Why Seamus Coleman was absent for Everton's draw against Crystal Palace explained

Seamus Coleman missed Everton's 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace because of illness.

The Toffees captain recently returned to fitness after a hamstring injury, having overcome a long-term knee setback earlier in the campaign.

Manager Sean Dyche had admitted at his pre-match press conference that Coleman was in contention to start at Goodison Park, having come off the bench in the 2-0 loss at Manchester City in Everton's previous game.

However, Coleman was not involved, with Amadou Onana's 84th-minute header rescuing the Blues a point and moving them out of the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference. Dyche said: "Seamus missed it through illness. He missed the squad, he was desperate to come back but I said to him: 'You need to get well' so he couldn't get involved in that."

Should Coleman recover from his illness in time, he'll return to the squad for the trip to Brighton on Saturday (15.00 GMT).

Meanwhile, Abdoulaye Doucoure made a return from a hamstring injury against Palace. However, Andre Gomes (calf), Arnaut Danjuma (ankle) and Dele (groin) remain sidelined.