Gallagher stars as Palace see off Everton

Conor Gallagher produced two sensational finishes to fire Crystal Palace to a 3-1 victory against Everton in the Premier League.

Everton went into the game on a high after their late victory against Arsenal on Monday Night Football, ending their own run of seven Premier League games without a victory.

But they struggled to find any sustained rhythm in the first half and went behind late on as Gallagher (41) fired home his fifth Premier League goal of the season.

There was no marked improvement after the break as Palace continued to create the better chances – Gallagher twice going close shortly after the restart. There was an unlikely source for the Eagles’ second too as James Tomkins (62) turned home at the back post after Everton failed to clear Will Hughes’ corner.

But Rafael Benitez’s side did keep Crystal Palace from a clean sheet as Salomon Rondon (70) bundled home his fitst goal for the club soon after. The striker had replaced an almost anonymous Richarlison just before the hour, who cut a moody figure as he watched on from the bench.

As Everton sought the equaliser, the game became heated with a number of tackles and confrontations, but Gallagher (90+3) made sure of the points with a stunning strike from range in injury time.

The victory ends a run of three successive league defeats for Crystal Palace, sending them above Everton into 12th place with 19 points. It’s back to the drawing board for Benitez ahead of a trip to his former side Chelsea in midweek, slipping down into 14th.