Match Report

Everton lost at home for the first time under Rafael Benitez as a second-half header by Angelo Ogbonna edged an engaging contest for West Ham.

A match that always promised to be keenly fought and tightly contested proved to be just that and the Blues will rue the absence of two key missing players in the form of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the fact that they were unable to claim at least a point.

In their stead, Alex Iwobi squandered Everton's best chance in the first half and Salomon Rondon glanced another opportunity just wide in the second before the hosts' vulnerabilities at set-pieces proved decisive 16 minutes from time as David Moyes's Hammers scored off a controversial corner.

West Ham were billed as the toughest side that the Toffees have faced this season so far at Goodison Park where they had a 100% record before today and that was underlined by the visitors' strong start to the game.

The Londoners controlled possession for much of the first half but had little to show for it until Tomas Soucek put the ball in the net following a save by Jordan Pickford 10 minutes before half-time only to have his goal ruled out for offside.

In between, Everton had been trying to make the most of their increasing opportunities and had a couple of half chances before Iwobi was handed a gilt-edged chance to open the scoring in the 28th minute.

Terrific work by Demarai Gray that saw him shimmy past his man down the right flank and centre behind the last line of defenders meant that Iwobi only had to connect with the ball and he would surely have scored. Instead, however, the Nigeria international missed his kick completely and the chance went begging.

Iwobi almost redeemed himself with an assist a few minutes later but Lukas Fabianski got a crucial hand to his cross from the left while Abdoulaye Doucouré's header from Andros Townsend's cross dropped just wide of the far post a minute later.

At the other end, Everton's back line had to block successive efforts from Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma following a corner and were fortunate that Pablo Fornals curled wide when left all alone to size up a shot from the edge of the box as the Blues failed to get the ball clear.

With Everton coming out of the half-time interval in much more purposeful mood, the second period was a much more even affair in terms of possession and it was the home team who carved out the better openings.

Gray's hammered ball across the face of Fabianski's goal wasn't sufficiently anticipated by Rondon while Iwobi turned smartly on Lucas Digne's low cross but saw his accurate shot blocked behind.

Two minutes later, Townsend curled a delivery in from the opposite flank but Rondon's flicked header needed just a bit more purchase than he managed in order to steer it inside the far post.

In the 73rd minute, the same combination ended with Fabianski catching Rondon's header as the Venezuelan striker's search for his first goal back in the Premier League continued.

A minute later, after referee Stuart Atwell awarded West Ham a corner despite an apparent foul by Michail Antonio on Pickford and doubts over which player got the last touch, the visitors grabbed the winner.

Half of the goals Everton had conceded already had come from set-pieces while Moyes's Hammers are renowned for their prowess at dead-ball situations so it was, perhaps, not surprising that that was how they won the match.

Bowen whipped his corner in from the West Ham right and Ogbonna rose above Ben Godfrey to bury a header into the net before Pickford had had time to react.

Everton tried to rally with the fans urging them on from the stands but the shape of the game no longer suited their most effective playing style. With the Hammers digging in and denying them space, routes to goal were routinely blocked.

Rondon won a corner but Godfrey couldn't keep his volley down and it flew over in the 81st minute and the young defender would have the last chance, also from a corner from the right, but this time it was his header that was too high to trouble the opposition keeper.

In between, it was a crucial intervention by former Everton defender Kurt Zouma that denied his old club a point. The ball fell to Gray in a central position in front of goal but his goal-bound shot deflected off Zouma and behind.

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Updates

Everton welcome back David Moyes and his well-performing West Ham United team to Goodison Park for this afternoon's televised Premier League clash. Everton are still without some key players as their Premier League campaign resumes after the latest international break.

Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin remain sidelined for the time being. Calvert-Lewin is recovering from a broken toe and a thigh problem while Richarlison was injured by a needlessly forceful tackle by James Tarkowski in the win over Burnley last month.

Andre Gomes and Fabian Delph are still undergoing treatment for their respective injuries and won't be available this weekend but Seamus Coleman returns and Lucas Digne's hamstring issue don't keep him out even though he was forced to leave the France camp prematurely.

Coleman has been bothered by a hamstring problem this season but he has been declared fit, as has Alex Iwobi who missed the draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United last time out with a minor complaint and comes in in place of Antony Gordon.

And Yerry Mina is self-isolating on the bench after returning from international duty with Colombia later than his team-mates due to the scheduling of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

For West Ham, former Everton player Nikola Vlasic returns to Goodison Park on the bench, while Kurt Zouma is in the starting line-up.

The first 10 minutes were horribly one-sided, all West Ham. with the incompetence of Iwobi and Rondon demonstrated by unforced erroneous passes straight to a West Ham player or straight out of play, respectively. Kurt Zouma all over Rondon. But patience is required when watching Benitez's Everton and the discomforting philosophy of conceding possession, defending solidly, and looking for that elusive breakaway counter-attack.

It was 16 minutes before Everton advanced into the West Ham penalty area and Townsend crossed but Iwobi at the back post had no chance of controlling the ball. A Digne cross came back out to Doucouré who tried a little range-finding with an effort from distance that curled away from goal.

West Ham advanced at will again, Fornals shooting but a fortuitous block prevented the ball going too far toward the unguarded far corner of Pickford's goal. Everton mounted their second attack, which featured Iwobi firing directly at close range on any claret & blue defender within his field of vision.

For all their effort and industry, West Ham had so far been restricted to long-range shots and crosses, none of them troubling Pickford in the Everton goal. At the other end, superb work by Damari Gray say him set up Iwobi whose atrocious airshot at the perfect cross will go down in the annals of all-time footballing incompetence. What a glorious chance, totally squandered. Okay, maybe Rondon should not have waved his boot at it, putting the African genius off momentarily.

Fornals was booked for bringing down Townsend. Iwobi put in a teasing cross that Fabianski pushed into the crowd but no-one could profit from it. At least Everton were now carrying the ball with meaning into the West Ham area, Doucouré heading wide after he failed to get a clean contact on Townsend's excellent cross.

Everton's defense were finally penetrated but Bowen had very fortunately strayed a few inches offside. Surely a warning, if one were needed...

West Ham almost scored from a corner, two tremendous blocks keeping the ball away from the goal, followed by Fornals with all the time allowed curling his shot well wide of Pickford's goal.

A corner from Gray was curled straight to Fabianski and West Ham broke at pace but Antonio launched his own Jupiter probe high over Pickford's goal. Townsend as fouled, winning a nice set-piece for Towe]nsed to curl in brilliantly but Rondon hadn't got the memo and was in another parish.

But Everton were getting closer, a chance going begging in exchange for another corner, this was set for Zouma to clear unchallenged. And that was it for the first half.

Everton had barely begun the second half when Gray played in another brilliant cross, with Rondon lurking 10 feet from where he should have been, and thus criminally unable to take advantage.

Good build-up play again set up Iwobi but he drove his shot at Ogbonna. A better Everton move saw Townsend play in the perfect angled cross and Rondon managed to glance it wide when it seemed easier to score!

A West Ham corner, and Pickford did well to tip it on and out. From the next, Benrama's shot was easy meat for Pickford. At the other end, Coleman did well to cut in but then got reedy a wellied it toward the loft of St Luke's.

West Ham were quickly back on corner duty, but Everton cleared and broke through Dpoucouré. But Townsend's cross maddeningly did not find Gray who was perfectly positioned.

Rondon did well to win a corner that came out invitingly and three Everton players converged on it in comical fashion. Finally Iwobi drove his cross-shot to nowhere through no-man's land.

Benrahma crossed well and Soucek was intent but Godfrey was in his way. At the other end, Townsend tried to be too clever with a lofted chip that would have been brilliant if there had been an Everton player on the receiving end.

Benrahma powered through and fed Antonio for a shot that Keane did brilliantly to deflect behind. Everton were getting more and more ragged but Benitez resisted the need for change as the game entered a critical stage with 20 minutes remaining.

A cross fired in by West Ham was blocked up in the air by Godfrey and Antonio forced a corner with Pickford screaming that it was a goal-kick. (It wasn't.) From the corner, a classic delivery, glanced home by Ogbonna jumping in front of Godfrey. It had been coming, sure as eggs is eggs, and Benitez had done nothing to prevent it.

Soucek's face got clipped by Rondon's boot as they touselled for the ball. Finally, Benetiz decided something should change (a bit late, surely) Antony Gordon taking an age to come on, thankfully replacing the useless Iwobi.

Gray tried to bulldoze his way through. Then Rondon won a corner, Gay's delivery met with conviction buy Godfrey but powered over the West Ham goal. Everton looked stretched as Digne conceded another corner for West Ham, another superb delivery that Keane cleared. Then a pinball lottery in the Everton area ensued that finally went behind for another West Ham corner that was cleared out to Rice who volleyed high and wide.

Pickford had to pull off a fantastic save from Bowen as West Ham continued to dictate the play with Everton now unable to counter to any effect. But Gray did get in a great shot for an equalizer that Zouma blocked.

Rondon won a late corner that Pickford came up for, Godfrey piling in unsuccessfully, and Moyes's Hammers walked away with all 3 points.

Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Godfrey, Digne, Allan, Doucouré, Iwobi (79' Gordon), Townsend, Gray, Rondon.
Subs not Used: Begovic, Tyrer, Kenny, Mina, Holgate, Davies, Gbamin, Dobbin.

West Ham United: Fabianski, Johnson, Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Soucek (79' Dawson), Rice, Bowen (90+3' Yarmolenko), Benrahma (87' Lanzini), Fornals [Y:31'], Antonio [Y:10'].
Subs not Used: Vlasic, Areola, Diop, Masuaku, Ashby, Baptiste.

Referee: Stuart Attwell

Michael Kenrick

Match Preview

Everton will still be without some key players when their Premier League campaign resumes despite the recuperation time over the latest international break.

It had been hoped that the strike pairing of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin would be reunited when the Blues take on West Ham on Sunday but Rafael Benitez indicated in his pre-match press conference that both players will remain sidelined for the time being.

Calvert-Lewin is recovering from a broken toe and a thigh problem while Richarlison was injured by a needlessly forceful tackle by James Tarkowski in the win over Burnley last month.

Andre Gomes and Fabian Delph are still undergoing treatment for their respective injuries and won't be available this weekend either but Seamus Coleman is in line to return and it appears as though Lucas Digne's hamstring issue won't keep him out even though he was forced to leave the France camp prematurely.

Coleman has been bothered by a hamstring problem this season but he has been declared fit, as has Alex Iwobi who missed the draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United last time out with a minor complaint.

And Benitez is hopeful that Yerry Mina can play despite returning from international duty with Colombia later than his team-mates due to the scheduling of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

“Yerry is coming back, he's been playing a lot of games, a lot of minutes, but now I think he is travelling so hopefully he will be here for starting the game," the manager said.

“Everything is positive in terms of the feedback but we'll have to wait and see how he feels."

In West Ham, Everton will face very tricky opponents as they found out on New Year's Day when David Moyes returned to Goodison Park and plundered a 1-0 win from what was, at the time, a Carlo Ancelotti outfit that was struggling badly at home.

The current Blues side is much more competent on home turf having won all three of their games at the Old Lady so far this season but the absence of their main strike force will make this eminently more difficult than was the case against either Southampton or Burnley.

Benitez's men had enough to see off a Norwich team that looks wholly unprepared for life back in the top flight but, against Moyes's robust and dangerous Hammers, they will need to draw much more from the well if they are to pick up the victory.

West Ham are solid at the back and, with the likes of Tomas Soucek offering goal threat from defensive midfield, Declan Rice now fulfilling his potential alongside him, and Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen providing ammunition from the flanks to the prolific Michail Antonio, they can hurt teams going forward. Moyes has only Vladimir Coufal and Ryan Fredericks as injury doubts, while Nikola Vlasic will be eager to impress on his own return to Goodison.

Everton, of course, are similarly obdurate in defence and have plenty of their own threats and with the selection issues hampering Benitez, the Spaniard will be again relying on the goalscoring form of Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray, plus Abdoulaye Doucouré's dynamism to carry him through.

Lyndon Lloyd

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