Everton made a winning start to the new Premier League campaign by beating Crystal Palace 2-0 thanks to classy goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry. David Moyes's side ruthlessly punished their visitors, under the new charge of Frenchman Pierre Sage, for a series of missed opportunities, scoring either side of the break to register their first opening-weekend win for five years. Both goals were symptomatic of a team maturing under the influence of wily Moyes.
The Everton boss entrusted 19-year-old Harrison Armstrong with a midfield role alongside new signing Hayden Hackney. Armstrong was involved in the first goal and Hackney connected to a superb second. Armstrong's hustle turned the ball over for Dewsbury-Hall to jinx inside Chris Richards and pick out the far corner just before half-time.
Shortly after the break, Hackney's quick thinking from a free-kick got Iliman Ndiaye away and he picked out Barry with a stunning cross. "Everton did a professional job. Armstrong and Hackney were very good," reflected Tim Sherwood on Soccer Saturday.
Palace, meanwhile, faded horribly after a promising opening. Their conversion issues from last season continue, with Jean-Philippe Mateta guilty of spurning a prime opportunity when the game was goalless, adding to the frustration of Eddie Nketiah's earlier miss. The former Arsenal forward did draw a world-class save from Jordan Pickford but failed to beat him.
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