David Moyes leads West Ham to victory over Everton at old stomping ground
West Ham United's Kurt Zouma (right) and Everton's Seamus Coleman battle for the ball during the Premier League match at Goodison Park, Liverpool. Picture: Peter Byrne/PA
Everton’s old and new met at Goodison Park in the form of David Moyes and Rafa Benitez although the afternoon very much belonged to the former.
Moyes, still revered in these parts for his 11 years at the Goodison helm, saw his team pick up a deserved three points thanks to Angelo Ogbonna’s superb headed finish from Jarrod Bowen’s 74th-minute corner.
He rose impressively above team-mate Declan Rice and defender Ben Godfrey although Everton keeper Jordan Pickford had felt aggrieved to have conceded the corner in the first place, as he leaped under pressure from Michail Antonio.
But Everton’s former manager could also take greater pleasure from the first half and Moyes would have been even more content if West Ham’s 34th-minute opening “goal” had been allowed.
Good play from Said Benrahma set up a chance for Bowen whose effort was pushed away by Pickford, with Tomas Soucek forcing the loose ball over the line.
Replays showed Soucek to have been offside when the initial shot went in but a goal would have been a just return given the Hammers’ impressive start to the afternoon.
Everton simply could not escape from their own half, under pressure from the visitors’ high press, although Benitez’s side benefited from some hurried finishing from the visitors.
Indeed, when the hosts finally did break out of their own half, through the dangerous Demarai Gray, his 27th-minute cross should have been turned in by Alex Iwobi who miskicked from close range.
Abdoulaye Doucoure also sent a towering header bouncing wide, from an Andros Townsend cross, although, after their disallowed “goal”, West Ham ended the half as they opened it - clearly in the ascendancy.
Pablo Fornals wasted a glorious opening, curling a shot wide after being left unmarked in the area, while the otherwise impressive Antonio ended a blistering counter-attack with a wayward shot over from 18 yards.
Having survived a torrid start to the first half, Everton were keen to avoid a similar start to the second and immediately put the Hammers under pressure with Gray’s low cross whistling through the six-yard box and passing inches wide.
Iwobi’s turn and shot, from Lucas Digne’s cross, lacked power and deflected behind off Ogbonna and a superb cross from Townsend was glanced just wide by Salomon Rondon.
It was end-to-end stuff, as West Ham responded with a dangerous Bowen corner being turned behind by Pickford and another flag kick ending with the England keeper saving from Benrahma.
An Iwobi shot was charged down and Rondon steered another header into the arms of the West Ham keeper as the action switched to the other end - misses that looked all the more costly when the visitors took the lead.
Pickford, at least, had the chance to atone for his role in the goal with a magnificent twisting save that kept out Bowen’s curling, goal-bound shot in the final minute.
Pickford 5; Coleman 6, Godfrey 5, Keane 6, Digne 6; Townsend 7, Doucoure 6, Allan 5, Iwobi 5 (Gordon 79, 6); Gray 8; Rondon 5. Begovic, Tyrer, Keny, Holgate, Mina, Gbamin, Davies, Dobbin.
Fabianski 5; Johnson 7, Zouma 7, Ogbonna 8, Cresswell 6; Soucek 7 (Dawson 79, 6), Rice 7; Bowen 9 (Yarmolenko 90), Benrahma 7 (Lanzini 87), Fornals 7; Antonio 8. Areola, Vlasic, Diop, Masuaka, Ashby, Baptiste.
S Attwell 6.
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