Everton’s disciplinary issues could cost them Premier League survival as they prepare to host Crystal Palace

Everton will be hoping to not repeat their disciplinary issues on the pitch against Brentford when they play host to Crystal Palace on Thursday evening.

A win against the Bees on Sunday afternoon would have seen the Toffees confirm their Premier League survival with just two games left to play, but they fell to a 3-2 defeat at Goodison Park.

They also finished the game with just nine men on the pitch, with Jarrad Branthwaite and second-half substitute Salomon Rondon both being sent off for their respective challenges.

Everton sit just two points above the drop zone with as many games left to play, and they will return to home soil on Thursday with the knowledge that a win against the Eagles would finally seal their spot in the top flight next season.

Frank Lampard’s side took an early lead against the travelling Brentford as Dominic Calvert-Lewin got the last touch from Richarlison’s flick towards the goal to open the scoring. However, they were reduced to ten men just eight minutes later when Branthwaite was given his marching orders for a last-man tackle on Ivan Toney.

This huge call was made just seconds after it appeared that Kristoffer Ajer pulled Richarlison’s shirt in the box down the other end of the pitch. Lampard expressed his frustration at the decision after the match:

“It was a penalty. It’s a clear shirt pull and a foul in the box. If you’re asking for Richarlison to go down for it, then you’re asking people to fall on the floor.

“The most frustrating thing for me is to have to come out and speak about it because I’m fed up of speaking about it.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for the referees because they do one of the toughest jobs, but the reality is that we’ve been on the bad end of a lot of decisions this season.

“It’s hard because I have to represent the club and represent the fans that come here to support us. Small margins can affect our position and I do believe that a penalty on the shirt pull today means it maybe goes 2-0 to us, and we still have 11 men. I think we all know how that game then goes.”

Late on in the second half, and just four minutes after he was brought on for Seamus Coleman, Rondon was sent off for a challenge on Rico Henry. It was a tackle worthy of dismissal from referee Michael Oliver, but it also meant that any slight hope Everton had of scoring an equaliser in the dying moments of the game had completely vanished.

Rondon’s red was Everton’s sixth of the season, the most out of any other side in the Premier League. Five of those have come since Lampard took the helm back at the end of January; three of them have been in successive league games against Wolves, Newcastle and West Ham.

Sean Kelly of Prost International shared his reasons as to why Everton have struggled to keep 11 men on the pitch as he said:

With such key games lying ahead of them as the season draws to a close, the Everton boss insisted that his side need to ensure they remain disciplined as they fight for their Premier League survival.

“A lot of our red cards, apart from Rondon, weren’t reckless but in football if you are already on a yellow card, don’t dive in.

“Don’t tug a shirt knowing that’s another yellow-card offence. We don’t want to be lunging in when we don’t need to.

“It’s natural to understand the situation and want to get the right result but urgency is one thing, decision-making is another. We’ll tap into the atmosphere but we need that balance. Of course we want to keep 11 players on the pitch.”

While their position in the table may look precarious, Everton are in the driving seat when it comes to avoiding the last spot for Premier League relegation. Burnley still have the chance to overtake the Toffees but Leeds United have just one game left to play this season, and their recent form could see them occupy 18th come full time on Sunday evening.

A win on Thursday would see Everton survive, but should they drop points and Burnley win away at Aston Villa, then it will all come down to the final day.

They will come up against a Palace side who have somewhat overachieved this season, with a squad full of young talent finding themselves just three points outside of a top-half finish. Patrick Vieira and his Eagles overcame a shaky start to the season to confirm their safety with relative ease, with many tipping them to go down before a ball had even been kicked.

Experienced fan favourite Wilfried Zaha has been able to link up well with the likes of Michael Olise and Conor Gallagher, with the latter two shining at just 20 and 22-years-old respectively.

The two sides have played each twice already this season, with their last meeting coming at Selhurst Park in March when Palace won 4-0 to make their way to the FA Cup semi-finals. A Premier League clash in December also saw the south London outfit claim victory, beating the Toffees 3-1 at home.

Thursday night’s game at Goodison could be one of the biggest matches in recent history for Everton, with the players knowing that anything but a win will ensure their fate is decided on the final day of the season on Sunday.

They will travel to Arsenal at the weekend and with the Gunners still possessing a slim chance of securing a top-four spot, Lampard and his side will want to get the job done on home soil against Palace to avoid any last-minute nerves of surviving relegation.

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