What Gwladys Street sung after colossal Jarrad Branthwaite moment said all after Everton comeback

As Ismaila Sarr hit the floor Abdoulaye Doucoure and Vitalii Mykolenko charged over to Jarrad Branthwaite to celebrate with him. This game was not yet over but Everton were starting to believe that, at the fifth time of asking, they would turn a lead into a victory.

Seconds later, in recognition of the centre back’s immense impact on his return to senior football after five months on the sidelines, the Gwladys Street erupted in a chant of: “There’s only one Jarrad Branthwaite.” He had stayed strong and forced Sarr out of play just as the winger looked set to punish a backline that had otherwise hesitated amid claims the Palace attacker was offside.

It was not Branthwaite’s first intervention. Earlier in the second half, as the away side threatened to counter, there was a deafening thud as the 22-year-old took Sarr and the ball on the halfway line. A deafening thud followed by a huge roar from the stands around him.

This was not the perfect performance from Everton. But it was the perfect ending to a near-perfect week. The return of the Friedkin Group to the negotiating table has the potential to remove the existential crisis this club has been troubled by for several difficult years. Branthwaite’s return was a step towards ending the defensive issues that have plagued the start to this season. And this comeback win ended a miserable winless start to an emotional league campaign. Finally Goodison Park has something to celebrate.

It had reason to celebrate following one of the most important half-times of Sean Dyche’s Everton career. Overrun by an Adam Wharton-inspired Palace and unable to defend set pieces, the Blues needed the break.

It came with the hosts already a goal down, lucky not to be further behind and with Dyche staring down the barrel of a fourth home defeat in the first five games of the historic, emotional goodbye to Goodison.The pressure would only have intensified with another failure on Saturday - particularly against a side that, like Everton, entered this game without a league win.

Any need for another inquest into another disappointing result was avoided by what happened after the players left the dressing room though. What followed was not just a comeback for Everton but, to some extent, a comeback for Dyche.

In the first 10 minutes of the second half Everton scored twice through one of Dyche’s most trusted players in Dwight McNeil. His first was a trademark blow from the edge of the box that swung the momentum of this match. The second saw him pounce at the back post after a touch of deft control and a wonderful cross from half-time substitute Jack Harrison. The manager whose substitutions, and lack of them, has been a constant source of frustration in the stands, saw his first change have a match-winning impact. There will be satisfaction at that in the Dyche household on Saturday night. All of a sudden Everton were rampant, Goodison was bouncing and Palace were awestruck.

There were chances to ease the nerves - when Doucoure was sent through on goal by Dominic Calvert-Lewin only to be caught by Maurence Lacroix before shooting, the missed opportunity was akin to a flashback of the chances Everton have wasted ahead of surrendering leads in recent weeks. But up stood Branthwaite and James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford, who both grew in confidence as Branthwaite grew in stature.

What is it with Crystal Palace? This was the first time Everton had come from behind to win in the Premier League since that memorable night in May 2022, the first time Everton had won in the league when the opponent had scored since the trip to Palace last season.

The win was so remarkable because, at half-time, it appeared so unlikely. Palace were the better side and deserved to take their lead into the break. Jean-Philippe Mateta was a menace as he lurked off the shoulders of Branthwaite and Tarkowski and Eberechi Eze danced between the Blues’ defence and midfield. But the real threat came from two further sources.

Wharton dictated the opening 45 minutes, sitting in front of his own defence and dropping deep to collect the ball from his teammates. In doing so he forced Orel Mangala and Doucoure to choose between attacking him or allowing him space to pick a pass. When he had time he had willing runners in front of him and out wide. When they pressed, it drew them up the pitch and allowed Wharton to slip the ball through to Eze and Eddie Nketiah. Everton struggled for answers.

While clear cut chances from open play were not easy to come by for Palace, this tactic provided them with a steady supply of corners and free kicks in the final third. Every one caused Everton problems. Defending set pieces has been a real problem at the start of this campaign, a twist that is particularly painful given how this side was so dominant in the same area last season.

The return of Branthwaite will help on this front, as became clear in closing minutes fraught with tension, but this match showed he cannot do that job alone. Palace’s goal came from a tactic deployed so effectively throughout Dyche’s reign on Merseyside. Just 10 minutes in, Everton failed to clear a corner and the ball was recycled to Wharton, who sent a deep, inswinging cross to the back post. Lacroix won the header and Marc Guehi prodded in from yards out.

So often a source of goals for this Everton side, it appears to be an approach they cannot deal with themselves. After a flurry of chances saw Dominic Calvert-Lewin have a diving header cleared on its way towards goal and then narrowly miss out as McNeil fizzed a ball across the face of goal, Palace attacked again. Mykolenko fought back to steal the ball from Mateta as he was about to shoot but the corner that followed caused more problems in front of Pickford. Just before the break, with Everton in need of the dressing room, a back post Eze free-kick caused more concern as Pickford collided with Lacroix amid the panic.

As a result, a smattering of boos greeted the half-time whistle, though they may have been directed more towards referee Andrew Madley than the players. A change in fortunes off the pitch looked set to take place against the backdrop of continued problems on it. Then came that 15 minutes in the home dressing room and a reaction that will only add further fuel to the hopes that better times may genuinely lie ahead for a club that has endured too many false dawns.

Click here to read article