Alcaraz pounces as patched-up Everton keep Moyes revival rolling at Palace

Turns out David Moyes replacing Sean Dyche was nothing like copy and paste. One British manager is not the same as the next. Each of the players decisive in victory here exemplified the influence and nous the coach has returned to Merseyside. Beto, a striker untrusted by Dyche but willing to chase channels to the point of exhaustion, a template that Moyes has often leaned on, scored a fine goal. The late winner came from a speculative, astute wild-card signing in Carlos Alcaraz, slotting in the rebound of a shot from Ashley Young, a player Moyes was working with in his Manchester United days.

If there was nothing like the fervour of Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, following the wash of emotion that encounter had entailed, Everton showed an ability to tough out matches, a quality he has resurfaced that felt lost for ever. They headed away everything Palace threw at them once they regained the lead. The derby efforts had increased the injury list to nine first-team absentees. Iliman Ndiaye, consistently Everton’s most dangerous player this season, will be missing for some time with a medial knee ligament problem. Abdoulaye Doucouré’s high spirits in the aftermath of the draw against Liverpool had landed him a ban, too. The thin squad Moyes inherited is being stretched to its limits.

Adam Wharton, after a run-out at Doncaster on Monday, was sat on the bench with Eberechi Eze, similarly being nursed back. Palace’s recent revival, four wins from six matches, has happened without leading lights either unavailable or in the best of form. It has lately fallen to players such as Will Hughes, tireless and creative, to take responsibility. The Austrian and Scot were old adversaries, Oliver Glasner’s Eintracht Frankfurt denting Moyes’s West Ham on the way to winning the Europa League three seasons ago. Having beaten West Ham last season, Glasner was seeking four successive wins over Moyes.

Everton began dozily, as if trying to shake the lactic acid from the derby farewell to Goodison. Danger soon presented itself when Jarrad Branthwaite’s swung at fresh air, and James Tarkowski also floundered. It needed Jordan Pickford’s low save from the lurking Jean-Philippe Mateta to rescue blushes. Palace kept up the momentum, the ever-vocal Pickford soon having to save Marc Guéhi’s header. From the resultant corner, Jefferson Lerma’s header flew in, only for the linesman and VAR to rule that Justin Devenny’s kick had swung out of play. The clunky stadium technology first declared goal then hurriedly corrected itself to no goal. Work to be done on that user experience, Palace’s finishing, too. Their fans also thought they had scored when a goalmouth scramble presented the ball for Ismaïla Sarr to slap off the crossbar.

Within seconds, Tyrick Mitchell’s poor throw had presented Alcaraz with a chance to run. His pass was poked to Beto, whose finish showed a coolness unrecognisable in Everton’s Dyche years. Alcaraz, once of Southampton, on loan from Flamengo, defies the accusation that Moyes does not trust mavericks. As long as other, less glamorous work is put in. Sign up to Football Daily. Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football.

after newsletter promotion. Glasner’s half-time response to that flash of flair was to bring on both Wharton and Eze, to almost instant effect as Mateta lashed in Guéhi’s overhead flick of a rebound following a corner. VAR dithering led to almost four minutes of waiting time, the players warming up in the cold as the referee, Anthony Taylor, waited for word. The eventually awarded goal had featured Tarkowski again caught flat-footed, from derby hero to defensive zero, playing for a coach who hates conceding from set pieces.

If Palace were creating more with Eze, on a typical burst, having his shot blocked, Everton retained their danger on the counter. Jesper Lindstrøm zipped down the right to set up Beto for a pair of attempts that Dean Henderson eventually scrambled away. On came Ben Chilwell for his first Palace home appearance as Glasner was able to use a greater depth of resources. Overlapping from his left-wing back position, the former England man scooped a shot that Pickford deflected behind.