Two hours after full time on Saturday, Spirit of the Blues was still audible from the Winslow Hotel on Goodison Road.
It was a fitting end to a much-needed week of positivity for Everton, with Monday’s takeover agreement followed by a first victory of the season— a 2-1 home success over Crystal Palace.
Coming at the sixth time of asking, the relief was palpable after a turbulent start to the season.
Perhaps the nature of this win, too, means some early demons have been exorcised. This was the first time in manager Sean Dyche’s tenure that Everton came from behind to win a Premier League game.
It was also the first time under Dyche they won a home match in which the opposition have scored.
Here’s how they did it.
Second-half changes pay dividends
There were times in the first half when it looked like a different conclusion was on the cards. Everton were comfortably second-best before the break; slow, passive and lacking intensity.
For 45 minutes, Palace manager Oliver Glasner got it spot on. His 3-4-2-1 system perfectly exploited Everton’s weaknesses, with attacking midfielders Eberechi Eze and Eddie Nketiah pinching inside to outnumber home duo Abdoulaye Doucoure and Orel Mangala and wing-backs Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell making late runs to get round the back of Dyche’s narrow defensive structure.
That first touch from Harrison. The volley from McNeil.
Total technique. 💯 pic.twitter.com/9bvrd4QKdY
— Everton (@Everton) September 28, 2024
Palace’s central midfield pairing Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada were also given too much room to dictate.
Dyche has not always been proactive with his substitutes but the decision to take off Jesper Lindstrom for Jack Harrison improved matters.
“I said to Jesper he’s learning about being a Premier League player, reacting to a mistake and getting after it,” Dyche said. “Jack has more of that about him and I was pleased with him.”
The focus of Dyche’s half-time team talk had been to get that “kind of emotional feel to wear the shirt, get together and play hard”. He felt his players had been “cagey” and told them they couldn’t “wait for someone else to make the difference”.
“It was a lot about getting on the front foot, going a bit higher, tighter,” he explained. “We changed it again and went more like a three with Manga (Mangala) sitting.”
Club captain Seamus Coleman, missing through injury, also reminded the players of their responsibilities.
“Skip (Seamus Coleman) had a big part too, coming in and talking,” goalscorer Dwight McNeil said. “But it shouldn’t need to get that point. We should take ownership ourselves.”
There was more “edge” to Everton’s play, as Dyche put it, after the break. They started aggressively, taking control through McNeil’s goals and managed their lead better.
Post-match debrief sessions after recent losses have reinforced the need to be compact and do the basics. But Dyche also showed some signs of change to help them see it out.
Iliman Ndiaye, the best at alleviating pressure in the team, was kept on. Fresh legs arrived when needed with James Garner and Idrissa Gueye reinforcing the midfield later on.
Perhaps some harsh lessons have finally been learned.
McNeil makes the difference at No 10
It is now four goals and two assists for McNeil since he shifted to a central role. Prior to Saturday, he had created the most chances and big chances in the league this season.
“We know he’s got quality,” Dyche said. “The stats from the first season were very strong. He’s been working hard but couldn’t quite find the same moments. I spoke with the staff about it and whether we could get him inside.
“We needed better quality and being in the centre of the pitch brings him to life more.”
McNeil was not bought as a No 10 but has always wanted to play there. As the touch map below shows, he was afforded relatively free rein to drift into dangerous areas.
His opener, from the inside-right channel, was pure technical quality. When he signed, Everton saw him as someone who could eventually come inside from the right on his stronger foot, much like he did at times on Saturday. The second was more opportunistic but highlighted a penalty-box instinct at the back post.
McNeil has targeted better numbers and returned to summer training early with his father, Matty, a former professional player, to work on his game.
“Me, Skip (Coleman) and Tarks (James Tarkowski) talked in pre-season about how I can get my stats up,” he said. “I’m happy with what I’ve got so far but want more.
“A lot of it’s mentality, having confidence. Playing centrally, being more involved, has helped but I know there’s a lot of improvement.”
McNeil, who was substituted to a standing ovation, received a hug from Coleman in the Goodison tunnel afterwards following his match-winning turn.
Branthwaite brings calmness
The return of Jarrad Branthwaite was the boost Everton’s defence needed after a leaky start to the season.
His name received the biggest cheer as the teams were read out prior to kick-off and, after some early signs of rust, he contributed to an improved defensive showing.
The second half showed the 22-year-old’s importance. He makes those around him look better, covering for left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko in the channel and sweeping up behind the less mobile Tarkowski. After one of a string of key interventions in the box, the defender let out a guttural roar towards the Park End.
Dyche, for the first time this campaign, was pleased to be able to call on the same unit that had the fourth-best defensive record in the league last season.
“It’s tough on Keano (Michael Keane), who has had a strong start,” he said. “But that back five played together quite a lot last season and had 13 clean sheets.”
Everton look all the better for having their key defender back in the side.
But now they must kick on.
(Top photo: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
