HAPPY EVER AFTER
Moyes joy as Soucek delivers win on his Goodison return
David Moyes’s effusive touchline greeting for Carlo ancelotti — a fist bump and squeeze of the upper arm — obscured the fact that the italian trampled on his hopes a year ago.
Moyes coveted a return to his old everton job when Marco silva was sacked. and he was close to getting it. But then ancelotti’s availability became known and that particular ship sailed.
That would have been some story.
The flags flying from the lamp posts on the Walton Lane approach to Goodison Park still parade everton’s identity as ‘ the people’s club’, which Moyes gave them when using those words in his inaugural press conference, 19 years ago.
But whatever disappointment Moyes might have felt has been put firmly away. The scot, who has been dealt more than his share of blows since leaving Merseyside in 2013, instead returned to West Ham and has been assuredly rebuilding his reputation.
This performance had reinforced that fact long before Tomas soucek pounced from close range to secure the points at the death, pouring cold water on everton’s four- match Premier League winning streak.
ancelotti has been given resources beyond anything Moyes knew in his time here, yet even the returning Richarlison could not create a threat against an impressively organised Hammers side.
in their successive wins over Chelsea, arsenal and Leicester last month, everton could sit back and counter-punch, but when the moment came for them to attack and dominate a game, ancelotti’s side faced a taste of what they had dished out.
angelo ogbonna and Craig dawson marshalled a precisely organised West Ham defence, shielded by declan Rice — who brought the usual balance of silk and steel which could be such a gift for england at this summer’s european Championship.
Tom davies attempted to break the defensive lines from deep and Richarlison threatened briefly to escape down the right, lifting the ball over aaron Cresswell and haring after it, but West Ham had every situation covered.
The absence of alex iwobi did not help the home team. He has been impressive for everton recently and ancelotti’s players laboured — lacking the necessary pace to create surprise or to force errors. dominic Calvert-Lewin was given no service and struggled to make any impression.
He misses the injured Lucas digne’s service, impressive and athletic though Ben Godfrey has been as his replacement.
it all added up to precious few opportunities. a Bernard chest down and volley on the stroke of half-time, bringing a sharp save from darren Randolph, diving to his right, was the game’s first attempt on target. Moyes could have used a little more attacking creativity, too. The absence of Michail antonio, on the bench again as he is eased back after a hamstring injury, had its effect.
said Benrahma showed for the ball frequently and displayed urgency, but could not get sight of goal, nor create it for sebastien Haller. a Cresswell effort, skimming across the six-yard box, was the closest West Ham came to a breakthrough in the first half, though Haller was not there to lay a foot on it.
Neither could the ivorian connect when Rice fired in a similar ball from the same flank, 10 minutes into the second half, and just before the hour antonio arrived to replace him.
a Cresswell free-kick from the right brought an athletic save from Jordan Pickford, twisting to claw the ball away, and everton’s grip on the match drifted terribly. Pablo Fornals miscued a header from Jarrod Bowen’s cross that ought to have put West Ham ahead. antonio brought another save from Pickford.
so barely beyond the hour mark, ancelotti sent in the cavalry, introducing James Rodriguez for the Colombian’s first appearance since early december. in the stand, Moyes’s assistant stuart Pearce demanded more from West Ham, and andriy yarmolenko and Manuel Lanzini were introduced in a double substitution which suggested both sides felt they could secure the late win.
The breakthrough was no great surprise. yarmolenko fed soucek, whose shot brought another powerful, double-handed save from Pickford. But his parry sent the ball straight to Cresswell, whose firm, crisp shot across the area, left to right, was diverted in at close range by soucek, played onside by Godfrey.
soucek, impressive all season, was a Moyes buy — typical of the kind of player he used to snap up for everton, where he built at least four good teams. This win is surely one of the scot’s sweetest of the difficult years since he left for Manchester United.
everton’s tally of 29 points before this game was one short of their highest after 15 matches of a Premier League season, set in 2004-05 under Moyes. The club’s 16th game of that campaign brought another victory. ancelotti was prevented from matching that.
Moyes preferred to reflect last night on West Ham. This win maintains 10th place and takes them within three points of fourth-placed everton. it is some renaissance for their manager.