Everton 2-0 Crystal Palace: Dewsbury-Hall and Barry Strike in Premier League Opener

Everton 2-0 Crystal Palace: Dewsbury-Hall and Barry Strike as Moyes' Toffees Down Wasteful Eagles

Everton launched their 2026/27 Premier League campaign in ideal fashion, claiming a clinical 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Goals on either side of the interval from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry handed David Moyes' side their first opening-day top-flight victory in five seasons, dampening the Premier League managerial debut of Palace boss Pierre Sage.

Dewsbury-Hall Punishes Palace Profligacy Before the Break

The opening half-hour belonged largely to the visitors, who carved out several clear-cut openings against an initially disjointed Everton backline. French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta rattled the frame of the goal with an early effort, before Jordan Pickford produced a sensational fingertip stop to deflect Eddie Nketiah's goalbound strike onto the post.

Having weathered the Palace storm, Everton capitalized ruthlessly in the 42nd minute. Young midfielder Harrison Armstrong picked up possession in central midfield and threaded a neat pass into the path of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who took one touch before unleashing an angled, left-footed strike into the far corner past Dean Henderson.

It was vital to start on the front foot at home. Crystal Palace caused us genuine problems in the opening half-hour and we needed Jordan [Pickford] to make huge interventions, but the quality of Kiernan's finish changed the momentum. We were resilient, disciplined, and took our opportunities when they presented themselves.— David Moyes, Everton Manager

Barry Header Doubles Advantage Before Riad Injury

Everton carried their momentum straight into the second half and doubled their advantage in the 53rd minute. Winger Iliman Ndiaye created room on the flank and delivered a pinpoint cross into the heart of the six-yard box, where forward Thierno Barry rose above his marker to power a header beyond Henderson for 2-0.

Sage reacted with a flurry of attacking substitutions, introducing Yeremy Pino, Anan Khalaili, and Jorgen Strand Larsen. However, the Eagles suffered another blow in the 72nd minute when Moroccan international defender Chadi Riad went down with an apparent knee problem and had to be substituted off for Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Tactical Breakdown and Underlying Match Metrics

The underlying match metrics revealed a tale of contrasting efficiency in both penalty boxes. While Crystal Palace accumulated 1.95 Expected Goals (xG) from 10 shots and engineered 4 big chances with 57% ball possession, their inability to finish cost them dearly. Everton managed their 2-0 lead efficiently, finishing with 1.13 xG from 15 attempts and 4 shots on target.

It is a frustrating outcome because in terms of chance creation and territorial control, we did many things right. We missed four clear chances and in this league, you get punished immediately. We have to learn quickly and become far more ruthless in both penalty areas.— Pierre Sage, Crystal Palace Manager

Photo credits: Hill Dickinson Stadium interior by Austiñobobbiño (CC BY 4.0); Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall by Dudek1337 (CC BY-SA 4.0); David Moyes by Toffee TV (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons. Match statistics: OneLightScore.