Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton: FA Cup third round – as it happened | FA Cup

Nick Ames was at Selhurst Park tonight. His verdict is in, and here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

Roy Hodgson talks to ITV. “It was a missed opportunity in the last ten or 15 minutes when we were playing against ten men but over the whole of the game both teams defended pretty well … it was a game of few chances … both teams worked very hard to stop the other team … if you look at it philosophically, those sort of games end nil-nil or a win for one team through a moment of magic … we didn’t have that today unfortunately … they deserved their draw … we face a replay that neither I nor Sean would have wanted before the game … I don’t know if I can understand [VAR decisions] these days … I don’t know what to make of it … a lot of people who played in the past would say that’s not a red card … but people playing recently would say it was because of the way the studs were up and he was leading with a straight leg … it’s unfortunate because it wasn’t a vicious foul … if the decision was red, so be it, but I’m not prepared to come out and say definitely it was or wasn’t … it’s a modern-day situation.”

Sean Dyche speaks to ITV. “There’s a lot of satisfaction … we’re back on our top performance levels … even when we went down to ten the mentality was excellent … slow-mo shows a different picture … if you’re going to slow-mo things then you’ve gotta slow-mo the penalty on Beto … Andersen clearly has his arms around him … there’s contact, there’s minor contact … we’ll double-check [the red-card appeal process] … [Dwight McNeil] is OK and we’ll just let that settle down … we took the game on all night … we look forward to the replay without a doubt.”

Everton captain Seamus Coleman talks to ITV. “Coming away here is always a tough game … a great atmosphere … a tough game … going down to ten men made it more difficult but our resilience this year has been much better … I never felt like we were going to concede … we stuck together … when you slow [the Calvert-Lewin challenge] down it’s going to look worse but from where I was it’s a great tackle … it’s a big talking point but for me it’s not a red card … another decision that goes against us that won’t get talked about much … [the injured McNeil] has been massive for us so we’re hoping it’s not too bad … his commitment has been different class … we had a few late chances to win it and on another day we put them away … we’re disappointed not to get a result … a special mention to all them Everton fans who came down here on a Thursday night and I don’t know how they’re going to get back but their support is second to none and we appreciate it.”

Post-match postbag. “That is a nonsensical decision. Bewildering” – Stephen Carr

“There seems to be a prevailing wisdom of ‘no blood, no foul’ with challenges like that. But just because he didn’t connect, doesn’t mean it wasn’t a bad challenge. The game should be discouraging stuff like that so I think erring on the side of a red is entirely reasonable” – Evan Crocker

“MoM Andersen fouls Beto. Arms all round him. No pen. No one says a dickie bird. Ha! And why wasn’t Hughes carded? I’m a bit frustrated. Everton have played quite well.” – David Cross

One third-round match down, another 31 to go; hopefully they’ll all be a bit better than that. Neither side deserved to win, so Everton will be the happier of the two teams, as they’ll host a replay in a couple of weeks. There’s an obvious double-asterisk to Everton’s pleasure, of course, with Dwight McNeil injured and Dominic Calvert-Lewin having been sent packing for catching Nathaniel Clyne with his studs as he followed through with a slide tackle. It wasn’t the fiercest of challenges, but you can see why the red card was awarded. Expect Sean Dyche to mount a staunch defence arguing otherwise.

To Goodison!

90 min +8: Eze rasps a shot towards the bottom right. It’s heading wide but Virginia takes no chances, tipping around the post. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. The ten men have nearly done enough to take Palace back to Goodison.

90 min +7: Up the other end, Hughes tries to prod goalwards from the middle of a crowded box, but the ball bobbles through to the keeper, who slides along the wet turf to claim. What’s his name? Virginia Aquaplane.

90 min +6: On ITV, Lucy Ward names Joachim Andersen as her player of the match. Down on the pitch, Beto goes down in the box with Andersen’s arms around his waist, but neither referee nor VAR show interest in awarding a dramatic penalty.

90 min +5: Ahamada drives down the right and wins a corner off Mykolenko. Eze delivers, but Onana batters clear.

90 min +4: Mitchell grinds down the left and wins a corner off Garner. Virginia may have something to do now … but once again Palace can’t deliver a killer ball. Everton again clear without too much drama.

90 min +3: A free kick for Palace out on the left. It’s hoicked into the mixer. Everton clear their lines. Virginia hasn’t had much to do this evening.

90 min +2: “I know the grass may be greasy and players may slide further, but in what universe is sliding in from three yards away with the foot raised making contact with the shin not reckless?” asks Andy ‘Not That One’ Flintoff. “Clyne is lucky it was a glancing blow rather than a full on hit, otherwise that would have hurt.”

90 min: Harrison lashes a dropping ball over the bar from the edge of the Palace box. There will be nine added minutes. Meanwhile McNeil is carried around the perimeter of the pitch, and receives a warm ovation from both sets of fans.

89 min: Gomes comes on for the stricken McNeil, who is still being treated behind the goal. The stretcher has been called for, and his sock has been cut off, all of which looks ominous. No replay to see how he came a cropper, which is probably just as well. A suggestion on ITV that he may have gone over his ankle, but nothing is certain, other than the player being lifted onto the stretcher.

88 min: McNeil pulls his shirt over his face. He’s in pain and doesn’t look likely to continue.

87 min: Nothing comes of the corner, other than a booking for Mateta, who thinks McNeil has gone down to waste time. Coleman isn’t happy with Mateta’s inference, given that McNeil, off the pitch, looks in genuine discomfort.

86 min: Andersen lumps forward. Eze telescopes a leg to bring the ball down from the sky, then shoots goalwards. Tarkowski slides in to deflect out for a corner.

85 min: Palace make a double change, with a view to winning the tie this evening against ten men. Clyne and Lerma are replaced by Edouard and Ozoh.

83 min: Onana feeds Beto down the right. Beto sweeps a low cross into the box, and Garner meets it on the spot … only to lean back and send the ball into orbit. A huge chance for Everton!

82 min: Sean Dyche is livid, as one would expect. On ITV4, Lucy Ward doesn’t think it was a red card. Neither do the Everton fans, who are singing the You’re Not Fit song at the referee. Meanwhile on the field, Ahamada creams a low diagonal drive inches wide of the left-hand post. Palace with the wind behind all of a sudden.

80 min: Everton were trying to take Calvert-Lewin off, as well. Beto still comes on, but now it’s Danjuma who makes way for the ten men.

79 min: The referee draws a screen in the air, then shows a bemused Calvert-Lewin the red card. It’s soft, and you can make a case for it either way, but if you fly into a challenge with studs showing, you’re giving the referee a decision to make. That’s the first red card of Calvert-Lewin’s career.

78 min: Yep, VAR calls the referee over to the screen. There’s definitely studs-on-shin action. Studs up. Not much contact … but contact. This looks like trouble for Calvert-Lewin.

77 min: VAR is taking a look at the Calvert-Lewin challenge on Clyne. It was a determined slide for the ball, with studs showing. He connected with Clyne’s shin, albeit lightly. Still, you’ve seen red cards given for this. The striker could be in bother here.

76 min: Calvert-Lewin battles to win possession from Clyne 30 yards from the Palace goal. With the hosts light at the back, and Danjuma free to his right, a goal looks on. But Calvert-Lewin doesn’t spot the pass, and the chance is gone.

74 min: Onana tries to release Calvert-Lewin clear through the middle. The ball breaks right to Danjuma, just inside the Palace box. He slaps a shot straight at Henderson. For a split second there, an Everton goal looked on. But that’s a poor finish.

73 min: Onana goes down. Some treatment. Then he gets back up.

71 min: Mykolenko strides in from the left and feeds Harrison, who drags a shot wide right from distance. Palace then make the first changes of the evening, sending on Hughes and Ahamada for Franca and Schlupp.

69 min: Another busy run by McNeil, down the left again. He spins and dinks a cross into the mixer. Henderson comes through a crowded box to punch clear. Palace are struggling to keep hold of the ball and get out of their final third.

68 min: McNeil starts an Everton attack down the left by selling Franca an outrageous dummy. He releases Harrison, whose cross is no good. But it’s Everton who look the more likely right now, even if that bar is set low.

67 min: The resulting corner is headed harmlessly over the bar by Onana.

66 min: Lerma pelts down the left only to be unceremoniously stopped on the edge of the box by Branthwaite. The hosts want a free kick, but they’re not getting one, and Everton counter. Mykolenko crosses low from the left. Andersen slices behind for a corner. Before it can be taken, Palace enquire whether VAR is looking at the challenge up the other end, but there’s nothing too much wrong with it.

64 min: A corner for Everton down the left. Garner swings it in. Henderson flaps, and is fortunate not to divert the ball into the top-right corner of his own net. The ball sails wide right and nothing comes of the next corner. Selhurst Park is quiet right now, the result of the distinct lack of entertainment on offer.

62 min: A loose ball in midfield luckily deflects into the path of Calvert-Lewin, who scampers off down the inside-left channel. He enters the area and opens his body in an attempt to steer across Henderson and into the bottom right. A dismal scuff is easily gathered by the keeper. That was a decent chance, albeit one gifted rather than earned.

60 min: … but nevertheless, it’s a chance for Palace to loop the free kick into the box. It’s hit long. Andersen competes at the far stick, but Virginia punches clear.

59 min: Schlupp drops a shoulder and nearly gets past Onana on the left touchline. He’s unceremoniously brought down. Onana, a repeat offender this evening, is surely just one more challenge away from a booking.

58 min: In the technical areas, Roy Hodgson and Sean Dyche sigh and frown and mutter under their breath. Neither manager happy with the fare their team is serving up.

56 min: McNeil crosses from the left. Too high for Calvert-Lewin. This match is developing into one for the purists.

54 min: Mitchell attempts to release Lerma down the left. An easy pass. Clank. Straight out of play. So much for the half sparking into life.

52 min: Franca bursts down the right and nearly gets the better of Mykolenko on the outside. Nearly, but not quite. Goal kick.

51 min: From the resulting corner, Lerma aims a header goalwards from distance. Easy for Virginia.

50 min: … but that’s sparked the half belatedly into life, and Palace go up the other end, Eze sending a rising screamer towards the top right. Virginia tips around the post.

49 min: Harrison crosses from the right. Danjuma can’t control on the edge of the box, but the ball’s shuttled left to Garner, who attempts a curler towards the top-right corner. High and wide.

48 min: … and other than that, it’s a thoroughly nondescript start to the second period. A reminder that, should this game remain goalless after regulation time, it’ll be a replay at Goodison Park.

46 min: Franca cuts in from the right and attempts to release Mateta into the box with a cute reverse pass down the channel. Too much juice. Goal kick.

Crystal Palace get the second half underway. No changes.

Half-time entertainment.

Nil-nil seems about right.

45 min +1: Clyne releases Franca into space down the right. He enters the box and fizzes the ball through the six-yard box … but there’s nobody in limited-edition blue, white and red to poke home. Everton hack clear.

45 min: There will be one additional first-half minute.

43 min: A loose ball in the middle of the park. Schlupp’s improvised header forward nearly releases Mateta down the middle. He’d be through were it not for the tenacious Coleman, who slides across to shovel the ball back to Virginia. That’s fine last-ditch defending.

41 min: Lerma and Onana compete for a high ball, the latter coming off second best when they clash. Sean Dyche’s eyebrows get angular again.

40 min: Up the other end, Garner latches onto Andersen’s half-clearance, and rasps a low drive goalwards. Andersen gets back to block, and Henderson was almost certainly covering behind anyway. But that was hit with some feeling. Garner’s been a fine signing for Everton.

39 min: Palace put together their best move of the match. Mitchell steams in from the left. His low pass across the face of the Everton box is dummied by Mateta for Eze, who spins and tees up the in-rushing Lerma. A first-time shot flies handsomely over the bar. Had Lerma kept his cool, that could have been a fine goal.

38 min: Some pinball in the centre of the park. Suddenly the ball twangs into space down the Everton left … but Calvert-Lewin can’t get to it before Henderson scampers off his line to claim.

36 min: Mykolenko crosses from the left. Calvert-Lewin meets it, but can only head harmlessly wide left. Yep, this match is decent enough, until both teams reach the final third.

35 min: Onana comes through the back of Lerma in the midfield and is fortunate the referee misses the challenge. Mateta races off down the left anyway and wins a corner. From the set piece, there’s a bit of sustained Palace pressure, ending when Schlupp dinks a cross from a tight position on the left, the ball looping over Virginia before being hacked away by Tarkowski. Better from Palace.