Everton’s remarkable run under David Moyes continued on Saturday evening as they secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
Beto broke the deadlock with a calm finish past Dean Henderson, but Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized shortly after halftime, setting up a tense second half.
Carlos Alcaraz, making his full Premier League debut, became the hero of the night, netting the winning goal in the 80th minute to clinch all three points for the Toffees in London.
The win extends Everton’s lead to 13 points above 18th-placed Ipswich Town, virtually guaranteeing their Premier League survival for another season.
However, the match wasn’t without its challenges, as Everton had to dig deep and may have benefited from a controversial VAR decision.
Everton fortunate VAR didn’t give Crystal Palace goal:
Jefferson Lerma thought he had scored with a powerful header from a corner in the first half, but the goal was disallowed after the referee ruled that the inswinging ball had gone out of play before reaching the penalty area.
VAR reviewed the incident but upheld the on-field decision, sparking widespread debate and frustration.
Sky Sports’ Izzy Christiansen believes Palace were harshly treated, with Everton escaping what could have been a game-changing moment.
“You know what is interesting? Look at the Everton players at the back post, I think they think it’s gone out of play. That tells me: ‘that’s the players’ reaction’ and they’re trying to get the attention of the referees there.
“I think Glasner has every reason to be annoyed because I don’t think there’s any evidence to suggest it has gone out of play. And it’s a great header which changes the entire complexity of the game.”
Premier League release statement on Jefferson Lerma’s disallowed goal:
The Premier League Match Centre account quickly addressed the controversy on X, formerly known as Twitter, explaining the decision.
“VAR concluded that there was no conclusive angle to prove the ball had stayed in play, so they deferred to the referee’s original call.”
Palace fans were left furious by the ruling, with many arguing that modern technology should provide enough camera angles to determine whether the ball had crossed the line.
This incident may prompt improvements in VAR technology and protocols at the end of the season. For now, Everton can consider themselves fortunate, though they were on the wrong end of a poor decision against Bournemouth earlier this month.
