Three Talking Points - Everton 1 Crystal Palace 1

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So so deflated after that and I'm finding it really hard to hide my frustration. I can't quite believe we managed to find a way not to win that game.

We could have been 4 or 5 up easily by the time Palace equalised. Irrespective of that, at 1-0 we were so comfortable and just needed to see the game out. One lapse of concentration and it's 1-1, 2 points dropped and a chance to keep pace with 4th place missed once again.

I'd be probably be better sleeping on it before coming up with my 3 talking points, but I feel like I need to vent, so here we go.

1. Jean-Phillipe Gbamin is back!

I'll start with a positive. I was genuinely buzzing for Gbamin when he came of the bench today - I'm sure I wasn't alone.

The lad has had the worst possible start to his Everton career, not just on the pitch but also off it; having to contend with lockdown and the pandemic in a new country all whilst trying to recover from two really serious injuries.

I found myself following him round the pitch when he came on willing him not to go down injured! I for one am desperate for him to come back strong and make the impact in the team that we hoped he would at the start of last season. He could be an asset to us between now and the end of the season, particularly with Doucoure likely to be missing for the remainder.

My fingers are firmly crossed for him.

2. Will DCL ever be "elite"?

Let me first make a couple of things clear:

- I'm a DCL fan and he is by far our most improved player since he has been at the club

- I'm not digging him out - Richarlison was also guilty of missing a hatful of chances

- He has had a tremendous season and will likely be in the frame for our player of the year

All that said, I can't help but wonder that he might always fall short of the "elite" level striker that we will need to progress to the next level as a team.

Not for the first time this season, today Dom was guilty of missing a couple of sitters; basically 1v1s with the goalkeeper that an "elite" striker - Harry Kane as an example - would have devoured with ease.

We had an "elite" striker not so long ago. Something I have always found strange is how a large part of our fanbase didn't take to him as he was perceived to be lazy. He certainly didn't do as much running as DCL, but if he'd have been up front for us today he probably would had a hattrick.

I'm fully behind DCL and I believe he is still on an upward trajectory in terms of his development as a striker. However, if he is to become a top level centre forward he has to improve in those situations where he has time to think.

The chance he missed in the first half really was unforgivable. He was played clean through and Guaita had come steaming out of his goal to the edge of the box. All Dom had to do was knock the ball to the side, take it around the goalkeeper and stroke it into an empty net.

Instead, he panicked and fired the ball straight at Guaita. He can have no excuses.

He has mastered the instinctive one touch finish but those situations where he has more time are where he must improve.

He won't need me to tell him I'm sure.

1. Is our home form going to spoil our season?

I was speaking to one of my Liverpool fan mates before the game today and he suggested we'd win comfortably because "it's Palace at home". My response was immediate.

"Have you seen our home form?"

That's now 10 home games out of 15 that we have failed to win. 66%. Of the 10 we haven't won, we've lost 7.

Almost half of our home games lost. Pathetic.

In the league table based only on home games Everton are 14th. Embarrassing.

It's hard to put your finger on why we've been so poor at home this season. Is it because of the lack of fans in the stadium? Personally I think that that is too easy an excuse.

Whatever the reason, it's simply not good enough no matter how you spin it.

We have 4 home games left; Spurs, Villa, Sheffield United, Wolves. 4 cup finals. Forget Champions League, if we are to have any chance at all of European football next season we absolutely have to pick up results in these games in my opinion.

As good as our away form has been, we cannot expect to win every away game between now and the end of the season, which is probably what it will take to get Europe if we can't win at home.

We've got ourselves into such a good position to achieve our goal of European football. I'm genuinely fearful though that the way we are shaping up at home we are going to blow it.