Erik ten Hag believes he may have won up to 75 of his first 100 matches as Manchester United boss was it not for an injury list he claims no team would be able to cope with.

This has been a poor second season in the hotseat for the under-pressure Dutchman, who suffered a 3-1 defeat at rivals Manchester City last weekend as he brought up a century of matches in charge.

Ten Hag had to field a patched-up team against the Premier League champions and absentee-hit United will again be without a host of first-team players for Saturday’s clash with embattled Everton.

Marcus Rashford and Jonny Evans have been passed fit after coming off in the Manchester derby, but Omari Forson has joined their lengthy list of injuries ahead of the weekend.

“That’s the good news, (Rashford and Evans) recovered after the derby, so they are available,” boss Ten Hag said.

“For the rest it is the same squad apart from Omari Forson. He dropped out. He has an injury.

“Mason Mount, I think he is in a good spell now and he will return shortly. I think after the international break.

“For next week, some players are planning to return hopefully.

“When the process will continue like it is now Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka I expect them to be available for our game against Liverpool. (Rasmus) Hojlund similar, yeah.”

Defeat in next weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final clash against rivals Liverpool will end United’s last remaining route to silverware this term.

Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in his first campaign and led the side to third in the Premier League – a far cry from their current place in sixth, 11 points off fourth-placed Aston Villa with 11 games to go.

Injuries have played a key role in this season’s drop-off and without such issues the Dutchman believes he would have won far more than 61 of his first 100 matches at the helm.

“It tells that we are in the right direction,” Ten Hag said of his win ratio.

“So, imagine if we had many more players available, not so many setbacks in injuries, it could have been easily 70 or 75 wins and that tells the bright future of this team when players are available.

“Because if you compare it, you compare it with other managers or other teams who were in a build-up stage, or with previous managers in this big club, then you can see there is a bright future.

“Also, I think it’s a good balance in ages in this squad, where young players, middle-aged players, experienced players together.

“Imagine when they are available. As I said, we could have easily win from 100 games 75 and that’s a big difference I think with the stats you mentioned.”

Long-term absentees Lisandro Martinez, Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are others sidelined right now, unbalancing a side clearly lacking strength in depth.

“No team can deal with this, with so many injuries,” Ten Hag added. “I think we are playing to maximum levels if you take in the availability of the players.

“So, when you miss so many key players over many parts of the season, then obviously the results, the performances will not be (the same as) when the players are available.

“We have seen when the players were available like in January and February our performances were very good.

“And I think from that moment when the players were not even fit, they could have done even better when they are 100 per cent fit in that moment but they were not.”

Frustrated Everton manager Sean Dyche has told his players it is time they started taking responsibility for the chances they are missing in front of goal as more failures up front contributed to their 3-1 defeat at home to West Ham.

Beto’s 56th-minute header, after he had missed the club’s first penalty of the season, put them ahead but Kurt Zouma equalised within six minutes and, having found goalkeeper Alphonse Areola in good form, conceded twice in stoppage time to Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez.

Problems up front have been an issue all season – only the bottom two sides Burnley and Sheffield United have scored fewer than the Toffees’ 29 – but there are signs Dyche is starting to lose patience.

“I am looking at the talent we have got and looking at the quality we have got and how we are not scoring more goals is just bizarre,” he said after a 10th game without victory.

“I can talk about the xG, I can talk about the quality, I can talk about everything but I’ve never been naive in football and you have to go and do it.

“I’ve just said to the players we have a responsibility collectively to actively go and take the chances we are creating and that is everyone.

“It is hard to correct it when it is there, right in front of your eyes. What more can we do?

“But the players have a responsibility at this football club as well as the manager and staff and we know it is a joint responsibility.”

Dropping Dominic Calvert-Lewin, without a goal in his last 21 matches, was somewhat justified by only Beto’s second league goal on an afternoon of mixed emotions for the £24million summer signing from Udinese.

But Dyche was pleased with the Portuguese’s reaction, adding: “That was what was pleasing about Beto.

“Missing a penalty is not easy, he missed a good chance in the first half but he kept going and it is great header.

“He fatigued so we had to take him off but it is another good marker from him to say ‘Look, I am ready and I want to take it on’.”

For West Ham boss David Moyes it was two wins in six days to keep his side in seventh place and chasing European qualification.

“I think the result was harsh on Everton but our goalkeeper made four or five outstanding saves,” said the Scot, on his return to his former club.

“We scored three goals at Everton, they don’t concede too many, we scored four in the week against Brentford, so we’ve done the job.

“We have come through six or seven weeks when very little has gone for us; today I don’t know if it’s the right word in that it went for us but the goalkeeper made saves which he is there to do.

“I’d have to say I’m thrilled with the win, a wee bit of a throwback, but I really enjoyed it.”

Moyes reserved special praise for his goalkeeper, adding: “He probably made the difference, his performance was terrific.

“A lot of goalkeepers get praised for different things – the use of the ball – but most people from the era I come from it is the ones who save it with their hands and stop the ball going in the net most of the time and I thought he did that really well today.”

West Ham scored twice in stoppage time to come from behind at Goodison Park as a mixed afternoon for Everton striker Beto ended in a 3-1 defeat.

The Portuguese forward’s redemptive goal after missing the Toffees’ first penalty of the season had put his side ahead but his joy was short-lived.

Kurt Zouma equalised within six minutes and then Tomas Soucek, with a brilliant outside-of-the-foot strike in the 91st minute was followed by Edson Alvarez’s breakaway as Everton’s winless run was extended to 10 matches.

Everton manager Sean Dyche is grateful for the clarity their successful appeal against a 10-point deduction has brought and insists they will take on the rest of the season “with an open mind”.

The long wait for a decision on the punishment for breaching profitability and sustainability rules was ended this week when the penalty was reduced to six points, lifting the club out of the relegation zone.

There is another case still pending for a breach on the latest set of accounts – and the long-running takeover sage by 777 Partners is still dragging on – but for now Dyche is looking to capitalise on the boost it has provided.

“We’re pleased we have got something back, obviously,” he said.

“You are always greedy and want more and more but the points the club put forward have been listened to and we have got the four points back.

“We will take that and now it brings clarity to the situation, which is good for us and the players but good for all actually.

“We’ve certainly parked that now because it’s become a fact; a line has been drawn under it and the players are clear on it.

“We take on the rest of the season with an open mind.”

Dyche admits the long delay in receiving a verdict had started to play on the players’ minds but praised their ability to remain focused.

And he said the takeover issue would not affect them at all.

“It does start to creep in eventually. To be fair to these players, it took a long time for that to happen,” he said.

“We were all waiting, the noise gets bigger and bigger – ‘when’s it coming?’ – and the players hear all that and I thought they have stayed pretty steadfast in performance levels.

“The league table looks different and now it is about using that wisely and stepping on.

“They (the players) are not worried about takeovers, that is miles above what you do on the football pitch.

“I think the points tally and the idea of the appeal was a much different situation.”

Everton are up to 15th in the Premier League after their penalty for breaching the competition’s financial rules was reduced to six points on appeal, but they face the threat of further sanction with a second case still to be heard.

An independent appeal board set aside the 10-point sanction originally imposed by a commission in November for breaching league profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), with the new reduced penalty lifting the Toffees’ points tally from 21 to 25.

Everton said they were “satisfied” the appeal had resulted in a reduction in the points penalty, but the club are not wholly out of the woods and could have a further points sanction imposed in relation to a second PSR complaint which was laid on January 15.

That one has to be completely concluded before June 1 – the date when promoted clubs receive their Premier League ‘shares’.

It is also unclear whether the club may face compensation claims related to the first PSR breach. A ruling published at the time of the original 10-point penalty said five clubs – Burnley, Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham Forest and Southampton – had 28 days from written receipt of a copy of the decision against Everton to pursue a claim.

None of those clubs confirmed whether they had pursued a claim when contacted by the PA news agency last week. One of them, Forest, have had a PSR complaint lodged against them since the original sanction was issued against Everton.

The reduced six-point penalty for Everton relates to breaching PSR in the assessment period up to the 2021-22 season. The appeal board rejected seven grounds for mitigation put forward by Everton but did find the original commission made legal errors.

The first of those was in relation to club representations to the Premier League in August 2022 over stadium debt, which the original commission said were “less than frank”.

While the appeal board found these representations were “materially wrong”, it accepted that it had never been the Premier League’s case that this was anything other than an innocent mistake by Everton.

Similarly, the appeal board said a breach of Premier League rule B.15, which requires clubs to act in utmost good faith, was never part of the original complaint against the club.

“The first time rule B.15 appeared was in the commission’s decision,” the appeal board ruling stated.

The appeal board also found it was wrong of the commission not to take into account available benchmarks for sanction, such as EFL guidelines.

The appeal board revealed it considered other possible sanctions, such as a fine or a ban on registering players, but concluded a points deduction was warranted.

“The unfair advantage achieved by a breach may include a financial advantage over other clubs, but it is most immediately a sporting advantage and consequently the sanction for breach can legitimately focus on sporting disadvantage,” the appeal board decision said.

The reduction in penalty means Luton are now four points from safety in the Premier League, but their manager Rob Edwards accepted the issue was out of the Hatters’ hands.

Forest drop to 17th, and their manager Nuno Espirito Santo said: “Regarding the hearing and the decision, we are waiting.

“There are people in the club that are taking care of that. So these questions are not appropriate for me.”

Everton released a statement following the publication of the revised sanction.

“While the club is still digesting the appeal board’s decision, we are satisfied our appeal has resulted in a reduction in the points sanction,” the statement read.

“We understand the appeal board considered the 10-point deduction originally imposed to be inappropriate when assessed against the available benchmarks of which the club made the commission aware, including the position under the relevant EFL regulations, and the nine-point deduction that is imposed under the Premier League’s own rules in the event of insolvency.

“The club is also particularly pleased with the appeal board’s decision to overturn the original commission’s finding that the club failed to act in utmost good faith.

“That decision, along with reducing the points deduction, was an incredibly important point of principle for the club on appeal. The club, therefore, feels vindicated in pursuing its appeal.”

The club said they remain fully committed to co-operating with the Premier League in respect of the second complaint, which relates to a PSR breach in the assessment period up to the end of the 2022-23 season.

If clubs breach PSRs in consecutive seasons, they can provide evidence and make submissions to the independent commission hearing their case that any crossover should be treated as a mitigating factor.

Labour MP Ian Byrne, who tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons in response to the initial 10-point deduction, wrote on X: “I was proud to be able to take the fight against Everton’s disproportionate & unfair penalty to Parliament and am pleased to see their points deduction reduced today.”

Everton have had their penalty for breaching Premier League financial rules reduced to six points following an appeal.

The Toffees were hit with a 10-point deduction last November after an independent commission found they had exceeded permitted losses under the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) by £19.5million over an assessment period ending with the 2021-22 season.

An independent appeal board has now cut that by four points, which moves the club on to 25 points in the table and up to 15th place.

The club face a second PSR complaint for breaching rules over the assessment period running to the end of last season.

The complaint was laid on January 15 and under standard directions for PSR cases agreed by top-flight clubs last summer, the commission hearing in that case must conclude no later than 12 weeks after that complaint, which would be April 8.

Sean Dyche blamed nine minutes of stoppage time for Everton’s failure to hold on for a crucial victory at Brighton.

The Toffees were leading through Jarrad Branthwaite’s spectacular strike and defending against a team reduced to 10 men after Billy Gilmour was sent off.

But Dyche looked dismayed when nine minutes of injury time was indicated by the fourth official and in the 95th minute Brighton captain Lewis Dunk headed home a Pascal Gross as the hosts rescued a point.

The Toffees boss said: “After a tough first 20 minutes when they were the better side I thought we grew into the first half, I was very pleased with the mentality as this is not an easy place to come.

“The second half was a really good away performance. We scored a really good goal and then you’re frustrated by the fact nine goes up and that changes the whole stadium.

“They keep throwing bodies forward and we didn’t deal with that.

“But on the other hand they have only lost one here this season so it’s a good point and we’ll take it.

“We’ve got no divine right to win games, you’ve got to be diligent the whole game. Before the game you want to win, but you take a point down here and it’s another point on the table.”

Everton edged up to 21 points, one clear of the relegation zone after a ninth game without a win.

“We should be on 31, don’t forget,” added Dyche in reference to the 10-point deduction and the club’s wait for the result of their appeal.

“That’s pretty healthy compared to previous seasons. I have to look at the bigger picture.”

Everton made the breakthrough in the 72nd minute through the unlikely figure of Branthwaite.

Jordan Pickford launched a free-kick into the area and Evan Ferguson’s attempted clearance fell to the young centre-half.

Branthwaite took one touch with his right foot and then lashed a powerful, angled drive with his left foot into the top corner.

Ten minutes from time Scotland midfielder Gilmour was dismissed after catching Amadou Onana with his studs.

But Brighton kept knocking at the door and Dunk prised it open with a towering header on his 400th league appearance for his boyhood club.

“At the end one point is better than zero, but if you analyse the game it’s very tough to accept this result, especially at home,” said Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi.

“I think we deserved to win, we created many chances to score, then we conceded the goal, a set-piece, second ball and a centre-half hits the top corner.

“Everton are a very good team, they have important players. We knew before the game it would be very tough. But we lost two points today.”

Lewis Dunk denied Everton a crucial win with a stoppage-time equaliser as 10-man Brighton rescued a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls captain, on his 400th league appearance for his boyhood club, nodded in a corner from Pascal Gross in the 95th minute.

His goal cancelled out a stunning strike from another centre-half, Jarrod Branthwaite, and stretched Everton’s winless run to nine matches.

Sean Dyche’s side did at least edge a point clear of the relegation zone, but this will feel like a horrible two points dropped against a Brighton side who were at that stage a man light after Billy Gilmour’s red card.

Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi invited some of his players to his house for dinner this week, but in the early stages he was left frustrated at how they made a meal of taking their chances.

Danny Welbeck passed up three opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, first seeing a shot deflected wide by James Tarkowski.

Welbeck then raced on to Facundo Buonanotte’s through-ball and knocked it past Jordan Pickford, who had come charging out of his area, but the striker’s touch was too heavy.

Moments later the former England forward played a neat one-two with Buonanotte, but Ben Godfrey got a foot in to send his shot wide.

Simon Adingra, an Africa Cup of Nations winner with Ivory Coast, was next to try his luck with a mazy run and a shot which flew narrowly over.

Everton created only one chance in a one-sided first half, yet it was probably the best of the lot.

A cross from Vitalii Mykolenko looked destined for the head of Dominic Calvert-Lewin in front of goal until Dunk intervened and glanced the ball behind.

After the break a fired-up De Zerbi was shown his now increasingly-regular yellow card after protesting too vociferously that Tarkowski deserved a second booking for a foul on Welbeck.

Brighton then had a huge let-off when Dwight McNeil’s cross was volleyed goalward by Abdoulaye Doucoure, with Tariq Lamptey, the shortest player on the pitch, heading it clear from underneath the crossbar.

But Everton made the breakthrough in the 72nd minute through the unlikely figure of Branthwaite.

Pickford launched a free-kick into the area and Evan Ferguson’s attempted clearance fell to the young centre-half.

Branthwaite took one touch with his right foot and then lashed a powerful, angled drive past a startled Bart Verbruggen and into the top corner.

Ten minutes from time Scotland midfielder Gilmour was dismissed after catching Amadou Onana with his studs.

But Brighton kept knocking at the door and Dunk prised it open with a towering header to snatch a point and leave Dyche frustrated.

Sean Dyche accepts pressure will continue to grow on Dominic Calvert-Lewin the longer his barren run continues.

But the Everton manager has reminded the rest of his goal-shy side it is not just the principle striker who needs to find the net.

Calvert-Lewin has not scored for the relegation-threatened Toffees in 19 appearances stretching back to October.

However, he is not the only Everton player struggling in front of goal with the team having struck just 27 times in 25 Premier League games this season. Only bottom two Burnley and Sheffield United have worse records.

“I think he knows where he’s at,” said Dyche of Calvert-Lewin. “There’s enough noise in football now.

“Do you think he’s thinking there’s no noise about him not scoring? I’m pretty sure he knows that.

“Whether fair or not, that’s strikers, isn’t it? That’s being a striker, that’s the reality of the role.

“But all strikers, I’m sure, want the adulation of being a striker and scoring goals.

“That’s part of the fuel that you’d have as a striker, that amazing feeling when you do score, especially at Goodison, because the crowd generally erupt.

“So I think they know the responsibility. That’s part of their role.

“Having said that, of course, it’s not just strikers’ responsibility to score goals.

“We want them to work, we want them to defend, we want them to do the hard yards for the team. So therefore we’ve got to pay that back with other people scoring.”

Conversely, in a difficult season, Dyche can take positives from his side’s strong defensive record.

Everton have conceded just 33 goals this term, a figure equalled or bettered only by the current top four.

Dyche said: “I’m pleased with that side of things and that’s the whole team. A lot is made about individuals in the back unit but I think we ask the players to defend from the front and I think they’re getting better at that.

“The tactical shape and understanding the side, I think has improved and then finding that balance for scoring goals – we know that’s the biggest part of the challenge – transitioning the chances we’re making into actual finishes and actual goals. That’s obviously still a work in progress.”

Everton, who clawed themselves out of the relegation zone on goal difference with a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace on Monday, travel to seventh-placed Brighton on Saturday.

Everton claimed an impressive 5-1 win at the Amex Stadium as they battled against the drop last May.

Dyche said: “That was probably a hiccup in their season at that time. We made that happen, though, don’t get me wrong.

“It wasn’t because they weren’t playing well or they weren’t a good side, because they are a good side.

“They’ve shown again they’re a good outfit and the home record has been very good for a number of seasons.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche has admitted the club’s 10-point deduction may have had a psychological effect on his players.

The Toffees are still awaiting the outcome of their appeal against the punishment they received for breaching the Premier League’s financial regulations last November.

The sanction has effectively plunged the Merseyside club into a relegation battle and Dyche feels the uncertainty over whether or not they will get any points back could be having an impact.

Dyche told a number of national newspapers: “It affects everyone – everyone is sitting around waiting and wondering.

“They take those 10 points off immediately, so you keep looking at that table and you keep getting asked about being in the bottom three, four, five. They don’t leave you up there, so how do we know how that affects the psychology?

“It changes the perception, it changes the feel, it changes the fan base, it changes the feel of performances. That’s just a fact. We all measure it differently when the team are there, top, middle or bottom.

“Does that affect the team whilst the process is going? At first everyone says obviously not because you win four, but you could argue there is a delayed effect.”

Everton’s appeal hearing was held at the end of last month and a verdict is now thought to be imminent but no exact date has been set for when it will be delivered.

“We haven’t got a clue, or I certainly haven’t at the moment,” said Dyche at a press conference.

“The guidelines that you (the media) suggest and we suggest have been for around about the end of the month, so we just have to wait and see.

“I don’t know all the legalities of appeals, of course, but I think it’s in everyone’s interest, firstly our own of course, and for the greater good of football – I think everyone’s wondering – it would be helpful if it’s sooner rather than later.”

After initially responding well to the points setback, Everton are now without a win in eight Premier League games.

They are above the relegation zone only on goal difference after a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday.

Dyche, whose side travel to Brighton on Saturday, has at least been pleased with the attitude of his players throughout a troubled period.

He said: “I think the players have been working very hard, very diligently. I’m very pleased with what they’re doing on a daily basis. I don’t think it is literally in the way of every day’s business.

“I’m sure at the back of their minds they’re still wondering, ‘Come on then, when are you going to tell us where we’re at and give us more of a factual kind of view?’, but we’re in the same mindset – it is where it is and that’s it.

“We look at where it is now and then see what comes. We can’t do anything about it until it’s done.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche says the club remain in the dark as to when they will hear the outcome of their appeal against their 10-point deduction.

The Toffees received the sanction for breaching the Premier League’s financial regulations last November and their appeal against the punishment was heard at the end of January.

That verdict is now thought to be imminent but no exact date has been set for when it will be delivered.

“We haven’t got a clue, or I certainly haven’t at the moment,” said Dyche at a press conference.

“The guidelines that you (the media) suggest and we suggest have been for around about the end of the month, so we just have to wait and see.

“I don’t know all the legalities of appeals, of course, but I think it’s in everyone’s interest, firstly our own of course, and for the greater good of football – I think everyone’s wondering – it would be helpful if it’s sooner rather than later.

“But, as I said, I don’t know how the legal process, the timescales and why it takes so long. So we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The points deduction means Everton are now facing another relegation battle. After a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday, they are above the bottom three only on goal difference.

The uncertainty does not end there with the club also facing a second charge of breaching financial regulations and a proposed takeover by 777 Partners proving a protracted affair.

Dyche said: “There hasn’t been much calm water since I’ve been at this club, that’s for sure – the odd week, and then another wave comes and hits you in the face. Let’s see how it tumbles forward.”

Dyche, whose side travel to Brighton on Saturday, has been pleased with the attitude of his players throughout a troubled period.

He said: “I think the players have been working very hard, very diligently. I’m very pleased with what they’re doing on a daily basis. I don’t think it is literally in the way of every day’s business.

“Of course, you still look at a league table that they adjusted immediately and took 10 points away – we don’t know whether that 10 points is fact.

“I’m sure at the back of their minds they’re still wondering, ‘Come on then, when are you going to tell us where we’re at and give us more of a factual kind of view?’, but we’re in the same mindset – it is where it is and that’s it.

“We look at where it is now and then see what comes. We can’t do anything about it until it’s done. “If we had a million conversations, it’s not going to change what’s happening in an appeal process. Unfortunately that process has taken some time.”

What the papers say

The Sun reports that Gareth Southgate has his eye on three uncapped midfield players – Manchester United teen Kobbie Mainoo, Everton’s James Garner and Fulham’s Harrison Reed – as concern grows over the form of Kalvin Phillips.

Coach David Moyes’ future with West Ham looks fraught as the club is understood to be sounding out Julen Lopetegui, Steve Cooper and Graham Potter to lead the Hammers, writes the Daily Mail.

Steve Bruce is keen to move abroad, with the ex-Newcastle boss looking to become the next manager for South Korea, writes the Daily Mirror.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Kylian Mbappe: The  Paris Saint-Germain star put pen to paper with Real Madrid weeks ago, reports the Daily Mail.

Liel Abada: According to the Daily Record, Celtic will speak to the winger’s agent this week to sort out his future.

Yann M’Vila: West Bromwich Albion has signed the former France international, but only until the end of the season, says the BBC.

Crystal Palace caretaker manager Paddy McCarthy believes new boss Oliver Glasner will have seen plenty to excite him in the Eagles’ battling 1-1 draw at Everton.

Hours after being confirmed as the successor to veteran Roy Hodgson, who stood down earlier in the day, Glasner was watching from the stand at Goodison Park as Palace claimed a point on Monday night.

McCarthy, who took charge of the side along with fellow assistant Ray Lewington after Hodgson was taken ill last week, feels the team being handed over is in fine shape.

McCarthy said: “He’s seen a team with spirit and commitment to the cause. It’s a good point in the right direction at a difficult place to come.

“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.”

Glasner, 49, inherits a side 15th in the Premier League and hoping to avoid being pulled into a relegation battle after a poor run of form.

The Austrian led Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2022 and McCarthy feels he is a strong appointment.

The Irishman said: “He is a manager with great pedigree, a European winner. He is coming into a group that I’m sure he will enjoy working with.

“It is a positive move for the football club and one I’m sure will excite the fans.”

McCarthy revealed he had not yet had the chance to meet Glasner and admitted he did not know if he himself had a future at Selhurst Park.

He said: “It was just announced as we arrived for our pre-match meal. I’ve not had chance to meet him.

“It has been a whirlwind couple of days. I’ve had no communication about myself and my future.”

In terms of the game, a dull encounter was lit up when Jordan Ayew broke the deadlock with a superb long-range strike after 66 minutes.

Everton responded well and their pressure eventually paid off when Amadou Onana headed an equaliser six minutes from time.

McCarthy said: “We created some great situations, Jordan took his goal well. We knew the questions that would be asked coming here.

“I thought we defended resolutely for the majority of the game but unfortunately we couldn’t hang on.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche bemoaned the number of chances the hosts wasted but nevertheless felt the point, which lifted the Toffees out of the bottom three, was a valuable one.

Dyche said: “First half it looked like we were off and they were a side where the new manager was sitting in the stand. They had a bit of edge about them and they played well.

“We weren’t miles off but we weren’t brave enough in possession, were too timid, played backwards too much.

“They scored a good goal, a clean strike, but I thought the mentality then was good to get on the front foot. We certainly did enough to get a point and it was a fine delivery and a fine finish.

“It’s another point on the board and we’ve just popped out of the relegation zone but there were chances – we’ve got to start taking them. There were a couple of golden chances we didn’t take.”

Crystal Palace caretaker manager Paddy McCarthy believes new boss Oliver Glasner will have seen plenty to excite him in the Eagles’ battling 1-1 draw at Everton.

Hours after being confirmed as the successor to veteran Roy Hodgson, who stood down earlier in the day, Glasner was watching from the stand at Goodison Park as Palace claimed a point on Monday night.

McCarthy, who took charge of the side along with fellow assistant Ray Lewington after Hodgson was taken ill last week, feels the team being handed over is in fine shape.

McCarthy said: “He’s seen a team with spirit and commitment to the cause. It’s a good point in the right direction at a difficult place to come.

“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.”

Glasner, 49, inherits a side 15th in the Premier League and hoping to avoid being pulled into a relegation battle after a poor run of form.

The Austrian led Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2022 and McCarthy feels he is a strong appointment.

The Irishman said: “He is a manager with great pedigree, a European winner. He is coming into a group that I’m sure he will enjoy working with.

“It is a positive move for the football club and one I’m sure will excite the fans.”

McCarthy revealed he had not yet had the chance to meet Glasner and admitted he did not know if he himself had a future at Selhurst Park.

He said: “It was just announced as we arrived for our pre-match meal. I’ve not had chance to meet him.

“It has been a whirlwind couple of days. I’ve had no communication about myself and my future.”

In terms of the game, a dull encounter was lit up when Jordan Ayew broke the deadlock with a superb long-range strike after 66 minutes.

Everton responded well and their pressure eventually paid off when Amadou Onana headed an equaliser six minutes from time.

McCarthy said: “We created some great situations, Jordan took his goal well. We knew the questions that would be asked coming here.

“I thought we defended resolutely for the majority of the game but unfortunately we couldn’t hang on.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche bemoaned the number of chances the hosts wasted but nevertheless felt the point, which lifted the Toffees out of the bottom three, was a valuable one.

Dyche said: “First half it looked like we were off and they were a side where the new manager was sitting in the stand. They had a bit of edge about them and they played well.

“We weren’t miles off but we weren’t brave enough in possession, were too timid, played backwards too much.

“They scored a good goal, a clean strike, but I thought the mentality then was good to get on the front foot. We certainly did enough to get a point and it was a fine delivery and a fine finish.

“It’s another point on the board and we’ve just popped out of the relegation zone but there were chances – we’ve got to start taking them. There were a couple of golden chances we didn’t take.”

New Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner watched from the stand as substitute Amadou Onana grabbed Everton a crucial late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

Jordan Ayew’s 66th-minute goal was greeted with a beaming smile from the former Eintracht Frankfurt coach, who was sandwiched between Eagles chairman Steve Parish and ex-striker Mark Bright in the directors’ box.

The 2022 Europa League winner had no input into the game, having only been announced as Roy Hodgson’s successor less than three hours’ before kick-off, but the change looked to have had the desired effect.

However, Onana came off the bench to nod home from an 84th-minute corner to snatch the point which lifted the Toffees out of the bottom three.

Defeat would have been calamitous for Sean Dyche’s side but the draw at least ensured Palace, with just two league wins in their last 14 matches, were denied a victory which would have pulled them eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Glasner said he was looking forward to working with a talented squad and this display, without the stardust provided by the injured duo of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, will have given him some encouragement.

Assistant managers Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington took charge for the game after Hodgson, who was hospitalised after falling ill at training on Thursday, confirmed his decision to step down earlier in the day.

Their futures have yet to be decided as no announcement has been made on Glasner’s backroom staff but if this was their last involvement they at least did their former boss proud with an organised performance after days of uncertainty.

Everton will feel this was a missed opportunity but they were far from their best and the returning Abdoulaye Doucoure, making only his second appearance in 12 matches after injury, looked rusty – none more so than when he somehow failed to convert from six yards.

But in terms of missed opportunities, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in particular, was culpable with headers in either half which he would have buried at the height of his powers but a lack of confidence saw his goalless run stretch to 19 games.

A nondescript first half ended with the home side being booed off after failing to register a shot on target, with Doucoure’s volley wide and Calvert-Lewin’s header from Dwight McNeil’s cross off target.

The visitors’ Odsonne Edouard had shot straight at Jordan Pickford and Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header was cleared off the line by Ashley Young.

Things improved slightly after the break and it required Pickford to charge down a Tyrick Mitchell effort with his chest and opposite number Sam Johnstone to parry James Tarkowski’s goalbound header.

The mess Doucoure made of trying to divert Idrissa Gana Gueye’s miscued drive from the loose ball suggested it was not to be Everton’s night.

And that seemed to be the case when Mateta held off Jarrad Branthwaite to tee up Ayew to strike an angled drive past Pickford for only his third goal of the season.

Another Calvert-Lewin header went wide and James Garner’s shot was parried before Onana rose above Johnstone to head home McNeil’s corner, but Everton’s winless run was extended to eight league matches and they remain in trouble pending the imminent outcome of their appeal against a 10-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules.