The Eagles were on the way to shooting down the relegation battlers at the tail end of the campaign, but a memorable comeback saved the Merseysiders’ blushes
Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi has recalled the crucial 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park that helped Everton avoid relegation from the English Premier League.
After 68 consecutive seasons in the English top flight, Everton were headed embarrassingly to the EFL Championship following a forgettable campaign.
But the Merseysiders rallied remarkably during the final few weeks of the season, losing just one of four games before their penultimate clash against Crystal Palace.
Enjoying a personal resurgence, Iwobi had become vital to Everton’s hopes. The Nigerian midfielder even scored a crucial 99th-minute winner against Newcastle in March.
The Toffees needed a win to guarantee safety against Palace, though, but Mateta and Ayew gave the visitors a two-nil lead at the break at Goodison Park.
But Everton fought back impressively to win 3-2, with Calvert-Lewin heading home the winner in the 85th minute.
Iwobi completed the 90 minutes that day, and it is a game that still excites the former Arsenal man.
“Obviously, we had the disappointment of going into half-time 2-0 down, but we had that belief,” Iwobi told the National.
“Everybody spoke to each other in the changing room, saying, ‘It’s not impossible. It’s something we can do’. When Dom [Calvert-Lewin] scored that header, it was just like ‘Wow.’
“We still had a while to go, but the feeling of the final whistle going, knowing we were staying up and the way we did it, was like a movie.”
Everton eventually finished two spots above the relegation zone despite losing 5-1 at Arsenal in the finale.
Alex Iwobi will look to continue where he left off last term when Everton kick off the 2022-2023 season with a home game against Chelsea this weekend.
