According to The Guardian, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall opened the scoring and Thierno Barry added a header after the break as Everton dispatched Palace despite still lacking several expected summer signings. Palace created chances but couldn't finish. New manager Pierre Sage saw his debut end in defeat, and defender Chadi Riad left the pitch injured late on.
Opening-day wins shift the mood around a club fast. For Everton, this one matters because it came without a fully assembled squad. David Moyes gets breathing room with the fan base and less panic around recruitment in the final window stretch. For Palace, Sage faces a harder problem: he needs goals and defensive solidity immediately. Riad's injury could compound squad issues over the next two weeks.
Everton's next fixtures will show if this was a statement or a relief. The real test is whether their attack looks sharp because they've improved or because Palace were blunt. Palace must stabilize fast or Sage's honeymoon ends before it starts.
August verdicts are usually overcooked, but this one landed right. Everton did the grown-up thing: took a messy game, punished wastefulness, banked three points while the squad still looks unfinished. That matters because clubs in their bracket don't get many easy margins over a season. Palace got the classic new-manager welcome. Decent possession, no edge where it counts, and an injury that scrambles the next fortnight. Burnham's boys enjoy this visit from Palace because they needed it.
Filed to the World desk · Aug 22