JACK GREALISH hit a flukey last-gasp winner for Everton and joked: “You can’t even count that as a shot!”
The £100million man netted his first goal for the Toffees since his loan from Manchester City to snatch all three points.
But it involved a huge slice of luck as Palace keeper Dean Henderson saved Beto’s close-range header, only for Daniel Munoz to see his clearance hit Grealish and fly into the net.
Grealish, 30, said: “I had two proper shots. I don’t know if you can count the goal as a shot!
“But I said I wanted to get in those positions more and the manager actually said it to me at half-time, to try to get in at the back post.
“I was there and the goal’s come from that, so I have the manager to thank. It’s brilliant to score here and do you know what’s mad? The last games we’ve played here we’ve been drawing and I’d keep saying to myself in the 85th minute : ‘Come on Jack, go and score – imagine if you scored now.
“I did it against Villa, I did it against West Ham and I didn’t score so today I actually said the same thing again… and I did score.
“I ran to where my mum and dad were, it was so nice. That goal goes to all Evertonians for making me feel so welcome here.”
Grealish handed David Moyes’ men an unlikely win when the England wideman struck three minutes into stoppage time to end Crystal Palace’s club-record 19th unbeaten run.
Moyes said: “When you need goals you’ll take anything, centre forwards will tell you, it doesn’t really matter how you get them.
“I’m pleased for Jack because he’s helped us an awful lot since he came in.”
Everton came from behind to down Palace as Grealish added to Iliman Ndaye’s 76th minute spot-kick after Daniel Munoz had given the Eagles a first half lead.
They then blew a series of golden chances and Palace boss Oliver Glasner said: “We’re very disappointed about the result, definitely, because 60-70 minutes we played so well, so it was a top, top performance.
“I think we could be up 3-0 easily and then we make one mistake in defence, penalty 1-1 and then it’s an open game again.
“It hurts really massively today because I think the last defeat was in April but maybe we need this disappointment, to feel this pain to make the next step forward.”
Grealish added: “We started the game so bad and the first half was terrible.
“I think the lads would say the same, it’s easily the worst we’ve played this season but we came in at half time, had a word with each other and re-grouped.
“Second half we were brilliant because it’s so hard to play against this team, so many games unbeaten, Adam Wharton was man of the match – so a good win.”
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