Michael Ball accepts he got it totally wrong after what he saw in Everton win at Crystal Palace
Michael Ball accepts he got it totally wrong with his prediction for how the Premier League meeting between Crystal Palace and Everton would pan out.
The former Everton player said ahead of Saturday’s (11 November) contest at Selhurst Park that it “will not be a great watch on the eye” due to the two sides’ styles of play.
However, that was far from the case as they played out a thrilling match in South London that ultimately ended with Everton prevailing 3-2.
Writing in his weekly Liverpool Echo column [13 November], Ball said: “How wrong was I in my column last week because with neither side being great in possession, I wasn’t expecting an exciting football match for the neutrals.
“It was great for them but for Evertonians it was up and down.”
Thriller
The point made by Ball last week made sense, as it was expected that both sides would stand off a little in the hope of finding counter-attacking opportunities.
Selhurst Park was also the Premier League ground with the fewest goals scored this season prior to the weekend, so everything pointed towards a low-key, low-scoring affair.
But that was basically dismissed inside a minute when Vitaliy Mykolenko opened the scoring for Everton. Eberechi Eze levelled for Palace, as did Odsonne Edouard in the second half after Abdoulaye Doucoure had restored the Toffees’ lead.
The match was settled by substitute Idrissa Gueye’s tap-in late on as Sean Dyche’s men dug deep to pick up a win that keeps their positive momentum going.
It marks the third time in seven league outings that Everton have scored three goals in a game, which is a welcome improvement from the start of the season.
Now it is a case of continuing this form when club action resumes in the hope of putting further distance between ourselves and the bottom three.
In other Everton news, Inter Milan look set to end the Toffees’ hopes of landing a European player in demand.