Everton kicked off their Premier League campaign with a solid 2-0 home victory over Crystal Palace, securing all three points thanks to goals in each half of the contest.

The breakthrough came right on the stroke of halftime, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall finding the net in the 42nd minute off an assist from Harrison Armstrong, sending Everton into the break with a narrow lead.

The hosts then extended their advantage early in the second half when Thierno Barry got on the scoresheet in the 53rd minute, with Iliman Ndiaye providing the assist to double Everton’s lead.

Crystal Palace had chances of their own to level the score, with both Eddie Nketiah and Jean Mateta striking the woodwork in the first half, hitting the post in the 17th and 38th minutes respectively.

Despite controlling more possession throughout the match at 58% to Everton’s 42%, Palace couldn’t convert their dominance into goals, managing just 4 shots on target compared to Everton’s clinical finishing.

The visitors were also considerably more disciplined defensively in terms of tackling, winning 25 tackles compared to Everton’s 17, though this physical approach led to a stark disparity in fouls, with Palace committing 15 compared to Everton’s 5. Danilo Kamada picked up the match’s only yellow card in the 30th minute for a foul.

Both sides made several substitutions throughout the second half as they looked to change the game’s momentum, but Everton held firm defensively to secure a strong start to their league campaign, while Palace will look to bounce back in their next fixture.