Premier League
Everton 1-1 West Ham United 

Saturday, 15th March 2025
by Chris Wilkerson

Old and new came face-to-face this Saturday afternoon as West Ham visited Goodison Park for the final time. Graham Potter came three minutes from victory against David Moyes, only for a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a point for Everton.

A lovely curled finish from Tomas Soucek had given The Hammers the lead midway through the second half, only for a late onslaught from the home side to eventually strike oil, with Jake O'Brien heading home to level from inside the six-yard box.

It was a match that started and ended with reminders of the bond David Moyes has and had with West Ham, as the man who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy greeted former players with warmth, joy and hugs, and he was serenaded throughout by the supporters, who repeated their tune of "Champions of Europe" repeatedly during the game.

At the final whistle, Moyes went over to applaud the travelling support, the mutual respect shining from pitch to stands and back again.

His Everton side are now unbeaten in nine, and the upturn in form since his arrival added a fascinating layer to this encounter, as Graham Potter oversees more gentle improvement at the club Moyes left at the end of last season.

Potter made three changes to the side beaten by Newcastle a week ago, with Mavropanos, Emerson and Paqueta replacing Cresswell, Scarles and Edson Alvarez as the manager added height, experience and guile to a team that had struggled to create in recent weeks.

Everton have been energised since the Scot returned, and they came out of the traps with a clear intensity and desire to close the Hammers down and try to force mistakes from a team that is remains uncomfortable passing out from their own defensive third. If anyone should know, it's Moyes, whose West Ham sides were never fluent in deep possession.

Potter has different expectations, and these more complicated instructions may well explain why his progress at West Ham has been slower than his opposite number's back at Everton.

Either way, it made for uncomfortable viewing in the first half here, as Everton crowded their visitors in possession and maintained consistent pressure on every West Ham touch.

There was little in the way of chances early on, Everton pushing it forward quickly, West Ham looking to work through the home side's press, and both sides only succeeding at limiting the other.

It wasn't until after 10 minutes had passed that a goalkeeper was forced into action, Branthwaite challenging Bowen for a header from a corner and sending it flying towards his own goal, testing the sharp reflexes of Jordan Pickford, who shot out a hand to push it away from 10 yards out. It wasn't fully cleared, but a bouncing ball on the edge of the box was soon fired over by Todibo.

This seemed to truly wake Everton, and The Hammers seemed to shrink under the pressure. Now they were the team you would expect them to be under Moyes, balls out wide quickly fired into the box, the hulking 6'4" figure of Beto leading the line and looking to get onto the end of things. You could see why Potter had drafted Mavropanos in, who thrives competing in the air.

Crosses flew in, none really threatening as Beto headed over twice in quick succession, and whilst they may not have amounted to much worth holding onto, they did lift the crowd and Goodison Park was sensing opportunity. They would collectively groan as Doucoure and Beto competed for the same cross and wasted half a chance.

Quantity was with Everton, but the highlights were still with West Ham, Bowen soon forcing Pickford into a good, if expected save after the captain, leading the line up front today, controlled a pass and let it bounce ahead of him before releasing a rasping half-volley that the England number one tipped over.

It was a brief glimpse of Bowen, who was otherwise isolated, and it was quite telling that it took a bursting run forward from Kilman to bring West Ham's main threat into the game.

With time running out in the half, Beto looked like he'd won his side a penalty. The home side were keeping possession around the West Ham box, probing for space, and found Beto's feet with his back to goal, 10 yards out.

The striker turned, attempted to shoot, and dropped to the floor, seemingly under a challenge from Kilman behind him. Referee Darren Bond blew the whistle, pointed to the spot and awarded the hosts a penalty that astonished the West Ham defence.

Todibo was booked in the arguments, but he was vindicated as VAR very quickly showed the striker had kicked the ground beneath him as he went to shoot, collapsing to the ground and convincing the referee he was tripped.

Thankfully, a quick trip to the screen on the side of the pitch saw the decision overturned and the two sides went into the break level at 0-0.

There were no changes of personnel at half-time, but there was a clear change in attitude, application and intent for Potter's side, the manager's words raising their games.

They were snappier into the challenge, using the ball more quickly, and looking forward more with their passes. Emerson was playing well on his return to the side, Bowen was involved more, and Kudus's energy in his own half, and dedication to regaining possession and doing defensive dirty work, was lifting his team.

Just past the hour mark, Bowen forced a good save from Bowen after Kudus poked it through to him on the wide left of the box, a first proper threat after 15 minutes of good football. Five minutes later, the deadlock was broken.

Soucek, who had been struggling on the ball, did well to win it back in the Everton half. It was worked out to the left for Bowen. The England international, called into Thomas Tuchel's first squad a day before, was direct, driving towards the area, then looked up and found Soucek in the box.

The midfielder comes alive when there's a chance at goal, and he opened his body up, used the defender in front of him as a guide and curled it around him to bend a lovely curling effort into the bottom corner, beating Pickford down to his left with wonderful precision.

The helicopter was out, Moyes probably offering a rueful smile as the man he brought to England popped up with another crucial goal, just against him this time out. The Czech midfielder was about to be replaced, with Soler and Ferguson ready to come on before the goal, now sat down as the manager reassessed.

Tails were up, Bowen forcing another save from Pickford as he again broke down the left side, but his shot was too close to the goalkeeper. Soucek then headed right at the Everton 'keeper from a Ward-Prowse corner.

Soon, however, the table turned on West Ham and 20 minutes of Everton pressure was started by loose play from Areola. The French goalkeeper took too many touches in his own box, then played a poor pass out as he panicked. The home side couldn't make it count, but it seemed to lift them all the same.

They were now almost camped outside the West Ham box, yet they could find nothing to really threaten Areola. Not until stoppage time.

The resistance was then broken. Late substitute Chermiti hit a driving effort from just outside the area, and Areola could only push it out straight into the middle. Soucek headed to the edge of the box, where Alcaraz controlled and curled in a lovely cross to the far post.

Gueye had made a run, completely free, and met the cross on the volley, playing it at good pace across the face of goal. O'Brien threw his head at it and couldn't miss from inside the six-yard box, nodding it in to roars from the home crowd as Everton levelled things in stoppage time.

There was still time for Alcaraz to waste a huge chance to win things, a Tarkowski header from the half-way line cleared all the way into the West Ham box, threw the legs of a West Ham defender. Alcaraz got onto the loose ball and had a clear shot on goal, but dragged it wide with second remaining on the clock.

And so it ended, Potter now eight unbeaten against Moyes, Everton onto nine games unbeaten in a row. Both sides sit on 34 points, 17 ahead of the bottom three with only nine games to go, relegation all but impossible at this point.

It was a game that will not live long in the memory, at least not for what happened on the pitch. Neither will be too hurt, the performances were fine, but these were two average teams playing out a draw that it was hard to argue either team deserved to win.

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Match Facts

West Ham United: , , , , , , , , , , .

Goals: None.

Booked: None booked.           .

Sent Off: None sent off.     .

Everton: .

Subs not used: .

Goals: .

Booked: None booked..

Sent off: None.

Referee: Darren Bond.

Attendance: 0.

Man of the Match: .