg, gets us underway here and Everton kick us off at Goodison!
3 minThe hosts have made a quick start here, full of energy both on and off the ball. No early sights of goal for either side, but the game has started at a good tempo.
5 minEverton win a corner here as Barkley clips a pass over to Coleman, who beats Kelly before being stopped by Delaney inside the area.
6 minThe corner is too deep, however, and comes to nothing.
7 minCHANCE! The first sight of goal this evening goes the way of the home side as Palace fall asleep from a corner. Williams is left unmarked to plant a header goalwards, but it hits the back of Jagielka before it can trouble the keeper.
9 minAlmost another chance for Everton as Bolasie - surprisingly being booed by the visiting fans - delivers a peach of a cross into the middle. Lukaku looks like getting on the end of it, but Delaney does just enough.
11 minKoeman will be happy with the start his side have made to this match here. The hosts have enjoyed 75% possession in the opening 10 minutes, although for all of that they are yet to create a really clear chance.
12 minSHOT! Palace have their best attacking spell of the match, but Everton finally win the ball back and look to break quickly. Lukaku holds it up and lays it off to Barkley, who fires a long-range effort well off target.
14 minEverton think they have a penalty, but Delaney is saved by the offside flag! Cleverley chipped a good ball over to Oviedo in the box, but the full-back had just strayed offside before being brought down by the Palace defender. It would have been a stone-wall penalty had it not been offside.
16 minYELLOW CARD! The first card of the match if shown to Oviedo for a blatant drag back on Zaha. No complaints there.
18 minPalace have just started to come into this game a little more in the last five minutes or so, but they are still yet to create a good sight of goal themselves here.
19 minSAVE! Mandanda has his first save of the night, but it is a simple one. Ledley lost possession in his own half for Palace and the ball was quickly slid through to Lukaku. The Belgian is on his weaker foot, though, and his tame effort is easy for the Palace keeper.
21 minA slightly nervy moment for Oviedo as he tries to pass the ball back to Stekelenburg but almost gets it wrong. It looked for a moment as though he hadn't put enough on it, but the Everton keeper is alert enough to mop up the danger.
23 minThis could be Palace's first chance to really test Stekelenburg tonight as Townsend goes down under a challenge from Barry. Free kick to the visitors in a very good position...
24 minTownsend takes it himself, but sends his effort straight into the Everton wall.
26 minYELLOW CARD! Puncheon is the second name in the book this evening, and it must have been for dissent after Lukaku was fouled by a combination of him and McArthur.
28 minSHOT! Everton win a corner, and they shake things up a bit by pulling it straight back to Coleman. He collects it and turns before going for goal on his weaker left foot, but Mandanda is able to watch the ball fly wide.
30 minThere have been a lot of crosses at both ends of the field inside the opening half an hour tonight, but both defences have dealt with that very well so far. Delaney in particular has made a number of important clearances.
32 minStill no big chances for either side in this match. Everton have just about had the better of things so far, but for the most part it has been a pretty even encounter with not much to separate the two teams.
34 minEverton have a free kick in a very good position here after Delaney had gone into a challenge with Jagielka with his feet raised. The Toffees are 25 yards from goal just over to the right of the pitch...
35 minGOAL! Everton 1-0 Crystal Palace (Romelu Lukaku)
35 minLukaku isn't renowned as a set piece specialist, but he has just scored a beauty of a free kick to break the deadlock here! The Belgian keeps his effort low as it flies over the wall, and Mandanda has no chance as the ball slams into the back of the net. Brilliant goal for his fifth of the season.
37 minThere will be some controversy about that goal, though. The free kick was awarded for a high foot, but the replays showed that Jagielka went into the challenge leading with his hand and actually handled the ball rather than heading it. Interesting to see what both managers make of that.
39 minJust over five minutes remaining until half time now, and so far all that separates the two sides is that moment of magic from Lukaku. Palace, for their part, have not offered anywhere near enough in the final third.
41 min
1 - That was Romelu Lukaku's 65th Premier League goal, but his first in the competition from a direct free-kick. Unusual. #EVECRY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 30, 2016
43 minAs things stand, then, Everton are moving back up to second in the Premier League table. I mentioned earlier that they fixture list has been fairly kind to them at the start of the season, but that is still better than many would have expected.
45 minThere will be a minimum of one minute added time at the end of this first half, and Everton have another free kick in a good position...
45+1 minYELLOW CARD! Tomkins goes into the book before that free kick is taken, again for dissent.
45+2 minHALF TIME: Everton 1-0 Crystal Palace
8.56pmThe referee brings an end to the first half at Goodison Park, and it is Everton who go into the break in front. It has been a fairly even contest for the most part, but a moment of magic separates the two sides at the interval. Palace have offered very little going forward, and will expect more after the break.
8.58pmThe only goal of the game so far came from Everton, and it was a brilliant free kick from Lukaku - his first in the Premier League despite only Aguero having scored more league goals since Lukaku opened his league account in 2012. The free kick was awarded for a high foot against Delaney, and Lukaku whipped a stunning shot past a helpless Mandanda.
9pmAside from that, there has been very little to shout about in terms of clear goalmouth action so far. The only other shot on target was a tame effort from Lukaku that was easy for the Palace keeper to collect, while elsewhere there have been half-chances for Williams, Barkley and Coleman.
9.02pmPalace, meanwhile, are yet to have a meaningful attempt on goal, with Stekelenburg little more than a spectator so far. The visitors have had a decent amount of the ball in open play and have got into some good areas, but they haven't tested the Everton keeper. Much of their threat comes from crosses, but the Toffees have dealt well with their aerial danger so far.
46 minKICKOFF: Crystal Palace get us back underway for the second half here at Goodison looking for another comeback to keep their winning run going.
48 minNo changes at the break from either side, but we might not have to wait too long in this second half before we see Cabaye. Palace need someone to keep possession a bit better and to get Benteke into the game more.
50 minGOAL! Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace (Christian Benteke)
50 minOne chance, one goal for Crystal Palace, and what a header this is from Benteke. He climbs high in the area to steer a perfect effort into the far corner, leaving Stekelenburg helpless as the ball looped in. Benteke had to generate all of the power himself, and steer it too, and he did both brilliantly.
52 minCHANCE! Huge chance for Everton to regain their lead straight away! Bolasie streaks clear down the left channel before pulling a low cross into the middle for Gueye, who seems to have an open goal with Mandanda out of position. Kelly is the only one in his way, but the Palace defender makes a goal-saving block.
53 minYELLOW CARD! Benteke becomes the latest player in the book, although I'm not entirely sure what it was for.
55 minBenteke again climbs well in the area, this time to get on the end of a corner, but on this occasion the Everton defence do just about enough to survive. This has been much better so far in the second half from the visitors, though.
57 minDISALLOWED GOAL! Palace think that they have turned the game around as Delaney climbs well in the area to score a similar header to Benteke's, but this time the flag is raised. Jonathan Moss goes over for a chat with the linesman before confirming that the goal will not stand, although the replays show that Delaney was in fact onside.
59 minPalace were anonymous as an attacking threat in the first half, but they have been immeasurably better in that respect since the restart. It is suddenly a good, open game, and the visitors can feel hard done by that they are not ahead following that wrongly disallowed goal.
59 minSHOT! Bolasie looks to mark his first meeting with his former club in memorable fashion with a spectacular bicycle kick, but the effort goes a couple of yards wide of the target.
61 minThese crosses, which Everton dealt with so well in the first half, are starting to cause them some problems now. Benteke almost gets onto another peach of a delivery from Townsend, but it just goes over his header before bouncing behind off Zaha.
63 minHaving seen the replay of the disallowed goal again, it is possible that the flag was raised against McCarthy. The Palace midfielder didn't make contact with the ball, but did make a slight movement towards it while in front of the keeper and in an offside position. A very tough call for the officials, so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
65 minWe have just 25 minutes remaining in this match, and it is finely poised right now. Both sides are looking more threatening now than they did in the first half, and we may not have seen the last of the goals here.
66 minOFF THE LINE! Everton almost regain their lead as Barry makes a good run to the front post from a corner. He sends a glancing header towards the far post, but Puncheon is there to keep it out.
67 minYELLOW CARD! Townsend goes into the book retrospectively for a tug on Barkley, although it is quite a harsh one.
68 minYELLOW CARD! It wouldn't be an Everton game without a yellow for Barry, and he joins the rest in the book for a trip around 25 yards from goal.
70 minTownsend lines up the free kick from a similar position to where Lukaku scored from, but his effort goes straight into the wall.
72 minCommanding goalkeeping from Stekelenburg as he comes flying off his line to punch a hanging ball clear, clattering into Ledley in the process.
73 minGood footwork from Zaha to create space for a cross from inside the box, but he puts too much on it and Townsend has to collect it at the back post. He in turn wins a corner, which comes to nothing.
75 minPalace are the team really pushing for a second goal right now, and Everton are being forced to hang on a little. Nervous times for the hosts!
76 minCHANCE! Good chance for Palace as a corner is only cleared as far as Ward, who in turn nods it back into the danger zone. It comes to Tomkins at the back post, but he puts his header too close to Stekelenburg when trying to pick out the far corner.
77 minEVERTON SUB: The first change of the night comes from the hosts as Barkley is replaced by Kevin Mirallas.
78 minYELLOW CARD! Idrissa Gueye joins the growing list in Jonathan Moss's notebook for clattering into Townsend.
79 minCRYSTAL PALACE SUB: The visitors make their first sub of the evening as Yohan Cabaye comes on in place of McCarthy.
81 minEVERTON SUB: Another change for the hosts sees Ramiro Funes Mori replace Oviedo.
81 minCHANCE! Half a chance for Everton as Lukaku flicks the ball into the path of a rampaging Coleman when he is bursting into the box. However, Delaney reacts really quickly to close the space and rush Coleman into a shot that doesn't threaten Mandanda's goal.
83 minJust seven minutes of normal time remain in this match, and still it could go either way. It is Everton who are now pushing forward most, but this second half has really ebbed and flowed.
85 minThis would be a better point for Palace than Everton for sure, particularly considering Palace's form heading into the match. It would be five games unbeaten for the Eagles if things stay the same, but three without a win for Everton.
87 minThere is still time for it all to change, though, and Palace fans will not need reminding that they scored in the 94th minute to beat Sunderland last time out. Will there be more late heroics this evening?
88 minYELLOW CARD! Bolasie goes into the book against his former club for a rash challenge on Ward. Poor tackle from the winger.
90 minThere will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match.
90+2 minCRYSTAL PALACE SUB: A late change for the visitors as Townsend makes way to be replaced by Lee Chung-yong.
90+4 minYELLOW CARD! Cleverley picks up a late yellow card for a cynical trip on Zaha.
90+5 minFULL TIME: Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace
9.58pmIt is honours even at Goodison Park, then, as Jonathan Moss brings an end to proceedings. The match certainly improved in the second half, thanks largely to Palace making more of a game of it, and in the end a 1-1 draw is probably a fair result. It turned out to be a battle of the Belgians, with Lukaku giving Everton the lead with a fine free kick before Benteke responded with a header of great quality. Everton move up to third but miss the chance to go second behind Man City, while Palace remain seventh and are now unbeaten in five.
10pmThat is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Everton and Crystal Palace share the points at Goodison Park. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps too. There is plenty more Premier League action for you tomorrow too, starting with the early kickoff between Swansea and Liverpool, so be sure to check back in with us then! From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
