West Ham United 0 – 0 Everton
Everton travel to the London Stadium this weekend to face fellow strugglers West Ham, with Jarrad Branthwaite finally selected to make only his second start his season with Michael Keane making way.
Abdoulaye Doucouré also returns alongside Gana and Mangala in a rare 3-man midfield but Seamus Coleman has suffered a relapse with a minor hamstring strain that keeps him out of today’s clash.
Dwight McNeil has not recovered from his injury sustained last week. Armando Broja is getting closer, while Youssef Chermiti has some distance still to go. James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam remain on the injury list.
There was talk of youngsters being called up and the new name on the bench alongside Harrison Armstrong is that of Callum Bates, a solid performer for the U18s and more recently the U21s.
The Hammers kicked things off with a Pickford style hoof upfield from Fabianski, Antonio taking an early tumble. Doucoure was too slow to chase a flick-on at the other end. Everton then shaped a decent break but Gana’s shot deflected behind off Mangala.
A pattern of scrappy transitions followed until Bowen forced a corner off Branthwaite. But Everton broke at pace, 4 in Blue surging over the half-way line in support of Calvert-Lewin but Doucocure again wanting too much time, his shot blocked at source.
Branthwaite drove forward and Mykolenko cut inside, firing low for Fabianski to save. Everton looked lively with pressure around the West Ham area, Young fouled wide right for Lindstrøm to deliver in hard at head height but West Ham cleared it.
Everton tried to play it out from the back but it was messy, Young giving up a throw-in. West Ham finally broke another sequence of transitions – Antonio feeding Bowen who had strayed offside.
Ndiaye did well to advance and feed a ball toward Calvert-Lewin that he could not pick up, and West Ham surged back up the other way, the game fairly even. Bowen got a free-kick when Ndiaye bundled into him but it was nicely delivered into Pickford’s hands.
Young put in a second decent cross but it was cleared, another headed weakly wide by Ndiaye as Everton lacked the guile to get close enough to really threaten. Calvert-Lewin almost dispossessed Fabianski well outside his area.
A 50-yard pass from Tarkowski found Mykolenko advancing down the right but his cross found a defender instead of Calvert-Lewin, the corner easily cleared. But another brief period of Everton pressure in the final third again produced little to nothing.
At the other end, Branthwaite read the danger from Paqueta and Bowen, intercepting vitally before anything came of it, and both sides continued to neutralize each other in a manner that made the game very flat.
Lindstrøm looked to cut in down the inside right channel but his woeful ball was well away from Calvert-Lewin, easy meat for Fabianski. Branthwaite’s deep cross to the far post for Calvert-Lewin was easily collected by the West Ham keeper.
Everton tried to play something approaching front-foot stuff but the final ball in to Calvert-Lewin saw his long-range header easily saved. Another Young cross was overhit and eventually cleared into something of a break by Antonio, another vital boot extended by Branthwaie to slow his progress, Bowen’s final shot parried brilliantly at the near post by Pickford.
The resulting corner into a crowded 6-yard box was headed goalward by Paqueta but cleared. Then Bowen anticipated an awful midfield pass by Tarkowski, with Pickford having to come out wide to stop Antonio’s approach at the expense of a defended corner that ended a largely very flat half of poor quality lower Premier League anti-football.
Doucoure kicked off the second half, Calvert-Lewin getting brought down by Emerson… big chance for Lindstrom: decent enough ball but headed behind for an early Everton corner, and shouts for a penalty but it actually hit Kilman on the knee.
At the other end, Branthwaite was totally bamboozled by Bowen, his shot then deflected for a West Ham corner that was eventually cleared. A decent Everton move down the left ensued but with Calvert-Lewin crossing to Lindstrom and a weak header wide the almost predictable result.
Better Everton play saw Young cross to Calvert-Lewin at the far post but he was the wrong side of the defender who headed behind. Young needed treatment after an earlier elbow in the neck from Soucek.
A bullet from Rodríguez through the crowd was well tracked and parried away by a diving Pickford. At the other end, Ndiaye danced in and Mykolenko belted the ricochet wide, but deflected for the corner that was wasted. Some great work from Ndiaye and especially Mangala who dug out a cross that was too high for Calvert-Lewin.
More positive play saw Calvert-Lewin doing the hold-up thing rather than shooting, Mangala then shooting wide. Some neat passing play won an Everton corner but played out and round to little effect, Gana’s shot blocked, followed by fresh legs for West Ham in a triple change.
West Ham came forward a bit more often as Everton flagged, but with little effect until Young punted it forward but Calvert-Lewin wasn’t interested. Summerville had come to life and he got through onto a fine ball from Paqueta but put his shot onto the far post with Pickford beaten. Beto on for Calvert-Lewin.
Gana got the first card for a foul to stop Sommerville getting through again. Everton finally got forward but Lindstr0m’s goalbound shot hit Beto and screwed well wide.
Coufal forced a corner that caused havoc, with Branhwaite heading behind. Bowen’s second attempt was good but headed clear. Young blocked Guilherme for only his second yellow card of the season., Harrison replacing Doucoure.
Branthwaite’s poor clearance was pounced on and it looked like a certain goal for Ings but Pickford got down well to parry it away. Mykolenko tried to play the perfect cross but it went instead straight to Fabianski in a rare Everton advance.
With 4 minutes added, both sides seemed to have accepted a point apiece. Yet Danny Ings was convinced he would score the winner at the death as his shot deflected wickedly off Tarkowski, ricocheting up off the grass. But the reaction save from Pickford was nothing short of incredible to ensure a precious point from another deeply disappointing Everton display.
West Ham Utd: Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka (67′ Coufal [Y:88′]), Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Soucek, Rodríguez (67′ Soler), Paquetá; Bowen, Antonio (67′ Ings), Summerville (83′ Guilherme).
Subs not Used: Foderingham, Cresswell, Mavropanos, Irving, Scarles.
Everton: Pickford, Young [Y:85′], Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gana [Y:76′], Mangala, Doucoure (86′ Harrison), Lindstrøm, Ndiaye, Calvert-Lewin (75′ Beto).
Subs not Used: Virginia, Begovic, Patterson, Keane, O’Brien, Armstrong, Bates.
Referee: Stewart Atwell
VAR: Darren England