WEST HAM.. 0 EVERTON..... 0
HAMMER HORROR’S OUT OF TUNE
YOU needed a cold heart not to feel sorry for the video editor who had to pick out half-time highlights to show on the big screens.
He did his best but not even Danny Boyle, who knows a thing or two about putting on a show at the Olympic Stadium, could have made much of an underwhelming 45 minutes.
For many the highlight was a three-minute pitchside appearance by Pixie Lott plugging Baby – her first single for three years.
Toffees’ boss Ronald Koeman showed what he thought of it all by dragging off Idrissa Gueye and Tom Davies at the break.
He sent on Gareth Barry and Ademola Lookman in the hope they could inject something into his side but even that failed.
Shots on target: two by West Ham and none from the Toffees.
Phil Jagielka bravely got his head to a Manuel Lanzini piledriver and Romelu Lukaku finally sparked into life with a driving run into the Hammers’ area.
Lukaku went into his first game at the Olympic Stadium on a roll, having scored in his nine previous games against the Irons – but that perfect 10 never came his way. Hammers’ boss Slaven Bilic admitted he had a special plan to deny Lukaku.
The Croatian said: “It was about stopping the service to him. The guy has scored against us every game the last three or four years.
“We stopped the service to him and when he was getting the ball we tried to double up.
“The whole team, especially the three centre-backs, did an amazing job on him.”
Everton were sterile in attack and the Hammers, who have now won only one of their last 10 games, were not much better.
Both bosses decided to bring a keeper back from the wilderness but neither Maarten Stekelenburg nor Adrian covered themselves in glory during the first quarter of an hour.
Everton’s Dutchman misjudged Lanzini’s inswinging corner and was lucky it went between his post and Cheikhou Kouyate.
And when play switched to the other end, Edimilson Fernandes couldn’t bring a bouncing throw-in under control.
It bounced off his knee across the unguarded area but Adrian recovered to smother the ball as Kevin Mirallas closed in.
Stekelenburg then got behind a 28th-minute long-range effort from Havard Nordtveit – the first shot on (or off) target.
That lifted the Hammers and Kouyate zipped a shot a yard wide from outside the box.
The game desperately needed a goal, though. Two shots on target all game – come back Danny Boyle.
Everton boss Koeman said: “I was disappointed about the performance, it was not what we can be, far away from the level in every aspect.
“We didn’t bring intensity in the game, it was too slow. If you start a game like that then it’s always difficult to change.”