Everton 0-1 Crystal Palace – Premier League LIVE: Latest score, team news and updates from Goodison Park as Jordan Ayew fires visitors in front in relegation six-pointer

A big cheer from the away fans in the corner as Palace win a corner…

Adam Wharton, who has done well tonight, delivers well but it comes to nothing in the end.

So what do Everton have left to offer?

As it stands, they’ll be eight points adrift of Palace and still in the drop zone for another week.

They came closest not long before Ayew’s goal, which will be frustrating but they just aren’t very good at coming from behind.

A change apiece – For Palace, Odsonne Edouard is taken off and Naouirou Ahamada replaces him.

For Everton, a change up top as Beto replaces Abdoulaye Doucoure.

A double change for Everton – Idrissa Gueye is replaced by Amadou Onana, while Jack Harrison is on for Ashley Young.

Everton clear their defensive lines really well through Garner and Young, then Ben Godfrey stepped between two Palace players in midfield and it leads to McNeil winning a corner.

From it, Tarkowski gets up with the header and it’s a great reflex stop amongst a crowd of bodies by Sam Johnstone, who hasn’t done much until now.

Another shot comes in from Doucoure and Johnstone manages to claw it to safety.

Everton stepping it up a bit.

That’s better from Everton. James Garner’s free-kick on the right cleared by Andersen but only as far as Mykolenko, who strikes a clean left-footed volley that was heading in.

Joel Ward was the man in the way to block and spare Palace. Not sure it counts as an Everton shot on target and it’s been an hour.

Palace win a corner which Joachim Andersen manages to head high into the air. The acrobatic overhead attempt from Odsonne Edouard from just a few yards out clears the bar.

Well done Jordan Pickford… He sensed the danger there as Tyrick Mitchell, far more advanced than normally, bursts through inside the Everton box and tries to finish.

Pickford was out nice and early, made himself big and Mitchell couldn’t lift the ball over him.

Still no shot on target for Everton as James Garner high and wide over from just outside the box after they’d done well to work the ball out of a tight corner.

Slick interplay between Mateta, Ayew and Edouard leads to the former going to ground. VAR checks the challenge from Branthwaite, which was marginally outside the box, and decides it isn’t even a foul let alone a penalty.

Palace win a free-kick wide on the left as Ashley Young catches Tyrick Mitchell again following an untidy passage of play.

Adam Wharton delivers and it comes to nothing because Mateta had fouled Tarkowski in the middle as the ball came in.

We’re back underway at Goodison with Everton kicking off.

Will the game improve any?

Everton shading it 52 per cent to 48 per cent in the possession stakes, but it’s Palace who’ve had the game’s only two shots on target to far and four corners to one.

The new Palace boss Oliver Glasner in animated discussion at times as he watched that first-half with Steve Parish on one side and Mark Bright on the other.

The half ends with Everton winning a free-kick in a useful position on the right side. Garner’s delivery is far too long for everyone and that’ll be half-time.

The best chance of then half fell to Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who sent a header wide from a good position.

Palace have enjoyed a few moments but it’s been a game low on entertainment as the goalless scoreline suggests.

Goodison Park very tense because at the moment it’s Palace who will be the happier.

Just one minute added and I suspect nobody will be too bothered.

Superb anticipation from Tarkowski as Wharton attempted the defence-splitting pass looking for Mateta, who would have been through on Pickford.

The Everton man cut the ball out and cleared the danger.

Jordan Ayew does well to get away from two blue shirts but the end product is lacking.

Story of the opening 43 minutes as we approach half-time without a breakthrough.

Everton under more pressure with the crowd very anxious. Palace work it to Mateta, who turns well on the edge of the box and tries to curl it into the far corner.

Jarrod Branthwaite is in the way to make the block.

Palace win a corner and eventually Chris Richards has a headed chance that might have beeb sneaking in before Tarkowski stuck out a leg and deflected it wide.

From the next corner, Ashley Young makes a vital clearance off the post to keep out Mateta’s header.

Third time isn’t the charm as Pickford come out to claim the ball.

Palace finally do advance on the Everton box with some decent football. In the end it comes to Jefferson Lerma with a tough chance on the edge of the area, bouncing before he hits it.

Unsurprisingly, it flies over the bar.

Just one touch by a Palace player in the Everton box so far and five touches by Everton players in the Palace box…

And that sums it all up really.

This time it’s Palace who win a free-kick in a good position. Tyrick Mitchell was turning away from goal but that didn’t stop Idriss Gueye fouling him.

Adam Wharton delivers from the left but Doucoure is up to clear it.

Joachim Andersen delivers from the opposite side of the pitch and James Tarkowski clears well under pressure not once, but twice.

Another good Everton cross into the box and Ashley Young getting up to head it and taking it right off the toes of Ben Godfrey, coming in to strike it on the volley.

It would have been hard for Young to direct on target but he obviously didn’t get a loud enough shout from the defender steaming in behind him.

…James Garner steps up ahead of Dwight McNeil and gets too much elevation. Over the bar and disappointing.

The TV cameras pick out some of the Everton substitutes laughing on the bench. Hopefully not at that wasted free-kick.

Sean Dyche turns around and scolds them.

Jefferson Lerma look guilty after fouling Calvert-Lewin right on the edge of his own box. A lazy challenge and an unnecessary one as the Everton forward wasn’t going anywhere.

So Everton have a free-kick, 19 yards out, slightly right of centre…

Joel Ward tries to catch the Everton defence out with a searching pass that Pickford is alive to. But the keeper’s clearance is whacked straight into Edouard and luckily for the hosts, flies out for a throw in.

A definite tension in the atmosphere inside Goodison. The Everton fans on edge and little noise. It’s those who have made the long journey from south London singing.

But the volume levels rise as Dwight McNeil gets free down the left and delivers the perfect cross into Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who sends his header wide like a man who hasn’t scored in 17 games.

Palace’s set-up actually has five at the back with Mitchell and Munoz encouraged to push on as wing-backs.

Munoz there getting in behind but the final ball into him not quite sharp enough.

Abdoulaye Doucoure gets his first sighter tonight. Pickford’s long ball left Munoz with plenty to deal with and he could only clear it to Doucoure, whose shot flashed harmlessly wide.

Everton will feel they can cause problems with those long balls.

Adam Wharton showing some good vision to play the reverse pass into Mateta, but the forward had just strayed beyond the line. That’s the kind of through ball that explains why Palace were so keen to sign him from Blackburn last month.

Down the other end, Calvert-Lewin can’t quite reach a ball over the top.

The game’s first chance and it’s a good one for Palace.

Mateta turns on the ball about 40 yards from goal and he fizzes a cross-field pass into Odsonne Edouard, who controls well, gets into the box on his left-foot but cannot get much power.

Easy for Pickford in the end but Everton worryingly open.

Daniel Munoz goes down after Dwight McNeil caught him on the ankle and that looked a sore one, the Palace right-back losing the ball in the process.

VAR Stuart Attwell is having a closer look and it’s cleared in the end.

Everton settling into their rhythm now, working the ball around and trying to probe the Palace defence.

Ward has to steer the ball out for an Everton corner and that lifts the noise levels a little bit.

Garner swings it in but Edouard is back to head it clear.

Dwight McNeil picks out Calvert-Lewin inside the Palace box and his knock down has Doucoure interested but he can’t get a strike away on the edge of the Palace box.

Palace seeing most of the ball in the opening stages with Munoz sending one ball forward from right-back and then pushing on to receive one from Joel Ward.

James Tarkowski has to make an important intervention as the cross comes in from the left from Tyrick Mitchell looking for Mateta in the middle.

Tarkowski getting up a little gingerly, holding his back.

Everton in their familiar blue home colours as you’d expect. Palace in change colours of white and light blue.

An embrace and a nice chat between good friends Sean Dyche and Ray Lewington on the sidelines.

It’ll be Palace who get the game started.

Oliver Glasner, the new Palace boss, seated next to chairman Steve Parish in the main stand as the home supporters jeer the Premier League anthem. Well, you can’t blame them.

Here they come… A great atmosphere inside Goodison Park ahead of this important game in the Premier League relegation battle.

Z-Cars plays as the teams emerge from the tunnel. Will Palace open up eight points between themselves and the bottom three, or will Everton be breathing right down their necks?

Goodison Park filling up as the players complete their warm-ups and go through final preparations with under 10 minutes until kick-off.

So much at stake in what could definitely be classed as a relegation six-pointer.

Palace will probably line up in a 4-3-3 just to enable some continuity given the managerial changes today.

Odsonne Edouard returns to the line-up on the left side of their attack, with Jordan Ayew on then other side and Jean-Philippe Mateta between them.

With speedsters Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze out injured, will they have enough to trouble Everton?

January signing Adam Wharton is in midfield alongside Chris Richards and Jefferson Lerma.

At the back, Joel Ward returns to then line-up at the heart of defence with Joachim Andersen, while in goal it’s Sam Johnstone back in for Dean Henderson.

Palace XI: Johnstone; Munoz, Andersen, Ward, Mitchell; Wharton, Richards, Lerma; Ayew, Mateta, Edouard.

Let’s have a closer look at how the sides might line up.

Everton generally go in with a 4-4-1-1 and they will be boosted tonight by the return of Abdoulaye Doucoure in the advanced role behind striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Toffees boss Sean Dyche spoke a short while ago about Doucoure’s influence and how he is not afraid to get into advanced areas.

James Garner and Idrissa Gueye will provide the backing in central midfield to allow him to break forward.

Everton: Pickford; Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Young, Gueye, Garner, McNeil; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin.

So Palace have replaced 76-year-old Roy Hodgson with Oliver Glasner, who coaches in England for the first time having previously been in his native Austria and Germany.

Having guided LASK into the Europa League and Wolfsburg into the Champions League, the 49-year-old made waves by winning the Europa League at Eintracht Frankfurt.

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Paddy McCarthy takes charge of Palace tonight alongside Ray Lewington, with new manager Oliver Glasner expected to be on the training ground later this week.

McCarthy, the Palace assistant manager, has just paid tribute to Roy Hodgson on Sky Sports.

He was a lifelong Crystal Palace fan, who wore his heart on his sleeve, came to work with enthusiasm every day and we are obviously disappointed that he couldn’t see out the season but his enthusiasm and knowledge was infectious and we’re all privileged to have worked with him.

He’s a fantastic football man and we’re just delighted that he’s on the mend, that he’s in good health and hopefully we can give him a good send off.

Everton’s buyers 777 Partners are implementing a major staff cost-cutting programme with the aim of reducing headcount across the business by around five per cent.

Mail Sport has learned there have been redundancies in both 777’s London and Miami offices recently, while the American investment company’s chief financial officer Damian Alfalla has resigned.

777 have been frustrated by the length of time it is taking the Premier League to conduct due diligence on their offer to buy Everton having agreed a sale with current owner Farhad Moshiri last September.

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Crystal Palace XI: Johnstone, Munoz, Andersen, Ward, Mitchell, Wharton, Richards Ayew, Hughes, Lerma, Edouard, Mateta.

Subs: Henderson, Tomkins, Franca, Clyne, Ahamada, Riedewald, Ozoh, Umeh-Chibueze, Raymond.

Palace make three changes from Roy Hodgson’s final team selection in the defeat against Chelsea last Monday.

Sam Johnstone replaces Dean Henderson in goal, captain Joel Ward returns in the back line and Odsonne Edouard has replaced Matheus Franca in attack.

Marc Guehi doesn’t feature tonight though he is nearing a return from a knee injury.

Everton XI: Pickford, Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, Godfrey, Garner, Gueye, McNeil, Doucoure, Young, Calvert-Lewin.

Subs: Virginia, Lonergan, Patterson, Keane, Onana, Harrison, Beto, Chermiti, Dobbin.

Sean Dyche has made one change tonight and it’s a welcome return for the influential Abdoulaye Doucoure in midfield, with Jack Harrison dropping to the bench from the side beaten at Manchester City last weekend.

We will bring you the confirmed starting line-ups in the next few minutes so stay tuned.

A big week ahead for Everton because they should discover whether their appeal against the 10-point deduction for breaching financial rules which plunged them into the drop zone has been successful.

It’s believed a verdict will arrive in the next 48 hours.

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Let’s take a look at the bottom of the Premier League table, which will be impacted tonight.

The weekend saw Nottingham Forest pick up three crucial points against West Ham, but both Burnley and Sheffield United suffered 5-0 losses at home as they risk being cut adrift.

Luton were narrowly beaten by Manchester United yesterday and that allows Everton the opportunity tonight to leapfrog them with a win or draw and move out the bottom three.

Palace are presently five points ahead of Everton. A win or draw and they’ll breathe a bit easier, but if Everton get three points, they’ll be sucked right into the mire.

Then, just 80 minutes after the Hodgson news broke, Palace confirmed the appointment of the Austrian coach Oliver Glasner as his successor.

The ex-Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt coach is expected to be at Goodison Park this evening but he won’t be involved in the dug-out.

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The news broke at around 3.40pm this afternoon that Roy Hodgson was stepping down as Palace’s head coach after his health scare during a training session last Thursday.

That came amid news reports that Hodgson was about to be sacked following poor results.

In an emotional farewell statement, Hodgson said ‘it may be prudent at this time for the club to plan ahead’, while chairman Steve Parish paid tribute to him.

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It’s already been an extraordinary day at Crystal Palace and they haven’t even taken the field yet.

Roy Hodgson announced this afternoon he would be stepping aside as manager following the health scare he suffered in a training session last week.

Just 80 minutes later and the 76-year-old’s successor was confirmed as the former Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner comes in.

The Austrian won’t be in charge of Palace as they face Everton in a crunch relegation clash tonight, with Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington in the dug-out.

But you wonder what kind of impact today’s dramatic developments will have on the Palace players as they desperately try and haul themselves clear of danger.

Palace sit 16th and have a five-point cushion to Everton in 18th ahead of kick-off.

But a win for Sean Dyche’s side – and they haven’t taken all three since December 16 – would cut that gap significantly and take them above Luton and out the bottom three.

So much to play for at Goodison tonight. Welcome along to our live coverage here on Mail Sport.