West Ham show Everton what might have been on Moyes’ victorious return
Ogbonna 74 Att: 39,132
Not for the first time, David Moyes’s name echoed around Goodison Park to savour the sweetest of victories.
Painfully for Everton, the jubilation was exclusively in the away stand as the former manager maintained West Ham United’s impressive upward trajectory.
Under Moyes, West Ham look as accomplished as any team competing to be the “best of the rest” beyond the expected top four. Moyes will have Manchester United, another of his former clubs, looking anxiously over their shoulders as his side moved level on points with them courtesy of Angelo Ogbonna’s 74th-minute header.
Everton were stricken by the absence of injured strikers Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-lewin – and will argue whether the corner leading to Ogbonna’s winner was the correct decision – but for prolonged periods West Ham proved themselves at a far more advanced stage of their development, validating Moyes’s reticence to open the door for an emotional Goodison return last summer.
That sliding doors moment may have been on Moyes’s mind when he offered a broad smile upon approaching Rafael Benitez prematch, his knowing look seeming to say: “Fancy meeting you here?”
There was a time each would swear blind to having only the bluest and most crimson-red blood when facing off in those ill-tempered Merseyside derbies a decade ago. But in the cut-throat football business, club loyalty must be as fluid as each of these distinguished coaches’ tactical formations.
Moyes might have been reinstated as Everton manager by majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri a number of times since his 2013 exit. That idea was met with some fans’ objections, among them being a reluctance to return to an era in which Everton were seen as punching above their weight when trying to eke out results against sides rivalling them for a top position.
That background guaranteed an irony alert during much of the afternoon at Goodison, namely when
Moyes’s side were more dominant on the ball and flexible in their movement, the home team unable to escape their own half.
It is a backhanded compliment to say this is the first time since his appointment that the limitations of Benitez’s squad were exposed. He will have been observing the pace and power in the West Ham line-up with envy.
West Ham’s initial problem was the lack of reward for their enterprising start. Everton were bound to
improve and worked their way into the match thanks to the excellence of Abdoulaye Doucoure, who helped Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend ease their team upfield.
For all West Ham’s control, Everton had chances, Doucoure striking over from the edge of the area and Gray breezing past Ogbonna on the right and crossing, where he hoped Alex Iwobi would be more alert. Iwobi miskicked, summarising his overall contribution.
Jarrod Bowen drew Jordan Pickford into his first save after 34 minutes. Tomas Soucek, who was later forced off with a nasty gash on his face following a collision with Salomon Rondon’s studs, tapped in the rebound but was offside. Then Pablo Fornals had time to pick his spot just before half-time, but shot wide.
Benitez’s message at the interval, demanding more from his players, had an impact as Iwobi and Rondon went close in the early stages of the second half. But West Ham reaped the reward they ultimately merited when Bowen’s corner was met by Ogbonna, leaving Everton to argue the set-piece should not have been awarded. Pickford felt he was impeded by Michail Antonio when challenged for a looping clearance by Ben Godfrey. On the balance of play, it was straw-clutching.
Everton will improve when players return, and this must be seen as a bump in the road after an encouraging start to Benitez’s reign. For now, Moshiri can only admire Moyes’s work and wonder what might have been during those days when he preferred Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti.