West Ham score twice late on to beat Everton

[CharlieH]

 

Tomas Soucek struck a stylish half-volley as West Ham scored twice in injury time to clinch a dramatic win at Everton.

The Blues had taken the lead when Beto - who had seen a first-half penalty saved - headed in at the back post shortly after half-time.

 

Kurt Zouma equalised for the Hammers with a header from a corner.

The game looked set to end in a draw but Soucek scored a stunning goal with his instep in added time before Edson Alvarez struck right at the end.

It gave David Moyes, who managed Everton from 2002 to 2013, a hat-trick of Goodison Park victories over his old club as Hammers boss.

 

• Everton xG 'through the roof' but Dyche frustrated

 

Moyes' side move up to seventh in the the Premier League table while Everton are 16th - five points above the relegation zone.

The Toffees are also winless in 10 games, stretching back to a 2-0 victory over Burnley on 16 December.

With five draws and two defeats in 2024, this is their joint-longest winless run from the start of a calendar year in their league history.

Beto miss costly as Blues pay for lack of cutting edge

This was Everton's first game since their 10-point deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules was reduced to six on appeal.

However, there remains a degree of anxiety around a separate charge - along with Nottingham Forest - for alleged breaches in their accounts for 2022-23.

That case must be heard by 8 April - but any appeal could take that process to 24 May, the week after the season has concluded.

If Everton are to render the impact of another potential deduction irrelevant, in terms of maintaining their top-flight status, they simply need to become more clinical in front of goal as the business end of the season looms.

 

READ MORE