Everton 1-3 West Ham United
Premier League, Goodison Park, Saturday 2 March 2024, 3pm GMT
Alphonse Areola’s heroics and second-half goals from Kurt Zouma, Tomáš Souček and Edson Álvarez combined to secure West Ham United a superb come-from-behind 3-1 Premier League victory at Everton.
The Irons could have been heading to a fourth defeat in five top-flight matches when Beto, who had seen his spot-kick saved by Areola moments before half-time, headed the home side in front eleven minutes after the break.
But former Everton loanee Zouma rose highest to head in James Ward-Prowse’s corner just six minutes later to score his second goal of the season.
And Souček silenced Goodison Park with a sensational finish one minute into added-time before Álvarez emptied the famous old stadium – the jubilant 3,000-strong Claret and Blue Army aside – by converting a superb counter-attack.
A sixth away win of the season took David Moyes’ side through the 40-point barrier back up to seventh place in the table.
There was little sign of the drama to come in the opening 40-odd minutes, when West Ham played some eye-catching football at times, but rarely looking like breaching Jordan Pickford’s goal.
While Moyes’ men had sprung out of the blocks at home to Brentford in their previous match, scoring twice inside the opening seven minutes, this time they made a more reserved start, albeit Álvarez tested Pickford with a well-struck right-footer inside the opening 20 minutes.
It was the combination play between Paquetá and Emerson that looked most likely to open up the Everton defence, while Mohammed Kudus’s strong running forced a corner that Dinos Mavropanos headed past the far post.
West Ham were unable to maintain their momentum, though, and Everton gained the ascendancy as the midway point of the half passed, most notably when Areola made the first of nine saves to deny Beto with his legs.
Then, three minutes before half-time, Kurt Zouma handled the ball inside his own penalty area and Everton were ultimately awarded a penalty after referee Craig Pawson had been called to the pitchside screen by VAR Tony Harrington, but Areola plunged to his left to push Beto’s low spot-kick aside.
Into the second half and the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner was called into action again five minutes in, diving to his left again to parry McNeil’s rasping left-footer to safety.
And with West Ham unable to keep possession, it came as little surprise when Sean Dyche’s side took the lead six minutes later. James Garner crossed from the right and Beto peeled off Mavropanos and headed powerfully into the bottom right-hand corner.
Moyes reacted, moving Bowen wide right, Kudus wide left and Paquetá down the middle, and the Irons improved immediately. Just six minutes later, after the Ghanaian’s shot had been deflected wide, Zouma rose highest to head James Ward-Prowse’s header inches under the crossbar to equalise.
It was end-to-end stuff now, and Areola made his fifth stop from another McNeil drive, and sixth from Beto’s deflected strike either side of a Paquetá header that floated wide of Pickford’s far post, before Souček cleared another goalbound Everton effort off the line.
It was anyone’s game going into the final quarter. Pickford did well to deny Kudus at one end, then Ben Godfrey drove wide and Areola made two more saves, from substitutes Dominic Calvert-Lewin and André Gomes, at the other.
As the match ticked into added-time, and with neither side in any sort of control, West Ham won it.
First, Kudus crossed deep from the right and Souček controlled on his chest before sending an unstoppable strike into the far corner with the outside of his right foot.
Then, with Everton overcommitted, Bowen led a lung-bursting counter before laying left for Mexican Álvarez to confidently clip a clinching third past the onrushing Pickford.
The players, staff and travelling fans gathered in the Bullens Stand celebrated as one in the Merseyside rain, as consecutive Premier League victories have put West Ham firmly back in the race for European qualification for a fourth straight season.
Everton: Pickford, Godfrey, Branthwaite, Tarkowski ©, Mykolenko, Harrison (André Gomes 80), Onana, Garner, McNeil (Dobbin 90+3), Doucouré (Chermiti 90+3), Beto (Calvert-Lewin 74)
Subs not used: Virgínia (GK), Patterson, Keane, Young, Coleman
Goal: Beto 56
Booked: Pickford
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Mavropanos, Zouma ©, Emerson (Ogbonna 90+7), Souček, Álvarez, Ward-Prowse (Phillips 66), Paquetá (Antonio 80), Kudus (Johnson 90+7), Bowen
Subs not used: Fabiański (GK), Aguerd, Cresswell, Mubama, Ings
Goals: Zouma 62, Souček 90+1, Álvarez 90+5
Booked: Souček, Antonio
Referee: Craig Pawson
Attendance: 39,262
