West Ham 0-0 Everton: Match Recap & Instant Reaction | Pickford saves the point, attacking woes continue

Everton headed to London to visit struggling West Ham United. On the back of the disappointing loss to Southampton, Evertonians have been vocal in their frustration with how Dyche is setting up the side. In this final game before the international break the Blues needed to step up and get a result before a very difficult patch of games heading into Christmas.

Both Premier League meetings last season were won by the away team. Everton had only lost three of their eight visits to London Stadium, winning three and drawing two. Everton had picked up 8 points in the previous five matches whereas West Ham had picked up 7. With both teams coming off losses, there was the need to get on the pitch and sort out which team could bounce back.

The big news was the inclusion of Jarrad Branthwaite from the start with the Carlisle Kaiser taking the place of Michael Keane. Sean Dyche said that Abdoulaye Doucoure “has a chance” of making the trip to London Stadium and in the end he was back in the lineup at the expense of the injured Dwight McNeil. Iliman Ndiaye had overcome a knock and was in the lineup.

There were two changes for West Ham. Konstantinos Mavropanos dropped to the bench while Edson Alvarez missed out through suspension. Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio came in.

Stuart Attwell got the match underway with Everton in all blue. The teams struggled to get the ball under control in the early minutes and the first real chance fell to Gueye who had his shot deflected wide by Calvert Lewin. The early high press was present for the Blues.

A quick break from the Blues had Gueye laying the ball off to Doucoure but his shot was blocked by Summerville and Calvert Lewin could not get the rebound on goal. Everton were controlling the play and when Ndiaye cut inside his shot was easily handled by Fabianski.

Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images

Summerville drove forward into the heart of the Everton defense and was rebuffed with aplomb. West Ham started to get mover of the ball and a foul from Ndiaye gave the Hammers their first real opportunity. The free kick from Summerville was well controlled by Pickford.

West Ham hearts were in their mouths when a misplaced back pass saw Fabianski just get the ball clear with Calvert Lewin putting some serious pressure on the Pole. That was followed by another miskick by Fabianski which saw the ball heading across the face of his own goal.

Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images

A raking pass from Tarkowski to Mykolenko allowed the Ukraininan to cross the ball to Calvert Lewin but it was intercepted by Todibo. West Ham were hardly pressuring the Everton players and were able to build up their attack with few challenges.

West Ham finally crafted a chance when Antonio broke forward and passed the ball to Bowen who tried to blast the ball into the near post but Pickford’s strong hand pushed the ball past the post. It was then another break with Bowen setting up Antonio who was also denied by Pickford.

The first half ended with West Ham fans voicing their displeasure although the final five minutes were their best. Everton had controlled the play for long periods and created some half chances but it was the final pass that needed to improve in the second half.

Everton started the half on the front foot and an early free kick was given for a foul on Calvert Lewin. Lindstrom lined it up but Kilman was there to clear the ball over the net. The resulting corner saw Kilman handle the ball but VAR felt it was not a penalty.

Bowen was given the chance to shoot after Branthwaite got his feet tangled but the shot was deflected wide. Everton then had their first chance when Calvert Lewin crossed the ball which was met by Lindstrom but his header went wide.

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Some nice buildup from Everton was thwarted when Kilman denied a header by Calvert Lewin. Ashley Young was in the wars when he was clattered and Patterson was seen warming up in anticipation but Young continued.

Pickford was on top of his game when Rodriguez blasted a shot goalward but the England number one got down nicely to palm the ball away. Back down the other end, Ndiaye powered forward and when the cross went in Mykolenko was there and was denied a goal by the West Ham backline.

Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images

Seconds later Jesper Lindstrom had his header nicely saved by Fabianski after some good work by Mangala. Calvert Lewin was then holding up the ball well and it was then Mangala who shot narrowly wide. Everton were on top but could not get the ball over the line.

West Ham needed to change things and Lopetegui called upon Ings, Coufal and Soler to replace Antonio, Rodriguez and Wan Bisaka. Dyche needed to make some changes but they were not materializing.

The deadlock was almost broken when Paqueta passed the ball through the Everton backline and it was met by Summerville who shot for the far corner but it came back off the post and Branthwaite cleared the ball. Dyche finally made the switch but took off Calvert Lewin and brought on Beto.

Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images

Summerville was creating problems and it took a foul from Gueye to slow him down which also gave Gueye a yellow card. West Ham were starting to control the match and Everton were glad to see the back of Summerville who was replaced by Luis Guilherme. Young was given a yellow card for a professional foul on Guiherme to prevent a breakout. Lopetegui was also given a card for asking for the card.

Dyche brought off Doucoure and brought on Harrison. Seconds later Danny Ings forced a big save from Pickford as the Hammers were buzzing. The counter attack saw Coufal take down Ndiaye and Coufal was given a card. A nice cross from Mykolenko for Beto was cut out by Fabianski.

Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images

Four minutes of added time was announced and Pickford produced a world class save when a shot from Ings deflected and somehow Pickford reacted and palmed the ball over the net. It was the last action of the match and saved the clean sheet. The final whistle ended the match and Everton had picked up a point on the road.

We now head to the international break with 10 points and a four point gap to the relegation places. Not a bad result but another chance that was squandered.

Everton MOTM – Jordan Pickford – It has to be said that his saves from Summerville, Ings, and Rodriguez were all top quality and no one can deny that he saved the day. The final save which prevented West Ham from grabbing a late victory has to be considered in the saves of the season so far.

Last week Southampton were completely devoid of any attacking impetus but ended up scoring with their only real chance. This was the second game in a row where Everton had the majority of the chances. In the first half, West Ham had only two attempts on goal and only five touches in the Everton box. The home side improved in the second half but Everton could not make any real chances to turn the tide. It was almost another late loss for the Blues but Jordan Pickford made the big stop to save the point.

The return of Jarrad Branthwaite was long overdue and his presence at the back seemed to keep things calm. Solid in the air with three clearances, one block and six of eight duels won highlighted his defensive work. At the other end of the pitch it was nice to see him striding forward with the ball at his feet. No team can have their best player on the bench and thankfully that period is over for us.

Today, Calvert Lewin played very well and held up the play on a number of occasions but he just cannot get a goal. Beto was brought on to replace him at the 75 minute mark and the Portuguese forward never really got into the match. Our strikers are too isolated and don’t have anyone around them when they get the ball. Dyche continues to hope that the same strategy will result in goals and it is not happening. Doucoure had a poor game today and could not provide the support. Would Ndiaye give us a better attacking option playing in the middle? I think so.

The impending takeover and the delay in completion is creating a situation for the team that is impeding the ability to move forward in any meaningful way. The most critical decision that will be made when the takeover is complete is the potential end of Sean Dyche’s role at the club. The improved results in the past month and then the debacle at St. Mary’s have been seen as a false dawn by many. A false dawn that can no longer be sugar coated. After the West Ham match, five of our next seven fixtures are against teams who qualified for Europe. Without the impending takeover, questions would have been asked, a positive comment of support from the board would have been released and the deathwatch would have commenced. However, the uncertainty of who is running the club is preventing any meaningful direction. Please sign the documents and let’s move forward.