There were times when it was hard to shake the impression that Everton just wanted to do David Moyes a favour. That woeful performance probably kept their former manager in the job. Another defeat could have spelled the end for Moyes at West Ham, but they were spared the need to make that decision after spending 90 minutes in the company of bottom side Everton and looking likely to stay there.
Chants of “sack the board” from the traveling support during the closing stages summed it all up. Frank Lampard may well lose his job, but the reality is that the overall blame for Everton’s malaise lies elsewhere. Just changing the manager will hardly be enough. Everton have spiraled under their current ownership, and while Lampard may pay for this defeat with his job, given Farhad Moshiri is attending a game for the first time since October 2021, it’s hard to know if anyone can to support this team. West Ham, who moved up from the bottom three thanks to a brace from Jarrod Bowen, could have gone all day without conceding.
Part of the fun was guessing whose supporters would be the fiercest by the end of the day. The atmosphere was uneasy at the start of the game, the goodwill soon fading after tributes were paid to the late David Gold, although it would take something to overcome the fury of the Everton support.
Rarely can a team fighting for survival defend itself with so little heart. The challenges were half-hearted, the marking was poor and West Ham didn’t have to do much to take a two-goal lead into the half-time tunnel. In truth, the hosts’ efforts were not particularly convincing. Everton dominated early on and West Ham’s inability to seize the initiative risked exasperating the home support.
The disappointment for Lampard was that Everton were good before falling behind. In short, it was tempting to wonder if unity was returning. Having stayed away from Goodison Park when Everton lost to Southampton last weekend, Moshiri, Bill Kenwright and their fellow directors were in the fancy seats here and would have witnessed a slightly encouraging opening performance.
Everton, who suited West Ham’s 3-4-2-1 system, were the better team for 25 minutes. Demarai Gray was dangerous on the left, Idrissa Gueye was pulling the strings in midfield and Alex Iwobi was trying to make things happen.
Frank Lampard watches Everton struggle against West Ham. Photo: Tony O’Brien/Reuters
Yet familiar failings would plague Everton. West Ham lacked belief, but at least they were rarely in danger. Openings for Dominic Calvert-Lewin were rare and from West Ham’s perspective it was just as well that Everton’s best chance fell to Yerry Mina.
That sums up the problem for Lampard. Everton are capable of playing decently but are fragile at both ends of the pitch and were hesitant after West Ham, responding to the crowd’s demands for more urgency, began to press higher.
Not long after, Said Benrama extended Jordan Pickford. West Ham made their physical chances count and they broke through when a cross from their left-back, Emerson Palmieri, exposed gaps in Everton’s defence.
Kurt Zouma, back from injury and impressing alongside Nayef Agerd and Angelo Ogbonna at the back, wanted him more than James Tarkowski and Conor Coady. It was too easy for Zouma to drop the ball and then the second mistake happened: Everton’s players stood still, Bowen raced in to direct a simple finish over Pickford.
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A brief VAR check for an offside was not going to spoil West Ham’s celebrations. Moyes finally relented. He waited for his attackers to wake up. West Ham have plenty of options in attack and always look that much more dangerous when Bowen, who hasn’t scored a league goal since October 9, is out.
Also influential was Mihail Antonio, who scored the second goal after heading past Tarkovski’s soft inbounds. Everton had broken down and with Mina and Amadou Onana simply watching events unfold, Bowen was free to turn in Antonio’s cross.
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Lampard made changes at half-time, bringing on Dwight McNeill and Tom Davies for Vitaly Mikolenko and Seamus Coleman, but to no avail. A brief flurry from Everton who saw Gueye approach has faded. West Ham played on the break, Emerson hitting the post and Declan Rice firing inches wide to give the crowd a late glimpse of their new signing, Danny Ings.
What Lampard would give to have a striker like Ings. He works with very little. The question now is whether Everton will decide to hand the job to someone else.
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