West Ham United 2 – 1 Everton
Everton took the lead in the second match in the Premier League Summer Series when they surprised familiar foes in West Ham Utd at Soldier Field, but gave up two goals in defensive blunders.
The match kicked off on Wednesday night, 30 July at 11:30 pm BST (5:30 pm CDT).
New signing Adam Aznou has joined the US tour already after completing the deal yesterday, but he does not feature tonight. Everton wore their new away kit when they faced David Moyes’s old side.
Serious lack of depth in the Everton squad has seen Moyes make only limited use of replacements from the substitutes bench. Jarrad Branthwaite misses the entire tour due to an injury, while James Tarkowski and Michael Keane return to the squad after being deemed not fit enough to play against Burnemouh. Nathan Patterson and Vitalii Mykolenko were pressed to form a defensive trio with Jake O’Brien.
Michael Keane started the game after his absence at the weekend, partnering Jake O’Brien in a more recognisable back four. Jordan Pickford, James Garner and Carlos Alcaraz drop out after the last game, with Harrison Armstrong given a starting role .
West Ham kicked off and Paqueta floored McNeil before Keane’s backpass played in Marshall, forcing a save from Travers to save his embarrassment. McNeil pounced on a loose ball but drove it hard past Beto and out of play.
Everton had some decent possession until the ball was scooped up to Beto who was well offside. Nice combination play between Ndiaye and McNeil looked to get the ball in to Gana.
At the other end, Keane fouled Marshall and saw a ridiculous early yellow for a flailing elbow. Ward-Prowse drove the free-kick inches wide of the post.
Patterson caught Diouf with a clumsy foul by the corner flag but wasn’t booked. Nothing came of Ward-Prowse’s free-kick and ensuing corner.
On 17 minutes, Armstrong spotted a loose pass and drove forward confidently from centre-circle to penalty area, laying it off to Idrissa Gana Gueye whose low shot could not be saved, giving Everton the lead.
Everton looked to attack again but Kilman was too strong for Patterson. Gueye looked to play in Patterson with a good ball down the wing but Patterson was again far too easily brushed aside by Kilman.
Irving produced a wicked low snapshot that Travers got down to brilliantly to push it away as Gana stayed down injured after clashing with Potts.
West Ham were getting more chances, a good set-up by Paqueta for Ward-Prowse was goal-bound but blocked away. Mykolenko won Everton’s first corner after the half-hour, Ndiaye short to McNeil, a deep Patterson cross headed wide by Mykolenko.
Ndiaye picked up a loose pass and drove forward all the way to the West Ham area, powering his shot into the covering defender.
A lobbed ball into the Everton area saw Travers out to punch but Mykolenko put him off and he didn’t connect properly. the ball dropped behind him for Paqueta to put it in the Everton net. Not a good look.
McNeil fouled Potts on the edge of the Everton area, Paqueta slicing the free-kick off a defender as they played out 5 minutes of added time which saw Beto head over a hasty headed cross from O’Brien.
David Moyes made an unprecedented three changes at the break, with countless changes for The Hammers. McNeil overhit a forward pass to Barry. Keane seemed to make the Everton defence look tentative, O’Brien heading a backpass initially beyond Travers.
Alcaraz tried a nice one-two with Barry but lofted his shot way over the bar. A poor touch by Armstrong gifted the ball to Bowen. Everton’s possession was laboured and largely unadventurous. Garner tried to whip in a ball for Barry but it was too far ahead of him.
A McNeil free-kick wide left was punched out to Alcaraz but his shot was sliced badly wide. Barry headed Bowen’s corner clear like he was Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
A mix-up in the middle saw Paquta benefit and Fullkrug under minimal pressure drove a low shot into the corner beyond Travers, who dived in vain to his left, and West Ham took the lead.
Play became very scrappy before the cooling break, when Tarkowski replaced Gana Gueye.
Barry and Chermiti looked to combine through the middle but Paqueta stole it from the big new signing. McNeil’s decent across to the far post was headed clear. A cross in from Mykolenko seemed to be contested between Alcaraz and Barry, neither getting on the ball.
A West Ham free-kick saw Wan-Bissaka smash it into the side netting with Travers looking panicked.
A corner from Garner seemed to fall at Keane’s feet a few yards out but he could not get his foot through it. As Everton pushed for a late equalizer, Jake O’Brien powered a brilliant low cross in from the right that Barry should have burst the net with but he hadn’t anticipated the pace of the ball.
At the death, Orford came on for Paqueta and almost made it 3 for The Hammers, Travers denying him with a decent save to parry the ball away. From a late Everton corner, Heath got the ball in well but Barry was man-marked.
Garner caught Guilherme from behind very late, nowhere near the ball: yellow card. And that ended another lacklustre training and fitness exercise for the depleted Blues.
West Ham Utd: Foderingham, Walker-Peters (46′ Wan-Bissaka), Casey (46′ Fullkrug), Kilman (46′ Aguerd), Mavropanos (85′ Scarles), Diouf (46′ Guilherme), Potts (46′ Todibo), Ward-Prowse (46′ Rodriguez), Irving (61′ Soucek), Paquesta (90′ Orford), Marshall (46′ Bowen).
Subs not Used: Areola, Cornet, Kante, Golambeckis, Fearon.
Everton: Travers, Patterson (46′ Alcaraz), O’Brien, Keane [Y:12′], Mykolenko, Gana (69′ Tarkowski), Iroegbunam [Y:44′] (46′ Garner [Y:90+4′]), Armstrong, Ndiaye (70′ Chermiti), McNeil (80′ Heath), Beto (46′ Barry).
Subs not Used: Pickford, Tyrer, Thomas, Onyango, Clarke.