Crystal Palace 0 Everton 0 match report: Stalemate at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace end seven-game losing run

The home side had the better chances during the match

Crystal Palace and Everton players stand for a minute silence for Rememberence Day (GETTY IMAGES)

As Crystal Palace come closer to ending their search for a new manager, they have at least ended their search for another point. This battling display halted a run of seven successive defeats and gave the club their first positive result since 31 August as well as a first clean sheet of the season.

It should also give any new manager a certain encouragement. Palace superbly frustrated a largely disappointing Everton, and could well have claimed the win. Whether they can now sign Aitor Karanka or Malky Mackay as next boss remains to be seen, but newly-appointed director of football Iain Moody can have looked on with some satisfaction.

Palace are due to talk to Jose Mourinho’s former assistant Karanka during the week, and there is some speculation Mackay is changing his mind about the Selhurst Park job given the ownership problems at Cardiff City and the Welsh club’s dismissal of Moody.

At Villa Park, Mackay would only say that he was pleased that Moody was back in employment and that he was ‘‘proud to be Cardiff City manager’’.

At least there was more stability to Palace’s performance.

“I’ve not planned that far ahead,” caretaker Keith Millen said, “but I’ll carry on if nothing happens.”

To a certain extent, this game reflected where both clubs are after so many ructions. For Palace, Millen did pretty much all he can in the circumstances and attempted to sit back on defence. Everton showed some signs of progress and the passing game Martinez is trying to instil, but also how far they still have to go.

There remain elements of Wigan about the Spanish manager’s new side. Although they can often be beautiful in possession, they are frequently anything but at the back. It created one of those curious games where Everton had the better of the game, but Palace the better of the chances.

Admittedly, that only happened after the home side gained in confidence from Everton’s inability to press home their early superiority.

Up until a poor 34th-minute missed header from Kagisho Dikgacoi that transformed the entire feel of the game, Everton looked lcapable of crushing Palace.

One 12th-minute move seemed to set the tone, as Everton worked their way into the box via a series of one-touch passes, only for Romelu Lukaku to just fail to make contact right at the end. Kevin Mirallas did make contact with a 21st-minute long-range effort, but Julian Speroni pushed it wide.

Beyond that, Damien Delaney and Danny Gabbidon handled Lukaku superbly, often beating him in the air and thereby greatly blunting Everton. There was a lot less space in the Palace box than at the other end of the pitch.

On 38 minutes, Marouane Chamakh somehow sent a header well wide from just in front of goal, that atrocious effort made to look even worse because of the quality of a Jerome Thomas shot and Tim Howard save that preceded it.

Thomas himself was guilty of an even worse miss minutes into the second half. Sent through one-on-one, the winger opted to try and chip Howard rather than round him or just finish. It was wide of the mark in more than one way.

This was the attempt for an attacker on top form and with plenty of goals this season, rather than one with none and in a club at the bottom of the league.

Palace should have been punished as Everton recovered their urgency, and Phil Jagielka hit the bar with a header.

“It was going to be one of those days where the ball hits the crossbar and goes out,” Roberto Martinez sighed. “That was going to be the difference between getting three points and not.”

Thereafter, Everton failed to create a notable chance. But performances like this will give a new Palace manager a fighting chance.

Crystal Palace (4-1-4-1): Speroni; Ward, Gabbidon, Delaney, Moxey; Jedinak; Bolasie, Dikgacoi (O’Keefe, 45), Bannan, Thomas (Puncheon, 82); Chamakh (Jerome, 62).

Everton (4-2-3-1): Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Barry, McCarthy; Mirallas (Deulofeu, 56), Osman (Barkley, 56), Pienaar; Lukaku.

Referee: Craig Pawson.

Man of the match: Danny Gabbidon (Crystal Palace).

Match rating: 7/10