Match Summary

Tony Hibbert: sorely missed at right back last weekend

No Joseph Yobo, or Matteo Ferrari.  But Hibbert and Neville returned from suspension as expected, with Sander Westerveld getting a second game for Everton, and Iain Turner back on the bench.

Everton started in lively fashion with McFadden having a pop and Valente heading over from the ensuing corner.  But it was West Ham who took the lead with a strong shot from Marlon Harewood beating Westerveld.

It was a massive blow but heads for once did not drop.  Everton regained their composure and got back to plugging away.  Neville was booked for dissent.

Some great football form Arteta saw Osman set up right in front of the goal and Leon Osman smashed it past Hislop.  But then another good shot out of nothing from West Ham saw Dean Ashton finish strongly after getting past David Weir:  2-1! Shows just what strikers can do when they get the ball near goal...

And this time it was West Ham who took the bit between their teeth and really came at Everton, who were stunned to have given away two goals in little more than 20 mins.  Hibbert was booked for a late lunge on Etherington.

West Ham were very dangerous on the break, moving forward with pace, out numbering Everton on one occasion after a good play from the Blues, and exposing some vulnerability of their aging defenders.

A Beattie flick-on gave McFadden a chance that had to be cleared off the line.  The next attack saw Beattie attempt to curl the ball past Hislop but it flew just wide.

Everton had a lot of possession and got most of the credit for a stirring first half with a lot of promising attacks on goal but the scoreline at half-time remained in favour of the Hammers, thanks to some pace and opportunism in attack.

After more good play from Everton at the start of the second half, there was another scare for Everton as Westerveld was slow off his line and lucky that Harewood fired wide.  But Everton were playing much the best football as they attempted  the almost impossible task of scoring a second goal.

A bit of handbags after Arteta and Ferdinand clashed, both getting booked.  But that was followed by a lovely ball by Valente, in to James Beattie, who lobbed it beautifully over Hislop to equalize again.  Beattie scores away from home for the first time this season — and in front of Sven Goran-Eriksson!  It was everything Everton deserved after playing some great stuff in the second half.

Alan Pardew's response was to bring on Zamora for the ineffective Benayoun.  Moyes, notably, had no strikers among his five subs, but there was really no need for a tactical change, with Everton looking fresh and lively as they kept banging on the Hammers' door.  Osman was scythed down by Scaloni, who earned himself a card. 

Moyes decided to make a change, though, in response to West Ham's changes, and it was an utterly bizarre one from Moyes: The useless Simon Davies for James McFadden, who at least poses some form of goal threat. 

Arteta had a fantastic run, completely roasting Scaloni and rolling the ball in but it went between three Everton players, none of whom could convert a glorious winning chance.

Another fantastic move with Arteta again beating Scaloni and centering, Ferdinand somehow denying Davies a glorious opportunity.  A slew of corners followed for Everton, but Moyes's response in injury time was to substitute MotM Arteta for Kilbane!!!  West Ham galloped up the other end and very nearly scored a winner.

Then it was Everton's turn, and it was Kilbane who galloped off, firing in a fierce cross-cum-shot that Beattie could not quite reach at far post, touching it into the side netting.  NO GOAL!  But a scintillating end to a great game.  Who said Everton are boring???

Despite the fantastic performance by Everton who really dominated the game, it was again one of those that we really should have won... and didn't.  Good goals scored but many opportunities missed that better strikers would have converted.

Michael Kenrick

Match Preview

With the momentum that had been building ever since New Year's Eve now gone thanks to last weekend's defeat at Newcastle, Everton are on the road again this weekend with a tricky-looking trip to Upton Park.

For much of their life in the top flight since Sky invented football, West Ham were the team that Everton loved to beat.  Since their most recent return to the Premiership, however, the Hammers have been no pushover, as evidenced by the reverse fixture at Goodison earlier this season when they came from behind to win 2-1.

It's hard to know how big a factor suspensions played in the disappointing performance at St James Park but David Moyes will no doubt be buoyed by the availability of Phil Neville, Tony Hibbert and Iain Turner, all of whom served one-match bans last weekend.  The former two will probably walk back into the starting line-up, but the manager is likely to favour Sander Westerveld's experience over Turner.

Elsewhere in the squad, Richard Wright, James Vaughan and Andy van der Meyde are all back in training but none are expected to play any part in this weekend's game.  Tim Cahill was forced to withdraw from the action against Newcastle with an ankle injury but he is expected to be fit. Simon Davies, however, returned from international duty with a slight knock picked up in Wales' friendly with Paraguay.

Last weekend could have turned out very differently with a bit more luck from three key first-half set-pieces, but the fact remains that Everton were poor in the final third, as they have been for much of the campaign.  The lack of striking options severely restricts the team's ability to create things on the ground and it also means that the ball comes back through the midfield all too quickly and all too often.

Against West Ham, who like to get forward and attack with the ball on or close to the deck, the defence is going to have to be a lot more alert than it was against Newcastle.  Again, a creditable draw against the team currently in 8th and five points better off, should be the goal.

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Stats

This will be the 113th meeting between Everton and West Ham United in all competitions and the 22nd Premier League meeting between the teams.  This will also be the 57th meeting at West Ham and the 11th meeting in the Premier League there.

Everton's full record against West Ham United is:

Everton’s record away to West Ham is:

The last meeting between the clubs was earlier this season when West Ham came away from Goodison Park with all 3 points following their 2-1 victory.  The last meeting between the clubs at West Ham was on 27 October 2002, when Lee Carsley scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory.

The most common Everton victory over West Ham is 1-0, which has happened 13 times in Everton’s 55 victories.  West Ham’s most common victory is 2-1, which has happened 12 times in their 35 victories.  The most common draw between the sides is 1-1, which has happened 9 times in the 22 draws between the sides.

There have been 3 hat-tricks against West Ham.  Bill Dean was the first in a 6-1 home victory on 16 April 1932.  The next hat-trick was just over 67 years later as Kevin Campbell scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 home victory on 8 May 1999, then the following season on 26 February, Nick Barmby scored three in Everton’s 4-0 victory at Upton Park – which helped Barmby gain a place in the England squad for Euro 2000, which eventually paved his way to his move to Liverpool.

Everton's record for 4 March is:

This is the first time the clubs have met on this day.  Everton’s last match on this day was in 2000, when David Weir helped secure a 1-1 draw at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

Garry Stanley was born on this day in 1954 in Burton-on-Trent.  Signed from Chelsea in 1979, Garry made 63 appearances and scored 1 goal in his two seasons at the club before his transfer to Swansea City.  However, Garry’s name will go down in history as the first Everton player to be sent off in a Merseyside Derby, after he and Terry McDermott were given their marching orders for fighting in a 21-man brawl!

Ted Hughes was in the Welsh team that lost 1-0 to Ireland in the Home International Championship on this day in 1899.

Alex ‘Sandy’ Young was in the Scottish team that played Wales on this day in 1907, with the Welsh winning 1-0.

Bobby Irvine was in the Northern Irish team that lost 2-1 to Scotland on this day in 1922.

Jimmy Husband and Joe Royle played for England u23 against their Scottish counterparts on this day in 1970, with England winning 3-1.  Royle came on as a substitute.

Billy Wright won an England u21 cap on this day in 1980 in a 0-0 draw with Scotland u21.

Milestones that can be reached this game:

·          If he starts, Nigel Martyn will be making his 100th start for Everton in all competitions.

·          If either team scores a goal, then Everton will extend the current club record for the most consecutive matches without a goalless draw in the Premier League to 48 matches.  The current record of 47 matches is the longest current run without a goalless draw by any team in the Premier League.

Steve Flanagan

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