Everton 2-0 Crystal Palace: Dewsbury-Hall and Barry Seal Opening-Day Win
By Ali Ammar · goals2026.org
Everton opened their Premier League campaign with a assured 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, goals either side of the interval from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry proving decisive against a Palace side who had the greater share of the ball but could not find a way past David Moyes' hosts. It was a result that will please the home supporters as they digest full details over on Everton's team page, with the visitors now needing to regroup quickly as the Premier League fixtures come thick and fast.
A Cagey Opening Punctuated by Dewsbury-Hall's Strike
The early stages were feeling-out affairs, with Crystal Palace enjoying more of the possession but struggling to translate it into clear-cut chances. The first notable moment of ill-discipline came in the 30th minute, when Daichi Kamada was shown a yellow card, a booking that did little to disrupt the visitors' rhythm at the time. However, Everton found the breakthrough just before the break. In the 42nd minute, K. Dewsbury-Hall converted a normal goal to send the home crowd into raptures and give Moyes' side a deserved lead at the interval, despite Palace's territorial dominance up to that point.
Barry Doubles the Advantage After the Restart
Everton wasted little time in extending their lead after the interval. Just eight minutes into the second half, T. Barry was on hand to make it 2-0, his effort giving the Toffees real breathing space and forcing Crystal Palace into an immediate response. The visitors reacted within two minutes, sending on E. Nketiah and D. Munoz in a double substitution as Oliver Glasner's side searched for a way back into the contest. Further changes followed as Palace continued to chase the game, with J. Mateta and D. McNeil introduced on the hour mark, and C. Riad following shortly after in the 72nd minute. Despite the increased attacking intent and the fresh legs, Palace could not carve out the breakthrough their possession and pressure arguably warranted.
Everton Manage the Game to the Finish
With a two-goal cushion in hand, Everton looked to see out the contest sensibly. Moyes made his own adjustments late on, bringing on H. Hackney and a second introduction credited to Barry's number in the 79th minute, before T. George followed in the 84th minute and K. Dewsbury-Hall was withdrawn in stoppage time having already made his mark on the game. At the back, Jordan Pickford was rarely troubled into anything spectacular, while at the other end Dean Henderson and Palace's defence could have few complaints about the two goals conceded given how clinically they were dispatched. There were no dismissals in this one — both sides finished with eleven men on the pitch throughout, a testament to a contest that, while feisty in patches, never boiled over.
By the Numbers
The underlying statistics tell an intriguing story. Crystal Palace shaded possession at 58% to Everton's 42%, and edged the expected-goals count 2.04 to 1.16, reflecting the volume of pressure Glasner's side exerted, particularly after going behind. Yet it was Everton who made their opportunities count more clinically:
- Shots: Everton 16, Crystal Palace 11
- Shots on target: Everton 5, Crystal Palace 4
- Corners: Everton 4, Crystal Palace 0
- Saves: Everton 4, Crystal Palace 3
The corner count in particular underlines how Everton were able to sustain pressure in wide areas without needing to dominate the ball, while Mark Travers watched on from the bench as understudy to Pickford between the sticks.
Context and What's Next
For Barry and Dewsbury-Hall, this was a first goal of the campaign apiece, each now sitting on 1G in the early tournament charts — a long way behind the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland at the summit of the wider golden boot race, but a promising start nonetheless for two players central to Moyes' attacking plans. Everton will take plenty of encouragement from a performance that married defensive resolve with clinical finishing, and full coverage of the display is available via the match centre. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, will need to convert their promising underlying numbers into points sooner rather than later. Both clubs can find further analysis and the latest headlines on the news section, with the wider Premier League table already beginning to take shape after this opening round of fixtures.