Dewsbury-Hall and Barry give Everton 2-0 opening-day victory over Crystal Palace
Everton beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Hill Dickinson Stadium on the opening day of the Premier League on 22 August 2026, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry on the scoresheet. Andy Burnham watched from the posh seats as Everton secured the win in front of home supporters.
Andy Burnham attended the match to see how David Moyes’s side would perform without the new signings the club has yet to complete, an issue the article says even drew comment from the Prime Minister. Everton started without a right-back and without a new centre-forward but converted Palace’s profligacy into a convincing victory. The result represented a difficult first top-flight outing for Palace’s new manager, Pierre Sage, who also saw defender Chadi Riad leave the field on a stretcher late in the game.
Palace created three clear openings before Everton’s opener but failed to score, with misfortune playing a part as Jordan Pickford’s left-hand post was struck twice. James Tarkowski misjudged an early header, allowing Eddie Nketiah to break down the left and find Jean-Philippe Mateta, whose close-range volley went over the bar. A sublime pass from Adam Wharton later released Nketiah again but Pickford produced a superb save to push the effort onto the post.
Wharton, whom Sage insisted would remain at Palace despite reported interest from Manchester City, combined with Dwight McNeil and Nketiah to free Mateta in front of goal, only for the woodwork to deny the France international on full stretch. Those reprieves allowed Everton to grow into the game and seize momentum five minutes after the second post strike. The visitors’ inability to convert early chances compounded their problems throughout the first half.
Everton’s midfield and summer additions began to influence play, with Hayden Hackney, Tyrique George and Merlin Röhl singled out for positive contributions. An early opportunity for the hosts saw Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall release Röhl, whose cross was met by Iliman Ndiaye and tested Dean Henderson. Everton’s creativity increased as George probed down the left and Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye started to assert themselves.
Dewsbury-Hall’s goal arrived after a mazy run that prompted an unsuccessful handball appeal when his shot struck Chris Richards; play continued through Daniel Muñoz before Harrison Armstrong intercepted and fed Dewsbury-Hall. Receiving Armstrong’s pass, Dewsbury-Hall swept an angled drive into Henderson’s far corner to open the scoring. Later in the first half Muñoz met a delivery from Daichi Kamada but guided his header wide.
Early in the second half Everton extended their lead from a right-wing cross by Ndiaye. Thierno Barry rose between Chris Richards and Jaydee Canvot to head past Henderson, the striker described as being on a self-confessed mission to improve after a difficult debut Premier League season. The dismissal of Riad on a stretcher, with the defender distraught as he was carried off, compounded Palace’s deflating afternoon.
The defeat served as a losing Premier League debut for Pierre Sage and left Palace diminished by the late injury to Chadi Riad; Everton left Hill Dickinson Stadium having opened their season with a 2-0 victory secured by Dewsbury-Hall and Barry.
