A man reborn
It seems as though goals are like buses for Vitalii Mykolenko and after an 18-month wait to double his Everton tally, the left-back now has two in as many matches, both in the most unusual manner too.
After netting with his right peg against Brighton & Hove Albion a week ago, Mykolenko felt confident enough to have another crack at goal on his weaker foot just seconds into this contest and, while he didn't register on this occasion, the ball found its way back to him via Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Jack Harrison and he remained poised in the centre-forward position to nod his side in front with a header that any legendary Everton number nine would have been proud of.
Not content with that, Mykolenko, who carried out his 'day job' as a defender resolutely in what was a surprisingly open encounter, then possessed enough of a mojo to catch a second-half shot exquisitely on the volley only for it to ricochet off the foot of the post and rebound into the path of Doucoure to restore the visitors' lead.
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Given Mykolenko's early travails in English football - both on and off the pitch - his significant rise in fortunes this season under the guidance of Sean Dyche and his team cannot be underestimated. For a long time, he struggled to live up to his significant PS17million price tag having been given the arduous task of replacing Lucas Digne but he's now hitting the heights on a regular basis and looking like an accomplished performer.
Soft in the centre?
If Mykolenko's form has skyrocketed in recent weeks, central defensive duo James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite have both been as safe as houses for the lion's share of the season to date so they arguably deserved the slice of good fortune they got here for a rare off day for the pair not to be punished.
In truth, there was a lot to applaud from the partnership again with some heroic defending at times but ultimately lapses in key moments - something as rare as hen's teeth with these two, the penalty and then Palace's second equaliser - saw each of them punished. Branthwaite courted danger by dangling his leg out and unfortunately Eberechi Eze needed no invitation to go down.
Replays seemed to suggest that if there was any contact it was minimal so hope remained that VAR might still overturn the decision and preserve Everton's bright start. But after a reprieve from Stockley Park a week ago when Lewis Dunk's leveller for Brighton & Hove Albion was chalked off, there were no favours being dished out on this occasion from Anthony Taylor back in the studio.
Branthwaite repeated the trick soon after when he took another lunge at Eze but this time rookie referee Sam Barrott, who only took charge of his first Premier League game last month, had seen another and booked the Palace man for simulation after he flung himself to the turf.
The Blues continued to get bodies on the line as the Eagles surged forward and Tarkowski was as brave as anyone when it came to sticking his head in where it hurt - including getting a kick there for his troubles from Jefferson Lerma - but it looked like his resistance might be broken through a momentary lapse of concentration.
What should have been a routine ball over the top for a defender of his calibre to deal with was misjudged and Odsonne Edouard nipped in to restore parity again. It was cruel but thankfully not costly because of Idrissa Gueye's winner.
In his pre-match press conference for this game, Dyche spoke about how difficult it is for Ben Godfrey to get into the team right now because despite his impressive displays in training, those centre-halves in front of him are playing so well. That remains the case despite such lapses here.
Another crazy 3-2
Back on April 22 when these two sides last met at Selhurst Park, they played out a tame goalless stalemate but here it was another topsy-turvy 3-2 akin to the high drama on the night that Everton defeated Crystal Palace by the same scoreline to preserve their Premier League status in their final home game of the 2021/22 season.
Thankfully the Blues didn't have to recover from 2-0 down to triumph on this occasion having got themselves out of the blocks quickly with Mykolenko's first-minute opener. But their record of never having lost after going ahead under Dyche looked to be in significant danger here after they gifted the hosts as second equaliser. The Blues boss - quite rightly - keeps talking about the need to win Premier League matches in different ways and after a 'typical' 1-0 success at West Ham United a fortnight ago on their previous away day in London, Everton had to dig deep to secure the three points here, showing bucket loads of resilience, a trait too often lamentably lacking in recent years.
There have been times - notably the first trio of home games this term - when Dyche's men have performed well but not taken their chances at key moments. But as we head into another international break, they appear to be turning a corner. If it wasn't for an inexplicable refereeing decision at Anfield then Everton might well have finished this segment of the season unbeaten. But even if others are threatening to control their Premier League destiny, this team finally looks equipped with dealing with the adversity thrown at it.