West Ham succumbed to a narrow 1 – 0 defeat against Everton in a crucial encounter in the race for the top-four. Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the only goal while Hammers struggled to break down the disciplined defence of the visitors. Here are the three talking points from the game.
A pulsating second-half with many hitting the woodwork.
David Moyes’ men were rather mediocre in the first half, which allowed the Toffees to go ahead with Calvert Lewin’s strike. It provided a great platform for the second half as Hammers went all guns to find the equaliser. Coufal had his shot denied by the woodwork, the closest the Hammers had ever come during the game. Everton had many chances to punish the hosts on the counter, but substitute Joshua King also found the woodwork.
West Ham’s sterile attack , Everton’s brilliant defending
West Ham looked more proactive in the second half, but they lacked precision in the final third, which saw them register no shots on target. The credit goes to Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who put on a sturdy defensive display, smothering the Hammers’ attack completely.
West Ham’s Champions League dreams looking vulnerable
Despite being deemed as a revelation in the Premier League this season, Hammer’s record over the last two months – 4 defeats and 1 draw leaves a lot to be desired. Furthermore, they have been scraping out wins closely of late while conceding more which is not a sign if they are to keep up with the top-four race. Today’s defeat leaves them fifth in the table, five points off Leicester City. Furthermore, Liverpool can go ahead of the Hammers as they still have a game in hand. Considering all these aspects, Hammers might have found themselves in deep waters, and all they can do is hope for both Leicester and Liverpool to drop points.
