15 March 2025
Everton 1 West Ham 1
David Moyes has transformed Everton’s fortunes since returning to Goodison Park and boy did they need it. Their recent run had even seen the Scot awarded the manager of the month accolade in the process. Despite this, The Toffees still sit only two places above the bottom three but have a very solid seventeen point gap which all but guarantees them safety.
West Ham were the visitors to Merseyside, the club where Moyes had taken them to Europa Conference League glory not so long ago. While he no doubt still has a bit of a soft spot for The Hammers, he was focussed solely on making their day miserable on this occasion. However, the visitors would love to get one over their old boss.
At their most recent game in the capital, Michail Antonio was paraded in front of the fans like a show pony for modern science and the NHS. While The Hammers’ fans were pleased to see their striker on the road to recovery you just hoped they had arranged for a club car and that he was not driving home from the London Stadium.
The visitors started on the front foot and forced an early corner. A superb delivery from Ward-Prowse found Bowen and his header was brilliantly saved by Pickford. While FPL managers were cursing their luck up and down the country, the replay showed that it took a big deflection off O’Brien and would not have been awarded to the West Ham playmaker anyway.
As The Toffees came forward for the first time in the game, their harassing of The Hammers’ players saw them steal possession. Beto laid it off out wide to Harrison who clipped a lofted cross into the middle. Doucoure met it with a dreadful header into the ground, providing Areola with a simple save. For somebody who is six foot tall, the Everton midfielder is about as useful as a lead weight in the air.
Kilman then appeared in space deep in the Everton half. His pass found Bowen just outside the box in plenty of space. He had time to control it and wait for it to drop perfectly for him to volley. His effort was struck well but too close to Pickford who managed to palm it over the crossbar. Had the West Ham attacker managed to find either side of the goal, the keeper would have been in trouble.
It was quite an even half, mainly full of half chances. O’Brien tried his luck from distance but Areola was able to beat it away. As the visitors failed to clear their lines, Beto tried to turn in the box and get a shot away. He ended up in a heap on the floor, looking expectantly at the referee. He duly obliged as he pointed to the penalty spot.
VAR reviewed the incident and sent the referee to the monitor. As the replay showed, The Hammers’ defender had done nothing wrong and Beto actually kicked the floor. The way he reacted after that was more than deserving of a yellow card but the officials in the Premier League seem to uphold the laws of the game as and when they see fit. Either way, he then reversed his decision.
West Ham started to pin The Toffees into their own half after the interval. Bowen was looking dangerous and teased the defenders, before playing a pass into Soucek in the box. He held it up well before creating a shooting angle to bend it into the far corner. Using the defender to obscure Pickford’s vision, there was no danger he was getting anywhere near it with those arms.
Goodison Park fell silent as the ball nestled in the back of the net. Bowen was looking threatening again as he fired a shot off at goal but Pickford blocked it. Ward-Prowse tried to convert the loose ball, but once again the Everton keeper came to their rescue. Cue the usual reaction from him as he threw his arms around berating all of his defenders.
Graham Potter’s side were minutes away from grabbing an impressive win on the road. The Toffees started to throw everyone forward in search of an equaliser. Chermiti got a shot away from a wide angle but Areola did well to block and get it clear. Everton recycled it well as Alcaraz clipped a ball over the West Ham defence towards Gueye.
His first-time volleyed cross was headed home by O’Brien to give David Moyes’ side a last-gasp equaliser deep into added time. Goodison Park erupted into a cauldron of noise as they grabbed a draw from the jaws of defeat. The Hammers will be disappointed to buckle so close to the final whistle but were to head back to the capital with only a point to show for their exploits.
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