Crystal Palace began the Pierre Sage era with defeat at Everton, but the 2–0 scoreline did not tell the complete story of an encouraging, if ultimately frustrating, afternoon for the Eagles.
Goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry gave Everton all three points at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, yet Palace created more than enough opportunities to have changed the course of the contest.
For significant spells, Palace looked good.
They moved the ball intelligently, found spaces inside Everton’s defensive shape and produced three clear opportunities before the hosts took the lead. On another afternoon, Palace could easily have gone ahead and perhaps returned to London with something to show for their performance.
Instead, missed chances proved costly.
Jean-Philippe Mateta had the first major opportunity after Eddie Nketiah created space for him at the near post, but the Palace striker sent his volley over the crossbar.
Adam Wharton then demonstrated his exceptional passing ability with a beautifully weighted ball over the Everton defence. Nketiah was released inside the penalty area and had time to select his finish, only for Jordan Pickford to make an excellent save and turn the effort against the post.
Palace struck the same upright again when Nketiah’s delivery found Mateta, whose attempt rebounded away to safety.
Those were not half-chances. They were genuine opportunities which Palace will feel they should have converted.
Daniel Muñoz was later presented with another opening when he arrived to meet an inviting cross from Daichi Kamada, but the Colombian directed his header wide of the far post.
The difference between the teams was not the quality of the opportunities they created. It was what they did with them.
Everton were clinical. Palace were not.
The Eagles were made to pay three minutes before half-time when Muñoz was dispossessed by the energetic Harrison Armstrong. The Everton youngster immediately moved the ball forward to Dewsbury-Hall, who exploited the space and drove an excellent angled finish beyond Dean Henderson.
It was a goal which changed the entire complexion of the afternoon.
Palace went from wondering how they had failed to take the lead to walking into the dressing room a goal behind. That is the unforgiving reality of Premier League football: good spells must be turned into goals.
Everton doubled their advantage in the 53rd minute. Iliman Ndiaye delivered a superb cross from the right and Barry rose between the Palace defenders to head home from close range.
Once Everton had established a two-goal advantage, David Moyes’ side managed the remainder of the game with experience and discipline. They became more compact, protected their penalty area and denied Palace the momentum required to mount a recovery.
Palace continued to compete, but the game had begun to slip away.
The result represents a difficult start for Sage, although it would be deeply unfair to judge the new manager on one afternoon.
This is a Palace team in transition.
Sage has replaced Oliver Glasner after arriving from RC Lens, where he enjoyed an outstanding 2025/26 campaign. He led Lens to second place in Ligue 1, won the French Cup and was named the division’s Manager of the Year.
His route into elite management has been far from conventional. Sage spent many years working in amateur football, academy coaching and supporting roles before being unexpectedly appointed by Lyon in November 2023.
He inherited a club sitting at the bottom of Ligue 1 but transformed its season, eventually securing a sixth-place finish and European qualification.
After leaving Lyon, he rebuilt his reputation at Lens and established himself as one of the most highly regarded French coaches of his generation.
The Premier League, however, presents a new challenge.
The pace of the football is relentless, mistakes are punished immediately and there is very little opportunity for a manager to develop his methods away from intense public scrutiny.
Sage favours an assertive style. His teams look to build properly from defence, progress the ball into attacking areas and press aggressively to recover possession. At Lens, his 3-4-2-1 formation frequently became a highly attacking 3-2-5 when his side had the ball.
There were glimpses of those principles at Everton.
Wharton looked capable of becoming enormously influential under the Frenchman. His ability to recognise forward runs and break defensive lines gives Palace a midfielder around whom their football can be constructed.
Nketiah was lively and repeatedly found dangerous positions. Mateta caused Everton problems and Muñoz continued to offer an attacking presence from wide areas.
The concern was not Palace’s ability to reach Everton’s penalty area. It was the lack of composure once they arrived there.
That can be improved.
Sage must also manage a squad which is adjusting after Glasner’s departure and dealing with changes in personnel. Ismaïla Sarr was absent with a groin problem, removing an important source of speed and attacking threat.
Palace then suffered a far more distressing setback when Chadi Riad was carried from the pitch on a stretcher after appearing to sustain another serious knee injury.
The defender’s reaction illustrated the extent of his concern. After his previous long-term injury problems, everybody connected with Palace will hope that the damage is not as severe as it initially appeared.
His loss compounded an already disappointing afternoon and potentially creates another issue for Sage during the opening weeks of the season.
There will be understandable frustration among Palace supporters. This was a game in which the Eagles had opportunities to take control, but departed without a goal or a point.
Nevertheless, there were positives.
Palace were not comprehensively outplayed. They were not without ideas and did not spend the afternoon simply attempting to contain Everton. They attacked, created chances and twice struck the woodwork.
The performance demonstrated that there is talent within this squad and a tactical foundation upon which Sage can build.
What Palace lacked was ruthlessness.
Had Nketiah’s effort gone inside the post rather than striking it, or had Mateta converted one of his opportunities, the contest might have developed very differently. Everton would have been required to chase the game and Palace’s confidence would have grown.
Instead, the Eagles allowed the hosts to remain level before conceding at the worst possible moment.
That is the lesson Sage and his players must take from Merseyside. Encouraging football and promising passages of possession are valuable, but Premier League matches are decided in the penalty areas.
Palace must become more clinical in attack and more resistant when momentum begins to turn against them.
They must also be given time.
Transitions are rarely completed over one pre-season or one transfer window. Sage is learning about his players while simultaneously adapting to English football. His squad, meanwhile, is being asked to absorb a new manager’s expectations and methods.
That process will inevitably produce difficult afternoons.
The Premier League has become increasingly unforgiving towards managers, with conclusions often reached after only a handful of matches. Sage’s achievements in France demonstrate that he possesses intelligence, tactical imagination and the ability to improve teams.
Those qualities have not disappeared because Palace lost their opening game.
The Eagles left Everton empty-handed, but not without encouragement. The scoreline was disappointing; much of the football was not.
This looked like a team in transition rather than one in trouble.
If Palace can retain the positive elements of their performance, sharpen their finishing and give Sage the space to establish his identity, better results should follow.
The new era began with defeat, but there was enough promise on Merseyside to suggest that Crystal Palace’s season should not be judged by its opening scoreline.
