A whirlwind day for Crystal Palace saw the club have their manager, Roy Hodgson, step down, the appointment of Oliver Glasner as his successor, alongside a huge relegation six-pointer with Everton.
It was too soon for the former Eintracht Frankfurt manager to take charge of his first Palace match; therefore, Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington were in the dugout for the Eagles.
The game on Merseyside was a scrappy one, with Crystal Palace taking the lead after 66 minutes with a stunning strike. The age-old tail of Palace being incapable of defending set pieces and conceding late goals came to fruition again, with Amadou Onana scoring an 84th-minute equaliser for the Blues.
The game at Goodison saw Palace extend the gap between them and the relegation zone to five points as the Eagles now sit fifteenth in the Premier League, ahead of Glasner taking charge of his first game at the club against Burnley at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
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Great Spirit
In his post-match press conference, McCarthy praised his Palace side, who earned themselves a vital point at Goodison, sharing that their new manager, who was in attendance, should be chomping at the bit to get to work with his new side.
"He’s seen a team with spirit and commitment to the cause, and ultimately it’s a good point in the right direction at a difficult place to come, so I’m sure he will take a lot of positives from the game, and I bet he can’t wait to come and work with the lads."
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Falling short
McCarthy was pleased with his team's performance and their application of the game plan; however, he expressed his disappointment that the side could not hang on to all three points.
"We created some great situations. Jordan took his goal well. We knew the questions that were going to be asked here tonight in terms of balls flying into the box, a lot of big, physical players, players in wide positions with great quality that would put it in good areas for them to go and attack, and I thought we defended resolutely for the majority of the game, certainly towards the end, but unfortunately we couldn’t hang on."
Palace have one of the worst records in the league for defending and attacking set-pieces, and ultimately, that cost the South London club all three points.
"We work on them, like most teams. We unfortunately didn’t see out our jobs, so it’s cost us two points, but they’re going to test you. They test every team with situations from set plays to crosses into the box, and it’s very difficult to defend against.
They’re a big physical team, they’re well organised, and they make it difficult for you even with your substitution. You have to be mindful of situations if you make a substitution, ‘is he capable of competing from set-plays’.
We knew that that test was going to come, and we’re disappointed after conceding from a set play, but I can’t fault the lads for their effort, commitment to the cause, and the way they defended our goal for ninety plus minutes."
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An update on Roy
On Thursday, outgoing Palace boss Roy Hodgson was hospitalised after collapsing in training. Paddy McCarthy provided an update on the former manager's health.
"He’s on the mend, he’s at home, and he’s getting looked after by Sheila, who’s a wonderful wife for him. That was the most important thing—that Roy was okay, fit, and healthy."
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An uncertain future for Paddy
Incoming Palace boss Oliver Glasner is expected to bring in a whole host of changes at the football club, including his own backroom staff. McCarthy shared that he has not yet had any discussions over his own future.
"It’s been a whirlwind couple of days, and I have had no communication about myself or about my future. It’s been literally all hands on deck trying to prepare the team under difficult circumstances to come here and put on a performance."
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High praise for Oli
McCarthy bestowed a high degree of praise upon new manager Glasner and the football club, divulging the impressive nature of the appointment of the Europa League-winning coach.
"He’s a manager with a great pedigree, a European winner, and he’s coming into a group that I’m sure he will enjoy working with. It’s a positive move for the football club, and I’m sure one that will excite the fans."