Everton's passive first-half problem this season | OneFootball

Jack Grealish probably couldn’t have asked for a better moment to open his goalscoring account for the Toffees.

Chasing the winner against a 19-game unbeaten Crystal Palace in front of a bouncing South Stand, Grealish sealed, signed and delivered the waterfront stadium’s first big moment of delirious ecstasy.

Scrappy and freakish the goal might be, but that counts for very little when David Moyes’s men were desperately searching for their first win in 36 days. Sandwiched between the 3-2 victory over Wolves at Molineux just before the international break and the triumph against Crystal Palace was an Anfield derby loss, a hapless cup exit, and draws against Aston Villa and West Ham.

A recurring theme that plagued the side over that run of games was the Blues’ toothless and insipid first-half displays. The match against Crystal Palace also followed the same script up until half-time.

David Moyes had decided to start with Thierno Barry and Tyler Dibling to make up for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s absence, playing Iliman Ndiaye at number 10 instead. It resulted in a lethargic first half, a sight all too familiar for the Toffees, where Oliver Glasner’s side were all over the hosts, dominating possession, making inroads and fashioning out chances before Daniel Munoz scored the opener at the 37th minute.

Moyes responded almost immediately, bringing on Alcaraz and Beto at the break while Iroegbunam came on five minutes after the hour mark and all three played an important role in the fantastic second-half turnaround.

Charly Alcaraz took the game by the scruff of its neck almost immediately. It was his injection of pace and energy that revitalised the hosts’ approach in the final third. Tim Iroegbunam made a clever run in behind Maxence Lacroix and won the foul in the box, which resulted in Iliman Ndiaye equalising from the spot.

Beto’s header drew a fantastic save off Dean Henderson from close range but the eventual spillage saw Grealish score the dramatic 93rd-minute winner.

While the Everton boss deserves plaudits for his changes, he also needs to address his side’s slow start to matches as soon as possible.

Even amidst the jubilation following the triumph over Crystal Palace, David Moyes conceded that his side had been poor in the first half.

“I think maybe a bit of mentality,” explained Moyes. “We started the game really poorly. We gave away two or three long throw-ins, two or three corner kicks. We never got a chance to get a grip to the game at all.

“I thought the subs made a huge difference to us today. So, look, I’m thrilled we got a big victory.”

The recurring problem began with the campaign opener against newly promoted Leeds United, where the Blues were a no-show for large sections of the game and allowed the opposition to take charge of the contest.

Facing Liverpool at Anfield in the first Merseyside Derby of the season, the Blues opted for a cautious start once again. The forward line held its shape instead of actively pressing Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate which resulted in Arne Slot’s side constantly progressing the ball through the middle and flanks, where Everton were completely outmatched in pace.

It also resulted in a huge gap between Moyes’ defensive and midfield lines, and Liverpool players exploited those spaces with precision to score two goals in the opening half.

Once Everton rejigged their approach at the break and began the second half with more intensity, they rediscovered their rhythm and managed to get deeper and deeper into Liverpool’s box before Idrissa Gueye pulled one back.

However, the damage done in the first half was too great to be overturned and Slot’s side managed to see out the game.

Following the disappointing derby defeat, Everton faced Wolves in the third round of the Carabao Cup. What should’ve been a routine win against a struggling side became a complicated affair. Moyes made seven changes to his starting XI and what followed was a first half where the players on the field lacked chemistry and failed to press and defend in unison.

Wolves scored through Marshall Munetsi close to the half-hour mark, prompting Moyes to bring on his regular players in the second half. With a one-goal lead, Vitor Pereira’s side sat deep and defended in numbers.

They got multiple players to cover Grealish and Ndiaye - Everton’s usual sources of creativity - and capitalised on the Blues’ desperation with a swift counter-attack against the run of play just three minutes before the end of regular time.

It’s hard to pinpoint whether it’s a managerial decision to begin games on a passive note or whether it’s nerves affecting some of the players in vital positions, leading to a cagey approach. Whatever the case may be, it results in the Blues spending large periods chasing the opposition's shadows and inviting pressure in their own box.

Passes lacking proper weight, the press becoming non-existent, players not showing for the ball and relying on the striker to win Jordan Pickford’s long balls as the main source of ball progression, all lead to a case of self-sabotage quite often, allowing the opponents to take charge of the game and worse, take the lead on the scoreboard.

Once that happens, chasing the game in the second half becomes a difficult exercise. There are only so many occasions when the substitutes can step up and rescue the game when opponents are more than happy to protect their lead.

While there are certainly some positives to take from the fact that Everton have mostly ended games better than they have begun, they cannot keep self-sabotaging themselves in the opening 45 minutes so frequently before coming alive after half-time.

The first half is as important as the second one and the Blues cannot keep using the second half to rectify all of their mistakes from the opening half.

Tis " a game of two halves" but the performance level should be the same throughout. If looking for reasons for a slow start then it has to be down to preparation, team selection and tactics which make us cautious and ineffective. The quality and approach of the opposition is significant too.When it becomes a recurring issue, you can not really look beyond the Manager. On paper, yesterday's starting line up looked quite exciting but did leave a large hole in the middle of the park which would have been better filled with a combative and creative midfielder ( Alcaraz). Its always easy with hindsight but you learn from hindsight. and if the problem is recurring then we ( Moyes) are not learning.