West Ham secured all three points against Everton
After Manchester United and Brighton dropped points on Saturday, Everton were served a golden opportunity on the plate to go in top four by dismantling West Ham United but they missed the chance as Angelo Ogbonna;s goal sealed all three points for the visitiors. This was one of the biggest tests for Everton as West Ham are in direct competition with the Toffees for a top six spot and these were the games where the Toffees dropped points.
West Ham United were far sharper and domineering side in the opening phase of the game with the Hammers winning the balls and hovering around Everton goal area but missing the needed penetration. However, the first big chance came for the Toffees where Demarai Gray got past Angelo Ogbonna and delivered a low cross but Alex Iwobi couldn’t make a connection as he swung his foot and missed.
Everton did grow in the game and posed some threat but it was West Ham who were in control of the proceedings in the first half. The dynamic duo of Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice were creating problems in the midfield and the Everton front duo of Salomon Rondon and Demarai Gray were letting them set the tempo.
In the second half, Everton did start on the front foot, trying to get forward and build direct attacks with quick passing which saw Iwobi turn 360 and take a shot that was blocked by Angelo Ogbonna. Soon, West Ham took control and it looked like a repeat of the first half. Eventually, the visiting side went ahead through Ogbonna and after being a goal down, the Toffees couldn’t extract the best out of them and score an equalizer.
Without Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin, Everton misses the sting and urgency in their attack. The Merseysiders registered their first home loss of the season and slipped down to eighth in the table.
Here are the Everton player ratings vs West Ham:
Jordan Pickford – 6.5
Jordan Pickford was clearly the busy keeper in the first half, having to negotiate several dangerous aerial crosses and half attempts. Pickford was forced to make a massive save from a Jarrod Bowen shot. Tomas Soucek hit home the rebound but the goal was ruled out because of the Czech international being offside. The Englishman made a total of four saves but could have done nothing to save Angelo Ogbonna’s header.