West Ham fought back to claim a point against David Moyes’ Everton – and it hadn’t escaped my attention that it was precisely that fight which has been missing from the Hammers for so long.
With less than two full training sessions with his new players, Nuno Espirito Santo had little chance to stamp detailed tactics on the team. But what he did make clear – both in his first interview as boss and to his players – was that he wanted West Ham to be nasty. To make it ‘hell’ for the opposition.
West Ham players were not afraid to scrap against Everton
Nuno promised to make it a nightmare for anyone who played against the Irons, and I thought we saw flashes of that tonight against the Toffees. If the intention of the new Irons boss is to make this team lose their tag as a soft touch then this was the beginning.
Yes, there was a familiar sinking feeling when West Ham conceded from yet another corner, but the inevitable collapse never came. Instead, the players grew in confidence as the game went on.
Nuno’s mean machine
What stood out was the personality, grit and sheer will to win that’s been missing in recent weeks. Nuno’s men weren’t afraid to foul, frustrate or rattle the opposition – they looked up for the fight.
By the end, players who had started poorly – Malick Diouf, Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes and Lucas Paquetá – had all grown in influence. West Ham finished strongly, surging forward and registering 14 shots away from home, a rarity in recent months.
Diouf in particular became a marauding menace as Everton struggled to cope with West Ham’s work rate and, dare I say it, energy in midfield.
Most importantly, the game was enjoyable. The players gave everything – and that alone is reason enough to be pleased. No doubt the Premier League will throw up another tough test against Arsenal at the Emirates next weekend. However, a good team performance, some tactical organisation and a bit of grit and team spirit means we’ll go in with a bit of hope.
Thoroughly enjoyed the game (for a change) we showed grit, determination & even passed forward more often than not! Well done Nuno for making the changes and starting to instill some belief. Nice to see young Freddie Potts come on & have a solid performance aswell ⚒⚒⚒🏴
We like NASTY! Well done Hammers. That’s one point more than anybody really thought we’d get, including our owner who had wanted to throw in the towel before Nuno insisted on starting immediately. A new dawn has begun, hopefully.
Looking at the Everton goal everyone blamed Mavropanos for not getting tight and that’s true. Take a look at Areola positioning though, way off the goal line. If he’d been back on his goal line he would have easily saved that header.
Quite honestly we need Souchek back, not only to defend our box on set pieces but also to score goals at the other end. We have no goal scoring midfielder apart from Souchek. I just don’t know where the goals are going to come from. We can’t just keep relying on Bowen to score in order for us to get any points.
Light at the end of the tunnel Gonzo grit pace and organization What we’ve been missing for along time