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Everton v West Ham: Blues slump to sorry defeat

By Matt Townsend

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Andriy Yarmolenko of West Ham United celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Everton FC and West Ham United at Goodison Park on September 16, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Andriy Yarmolenko of West Ham United celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Everton FC and West Ham United at Goodison Park on September 16, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /
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Everton produced a poor performance in their latest Premier League game as they slumped to a deserved 1-3 defeat at home to West Ham.

This was a dreadful day at Goodison Park as Everton lost for the first time this season and in front of their own fans. In truth there is very little that’s positive to say about this game from an Everton standpoint.

The Blues came into the match with a number of injuries and had to re-shuffle their team again to deal with them. This obviously doesn’t help, especially in defence, where having a settled back line is so important to building understanding and confidence.

However apart from at right-back, where Jonjo Kenny came into the team to replace the injured Seamus Coleman, the Blues had the same defence as last week. Mason Holgate and Kurt Zouma were the centre-backs and Lucas Digne once more played on the left in front of Jordan Pickford.

Everton’s defensive woes have been well documented this season and once again the Blues were undone by a simple move that opened the team up. This time though it wasn’t from a set-piece.

Although neither side had offered much of a threat early on, Everton appeared to be finding their feet. Theo Walcott was lively and Idrissa Gueye had just played a good ball over the top that Dominic Calvert-Lewin, almost brought under control with just the keeper to beat.

Then a few minutes later West Ham did just the same and this time their move came off as Andriy Yarmalenko, a former Everton transfer target, (of course), scored to make it 1-0.

West Ham cut through Everton to score this goal, it was just too easy for them to play through the Blues midfield and defence. Too many simple goals are being conceded because of lapses in concentration and organisation and it’s really costing the Toffees.

There doesn’t seem to be any improvement in this part of the Blues game from the dreadful days of early last season.

Now Everton needed to respond but they couldn’t. The Toffees’ football was full of attacking intent but too often lacking quality and incisiveness. And so it wasn’t the home side but West Ham who scored again to go in at halftime two goals up following another error from Pickford.

Toffees manager Marco Silva made several changes at the break, he had no choice really, and for a brief period Everton responded and upped the tempo and energy of their play.

Gylfi Sigurdsson, who otherwise had another indifferent match, scored but Everton couldn’t convert this spell of pressure into more goals. Cenk Tosun missed several good chances (as he did all game) and as they had threatened to do several times, West Ham broke on the counter attack to score a third as they again sliced through Everton with ease.

The Blues couldn’t respond and have now dropped a possible nine points since the start of the season. And all of those points have been lost in games that were certainly winnable.

Everton have an unenviable record for somehow managing to help struggling opponents turn their form around and they’ve done it again today.

So on reflection what are we to make of this game and result? After a defeat this comprehensive it’s difficult to find positives.

There was plenty of attacking intention from the team, although none of the Blues forwards really shone.

Walcott faded after a bright start, Calvert-Lewin also struggled to impose himself and Tosun had an awful game. Bernard did work hard when he came on and showed a few positive signs he might be worth the wait, but Richarlison’s return to the team can’t come soon enough.

In midfield Morgan Schneiderlin didn’t do very much and was withdrawn at halftime, while Gueye was busy and combative as usual. But Everton really do need some creative quality here.

Again another of the summer signings Blues fans have yet to see, Andre Gomes, will hopefully help in this respect whenever he’s finally fit!

But it’s in defence where the real problems lie. Just like last season Everton are guilty of too many unnecessary individual errors that always seem to lead to goals for the opposition. This is very frustrating and the team must cut these errors out.

Pickford is also having an increasingly erratic season and that is a worry on top of all the other defensive problems the club need to sort out.

It’s good to have a keeper with the confidence to play with the ball at his feet but he does sometimes take too many risks and the Toffees can ill afford this at the moment.

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Toffees’ fans are still waiting to see their most heralded summer signing, giant Colombian central defender Yerry Mina.

After all the hype around him his eventual appearance must improve the team’s defensive work.

But whoever plays there is a desperate need to find a solid and settled defence to move forward.

Overall then a dismal day for Evertonians. Next up is the Blues bogey team, Arsenal, not perhaps the ideal fixture to have next after such a bad loss.