‘We need more’ - what Tarkowski said about Everton’s forwards immediately after Crystal Palace draw

Everton defender James Tarkowski called upon his attacking team-mates to step up in their Premier League relegation battle.

The Toffees have dropped into the bottom three after an uneventful 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. With Leicester City coming from behind to beat Wolves, Sean Dyche’s men are in the drop zone with just six games remaining this seasoon.

To compound Everton’s misery, Mason Holgate was sent off for a second yellow card with 10 minutes remaining.

And while the visitors were largely sound in the rearguard, a candid Tarkowski admitted those at the top end of the pitch need to offer more. Via BBC Sport, he said: “We’re in a real battle and we need more. To grind it out with 10 men is nice but we expect more from our forward players.

“We have some really talented boys but we need more from them. Maybe we are losing that confidence.”

Dominic Calvert-Lewin made his return from a hamstring injury that’s ruled him out of the previous 10 matches for Everton. The striker had the best chance of the game on the hour mark when his effort whistled past the post.

Apart from that, there was very little created from other creative players. Dwight McNeil fired a few tame shots on target whilst Demarai Gray failed to create anything of note in a largely anonymous performance.