Daily WHUFC News - 8th November 2015

West Ham United 1-1 Everton
WHUFC.com

West Ham United maintained their sixth place position in the Premier League
table with a 1-1 draw with Everton. Argentine Manuel Lanzini opened the
scoring with an absolute peach of a finish, curling the ball majestically
into the top corner. However the Hammers were pegged back by perennial
thorn-in-the-side Romelu Lukaku who ran onto Gerard Deulofeu's through-ball
to round goalkeeper Adrian and slot home coolly. During an unseasonably mild
November day both sides approached the game in a positive manner. The first
chance of the game fell to the hosts as Dimitri Payet, not for the first
time this season, opened the defence up with seemingly little on. He burst
into the box and fed Victor Moses whose shot flew narrowly wide of Tim
Howard's near post. Moments later the Hammers again went close. A well
worked free-kick between Aaron Cresswell and that man Payet fashioned a
second chance for Moses, this time a leaping header skimmed the roof of the
net. West Ham's third chance came courtesy of the Frenchman yet again. His
deep free-kick found James Tomkins lurking at the back post, his effort was
hooked off the line setting up a counter attack for the Toffees. Arouna Kone
sprinted downfield and played in strike partner Romelu Lukaku, just as he
was about to pull the trigger, Manuel Lanzini put a foot in top stop the
powerful forward. The breakthrough came on the half-way mark and what a
sublime finish it was. Moses cutback caused havoc in the box which the
Blues' defence could only scramble into Manuel Lanzini's feet. The Argentine
drove forward and looked to have taken a touch too many however the
explosive winger showed unnervingly composure to pick out the top corner
through a crowd of players. How the Boleyn Ground faithful enjoyed it. With
two minutes remaining of the first half, one of football's most recent
cliché's – a Romelu Lukaku goal against West Ham – was yet again witnessed.
The Belgian ran on to Deulofeu's defence splitting pass and kept his
composure admirably to round Adrian and roll it home.

Everton started the stronger of the two halves in the second period and went
close to making their advantage count as Ross Barkley fired a free-kick
narrowly wide. The atmosphere was notably subdued when star man Payet had to
be replaced through injury. The Frenchmen took one knock too many and
received a standing ovation as Enner Valencia came in for him. The
Ecuadorean, making his first appearance at the Boleyn since suffering an
injury in July, quickly set about reminding the West Ham faithful what he
can do by beating Coleman before delivering an exquisite ball. Unfortunately
it whistled inches over Moses and Carroll. Even more unfortunate was when a
strong challenge ended with Valencia being carried off by a stretcher, Mauro
Zarate slotted in on the left. The Hammers came closest to scoring their
second of the afternoon through Winston Reid who climbed highest to connect
with Moses' arrowed corner, again the roof of the net bustled. Into the
final ten minutes and with a draw looking like the most likely of outcomes
two heart in mouths moments occurred. First, Jenkinson burst forward 60 odd
yards before shooting from the edge of the box. It would have been the most
the most exquisite of goals yet Howard was equal to it. The American
launched it forward and ball somehow found its way Lukaku who prodded just
wide from a tight angle. All in all, an exciting game of football which both
teams could take positives from.

West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell, Noble ©,
Kouyate, Payet (Valencia 49) (Zarate 65), Moses, Lanzini, Carroll (Jelavic
85)
Substitutes: Randolph, Ogbonna, Antonio, Cullen
Goals: Lanzini 30

Everton: Howard, Stones, Coleman, Funes Mori, Galloway, Barry ©, McCarthy,
Deulofeu (Lennon 79), Barkley, Lukaku, Kone (Mirallas 60)
Substitutes: Robles, Gibson, Naismith, Osman, Holgate
Bookings: McCarthy, Funes Mori
Goals: Lukaku 43

Referee: Paul Tierney

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Reid raving about Lanzini
WHUFC.com

Winston Reid reckons goalscorer Manuel Lanzini is right up there with West
Ham United's best performers this term, after bagging an absolute beauty
against Everton on Saturday. The Argentine brilliantly beat Tim Howard with
a deft, curling right-footed effort on the half-hour mark, his fourth
Barclays Premier League goal to date. And though Romelu Lukaku, scoring in
an uncanny seventh successive outing against the Hammers, denied the hosts
all three points, Reid was quick to shower praise on the 22-year-old loanee.
"He's been brilliant, he has been one of the players of the season so far
for us," Reid told West Ham TV. "He has been really good and he keeps on
improving. He's not just an attacker, he also defends and he can run from
box to box. He's very creative, so it's good. "He's only a young kid, there
are going to be some difficult games for him, but fortunately for us he's
having really, really good games at the moment. The main thing's that he
keeps developing and keeps playing well."

As for Lukaku, Reid could hardly be blamed for wishing the Belgian were
anywhere but the Boleyn Ground on Saturday, as he unpicked the Hammers'
defence yet again. But, all in all, the New Zealander felt that honours even
was probably about right in the end. "I was hoping he [Lukaku] was
injured but he wasn't," Reid joked. "To be fair, we should have dealt with
it a little bit better, but they're a good team. "I think the fans saw two
open teams that wanted to go at it and play football. We tried to get the
three points but maybe we lacked a little bit of quality in the final third
and I guess a point was a fair result at the end of the day."

Making his first start since the trip to Sunderland back on 3 October, the
returning Reid slotted seamlessly back into the Hammers' rear-guard
following a hip injury and hailed the quality of the Club's four senior
centre-halves. He continued: "That's one of the things that the manager
wanted to address before the season, with Angelo [Ogbonna] coming in, and
he's been brilliant as well. "Unfortunately he got injured and Ginge is out
for a couple of weeks with his red card, so I stepped in and did a job.
"I'm feeling a good. Obviously I had a problem, so it's going to take a bit
of time to get up to 100 per cent. I'll work hard on the training pitches
and hope for the best. "For me personally, after the injury I had it's more
to assess where am I now and prepare myself in the best possible way for the
next game after the international break."

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U18s lose unbeaten run
WHUFC.com

West Ham United fell to their first Barclays U18 Premier League defeat in
eight games on Saturday, losing 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur at Spurs' Training
Centre in Enfield.

After an impressive run of form which has seen the Hammers win six of their
last seven league fixtures prior to Saturday's London derby, the visitors
looked to be on their way to yet another win when Tunji Akinola headed home
past Spurs keeper Alfie Whiteman.

The hosts got themselves back in the game shortly after through Jon
Dinzeyi's headed finish, before Jaden Brown stole all three points midway
through the second half.

Former Arsenal Academy midfielder George Dobson came off the bench, but was
sent off in the closing stages of the game.

The Hammers made just two changes to the side that extended their unbeaten
run to seven games just a week ago at Little Heath against Fulham. Full back
Jake Eggleton returned from an injury to regain his spot in the West Ham
defence, meaning U16 defender Mason Barrett dropped to the bench, whilst Sam
Howes replaced Tim Brown between the sticks.

In the early moments, the visitors were playing some very entertaining
football, similar to the brand of football that has seen them pick up 19
points since their undefeated stream started. The Hammers were getting the
ball down on the floor well and playing some free-flowing attacking
football, with Grady Diangana again playing as the link man in the middle.

It was that style of football which saw them force the openings inside the
the Spurs penalty box which eventually resulted in Akinola's goal. First,
winger Joe Powell watched his shot palmed off the near post by Whiteman,
before Idris Kanu's scooped effort was denied by the opposite upright.

The breakthrough did come on 21 minutes though when Akinola latched onto a
stray ball inside the penalty area and looped his finish over Whiteman and
into the back of the net.

Just a few minutes later though, Spurs reacted in the best way by levelling
the scores. It was their defender, Dinzeyi, who rose highest from a Keanan
Bennetts cross to head past Hammers goalkeeper Howes.

In the lead up to the break though, it was still West Ham who were having
the better chances on goal, but neither Matty Carter nor Oscar Borg could
keep their efforts on target.

As the game continued into the second half, it was again the defenders who
looked like they were going to steal the show, with three of the Hammers
back four all having opportunities to again put them ahead. Eggleton,
Akinola and England U16 full back Vashon Neufville all failed to beat
Whiteman.

In the traditional way that many football games go though, Spurs punished
their guests in Enfield when Kazaiah Sterling broke through the Hammers back
line to run clear on goal at Howes, only for the England U19 goalkeeper to
deny him. Unfortunately for the visitors, Spurs left back Brown took the
opportunity to seal the points.

West Ham will look to return to winning ways on Saturday 14 November when
they face Leicester City U18 away at the Foxes Training Ground.

U18s: Howes, Eggleton, Akinola, Rice, Neufville, Carter, Sylvestre (c),
Borg, Diangana, Powell, Kanu. Subs: Dobson, Longelo, Alese, Barrett,
Metravic

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Bilic - We reacted strongly
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic felt his players showed a good reaction against Everton and
says he cannot be unhappy with only taking a point from the 1-1 draw at the
Boleyn Ground.

The West Ham United manager was determined to see his side bounce straight
back from their 2-0 defeat against Watford last weekend and felt they played
as a team for the full ninety minutes.

Manuel Lanzini scored a wonder goal on the half hour mark but the Hammers
failed to stop Romelu Lukaku getting on the scoresheet once again when he
grabbed an equaliser just before half-time.

There was more bad news in the second half when influential duo Dimitri
Payet and Enner Valencia were both forced to leave the field through injury,
but Bilic felt his side showed enough character to take something from the
game.

Bilic said: "It was a good performance from us and it was important after
the game against Watford to come back and show a good reaction in front of
our own fans. I cannot be unhappy with the way the team played.

"I thought for ninety minutes we looked as a team. We are never happy with a
point, especially when we play at home, but we tried and had chances.

"We played against a very good team and I have to praise the players.

"It was a cheap goal to give away. We lost the ball deep in their half and
at a time when we didn't need to lose it.

"But I thought our two central defenders played really well against him and
the other forwards."

Bilic had nothing but praise for Lanzini once again after the talented
forward produced a great piece of skill to direct the ball past Tim Howard
into the corner of the net.

Bilic added: "He has got it. Some of our players prefer to pass the ball
when they are in and around the box and we want them to shoot more.

"For his goal the ball went in exactly where he wanted it to go. He has that
skill and the power and he is a good player."

The worrying news for Bilic and the Hammers fans was the injuries sustained
by Payet and Valencia in the second half.

The West Ham manager says he will wait to see the results from their scans
before they can make an assessment on how long they will be ruled out of
action.

"I don't want to talk about the latest news until we see the scan. The
latest can be very different to what the real news is so I would prefer to
wait until we have the results of their scans.

"It doesn't look good. The first one on Dimitri was a bad challenge, the
second one was on Enner's ankle although he did get the ball.

"It was a big blow for us to lose both of them because we had been planning
to play both of them together at some stage in the game.

"But the two injuries stopped us a bit. We would have been more creative and
more dangerous.

"We can only hope they are going to be okay for the Spurs game but the
latest doesn't sound very good. I hope that is not the case."

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West Ham 1 Everton 1
7 November 2015
Last updated at 17:59
By Chris Bevan
BBC Sport

West Ham moved up to fifth in the Premier League despite having to settle
for a point at home to Everton. Manuel Lanzini put the Hammers ahead with a
superb curling finish after Victor Moses' shot was blocked. But Romelu
Lukaku ran on to Gerard Deulofeu's perfect pass to level and extend his run
of scoring against West Ham to seven successive games. Winston Reid headed
over for the Hammers and Lukaku went close late on but neither side could
force a winner. Lukaku's remarkable run against the Hammers started on 21
September 2013, when he scored his first goal for Everton, the winner in a
3-2 Toffees victory.

The £28m Belgium striker has scored the decisive goal on two further
occasions against the east London side and, on top of two goals in FA Cup
ties, this was the 11th point his strikes have helped secure for Everton in
this fixture. "That is my game, going in behind and trying to be clinical in
a one-on-one," Lukaku said afterwards. "It was a great ball from Gerard and
the finish was good. "I am happy but I play to win games and I am
disappointed not to win."

West Ham's average positions show that Victor Moses (20) was their most
advanced player and 43% of their attacks went down the right wing compared
to 29% down the left
West Ham had scored at least two goals in nine of their 11 league matches
going into Saturday's game but, as soon as Dimitri Payet hobbled off shortly
after half-time, they looked far less dangerous.
Payet tried to continue after he was hurt by a James McCarthy challenge
before the break, but his injured ankle lasted only five minutes of the
second half.
The French play-maker had fashioned three openings during his time on the
pitch, putting him level with Arsenal's Mesut Ozil as the players to have
created the most chances - 47 - in the Premier League this season.

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said afterwards: "We lost Payet because of a bad
tackle. We can only hope that he will be OK and it is not going to be
long-term, but we have to wait for the scan." Without Payet, the Hammers
struggled to break down the Everton defence, although Moses impressed down
the right flank. The threat Moses posed was as much to do with his pace and
industry as any silky skills, but he was behind his side's goal and also got
on the end of crosses when they were put in from the opposite flank. But
Andy Carroll was never able to make his presence felt in the box and, too
often, the Hammers' promising build-up play went to waste.

Man of the match - Everton's Gerard Deulofeu

It was Gerard Deulofeu's perfectly-weighted through ball that released
Romelu Lukaku to round Adrian and score Everton's equaliser, and the
Spaniard's skill and desire to run at defenders lit up the game

Manager reaction

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic: "We are never happy with one point, especially
at home, but I was happy with the performance. "We needed that kind of
positive reaction after what happened last week at Watford. "Everton
deserved a point but in my opinion we were slightly better than them."

Everton manager Roberto Martinez: "Once we got to grips with the intensity
West Ham play with, I thought we were very strong, especially in the second
half. "Our concentration levels were very high once we had conceded, and we
worked very hard as a unit defensively. "We had quality going forward too
and it seemed the winning goal would come but we just could not find the
final pass."

What next?

After the international break, Everton host Aston Villa and West Ham make
the short trip to north London to play Tottenham.
The stats you need to know

Romelu Lukaku has scored seven goals in seven games against West Ham for
Everton (five in the Premier League, two in the FA Cup).
Lukaku's goal equalled the most number of goals he has scored against a
single opponent in the Premier League; he has also scored five against
Newcastle and Liverpool.
Manuel Lanzini is the first West Ham player since Bobby Zamora in 2006-07 to
score against both Merseyside clubs in the same season.
Only David Silva (six) and Mesut Ozil (nine) have more Premier League
assists this season than Gerard Deulofeu (five).
The Hammers haven't beaten the Toffees in the league in 15 attempts (D5
L10), their last win coming in April 2007 courtesy of a Bobby Zamora goal.
Everton have lost just two of their last 10 Premier League away games (W4 D4
L2).

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West Ham Utd 1-1 Everton
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 7th November 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's dismal home run against Everton continued at the Boleyn this
afternoon - although at least they managed to avoid defeat on this occasion.

In the last ten meetings between the two sides here, West Ham have beaten
the Toffees just twice - and it took a penalty shootout in the FA Cup third
round last season to secure one or those.

Given that unhappy sequence, the squad could be forgiven for being happy
with a draw. And in truth, it was the very least both sides deserved from a
game in which neither excelled, nor looked particularly poor.

A veteran soldier was joined by 35,000 fans in a minutes' silence to mark
Remembrance Day

West Ham drew first blood on the half hour mark with a goal of the month
contender from Manuel Lanzini. The little Argentinian picked up the ball on
the edge of the penalty box after a cross was only half cleared before
steering it expertly into Tim Howard's top right corner.

The Everton goalkeeper, who loosely resembled a giant Stabilo marker pen in
his all-fluorescent yellow kit had no chance with the perfectly placed
strike - but rarely came close to being beaten again thereafter.

If anything has proved to be West Ham's Achilles Heel this season, it is
their propensity to give away cheap goals by conceding possession cheaply.
Sadly, that was to be the case once again here today.

With less than two minutes of the first half remaining Dimitri Payet - who
had been moving gingerly since being upended by a dreadful challenge from
James McCarthy ten minutes previously - gave the ball away deep in
Evertonian territory.

Quick as a flash, the visitors broke and it was left to West Ham's nemesis
Romelu Lukaku to round goalkeeper Adrian and pass the ball into an empty
net, to score for the SEVENTH successive occasion against the Hammers.

Rookie referee Paul Tierney, who cautioned McCarthy for the aforementioned
challenge when many other referees may have viewed it as a more serious
offence did little to suggest he should be elevated to the Premier League
rota on a regular basis.

As well as showing extreme leniency to the hosts following a string of
'earthy' challenges, he ended the first half just as Andy Carroll was racing
through on a potential one-v-one situation - and then blew the final whistle
at an equally bizarre moment, just as West Ham were preparing to launch one
final attack from a dead ball situation.

Yet Tierney couldn't be blamed for West Ham's inability to open up an
understrength Everton defence, missing the likes of England internationals
Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka.

Minus the injured Payet, who was withdrawn just five minutes into the second
period the Hammers looked bereft of creativity and struggled to make inroads
in the opposition half after Everton had restored parity.

For their part, the Toffees only really threatened Adrian on one further
occasions, that being when Lukaku's effort slammed into the side netting
when it appeared easier for him to hit the target. Thankfully, he does
occasionally miss against West Ham too.

The point takes West Ham back above Tottenham into fifth place in the
Premier League, although Spurs have a game in hand. The two London rivals
are set to meet each other following the forthcoming international break, a
game that promises to be one of the most tightly-contested derbies for some
years.

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Slaven Bilic annoyed with injuries to West Ham's Dimitri Payet and Enner
Valencia
Last Updated: 07/11/15 6:51pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic was left frustrated after Dimitri Payet and Enner Valencia went
off injured in West Ham's 1-1 draw with Everton. Payet, the Hammers' leading
scorer in the Premier League this season, was caught from behind by a
scissor tackle from James McCarthy in the first half. He went off shortly
after half-time and his replacement, Valencia, was also forced off following
a sliding tackle from Seamus Coleman. Asked about the tackle on Payet,
Hammers manager Bilic told Sky Sports: "I didn't see it but I was told it
should have been red. "I saw it was a foul from behind and they made a few
of them. We had our player injured and we don't know how bad it is, but it
was bad enough for him not to finish the game. "It is a big blow for us.
Payet is our main player with the ball and I am not happy with the injury.
"Enner did really well when he came on and we looked dangerous but then he
got injured. Those are the only things I am not happy about." "Until the
scans nobody knows long they will be out for, hopefully they will be okay
for Spurs and it's good we have the international break."

The Hammers have not beaten Everton in the Premier League since 2007 and
they were pegged back by Romelu Lukaku's equaliser after Manuel Lanzini's
30th-minute opener. While Bilic said Everton's goal was "cheap", he was
pleased with his side's reaction after their 2-0 defeat to Watford the
previous weekend. "It was important to put in a good performance in front of
our fans and we looked like a good team," he said. "We are not happy because
we didn't win, but they deserved a point too. We tried to get all three but
it wasn't the case."

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WEST HAM 1, EVERTON 1. A COSTLY POINT.
By David Hautzig 8 Nov 2015 at 03:40
WTID

The new Peanuts movie comes out over here this weekend. I assume Charles
Schulz classic comic strip was part of your childhood regardless of which
country you grew up in. One of the prevailing themes of Peanuts through the
years was Lucy consistently fooling Charlie Brown into believing that this
time he would actually be allowed to kick the (American) football while she
held it steady against the ground with her finger. I remember in one strip,
Lucy produced a signed document stating she wouldn't pull the ball away at
the last second and allow Charlie Brown to sail through the air and land
flat on his back. Charlie Brown read the document and concluded that Lucy
had to let him kick the ball this time since he had what he thought was a
legally binding contract. He walked away, began his charge, and of course
just as he was going to strike Lucy pulled the ball away and Charlie Brown
went flying. As he lay on his back for the umpteenth time, Lucy looked down
at him and reminded him the document wasn't "notarized", a term over here
used when a document has to be signed by not only the two parties involved
but a "notary public" as well who basically certifies the deal. Every time
we play Everton, we seem to be Charlie Brown staring at the sky and the role
of Lucy has been played recently by Romalu Lukaku. Today, we may not have
struck the ball well, but we made contact.

West Ham looked bright in the opening minutes, with Jenkinson attacking on
the right and feeding Noble for a cross to Carroll that the big man just
couldn't reach. Then Payet and Moses combined inside the Everton penalty
area that ended with a Moses strike hitting the side netting. A minute
later, Moses was back in business in the box trying to lay off for Carroll
before Stones stepped in to relieve the pressure. Everton responded with
Deulofeu sending a through ball to Kone on the right, who then tried to find
Lukaku in the box but Adrian came out to meet the pass and punch it clear.

Everton had their first serious chance to open the scoring in the 15th
minute when Galloway passed to Barkley near the top of the West Ham penalty
area. Barkley turned quickly and shot, but while it was low and with some
pace it was right at Adrian. West Ham responded with Cresswell whipping a
cross into the Everton area but Moses couldn't keep his header on target.

The middle section of the first half was a game of one side threatening to
create a real threat but not quite getting there, followed by a repeat
performance from the other side. Kone broke in on goal from a quick free
quick only to shoot wide with Lukaku available inside the West Ham area.
Then Tomkins somehow turned his leg into a gummy worm and kept a Payet free
kick in play but none of his teammates could get to the ball. Cresswell
tried a curling shot with the outside of his right foot that went over the
bar, and McCarthy one timed a pass to Deulofeu whose shot went off Adrian
and out for a corner.

I occasionally check the table in Argentina. One of my friends is from
Buenos Aires and supports Argentinos Juniors, the original team of some guy
named Maradona. They have become my adopted team from down there, and thus
mate in turn holds our Hammers in high esteem. When we first signed Lanzini,
this mate of mine told me we had a player on our hands. He was right. In the
30th minute, Moses got the ball on the right from Payet and fired a low
shot. It deflected off Stones and out to Lanzini at the top of the box. Like
a surgeon making a precise cut, The Jewel curled a shot past Howard and into
the top corner. Pace and power weren't required. The precision was that
good.

West Ham 1, Everton 0.

I've never thought of Martinez as the kind of manager that would either
encourage or allow his players to play the kind of football a supporter
would be ashamed of. But there was a lot of that today. In the 34th minute,
McCarthy took down Payet with a scissor tackle that Tony Gale said could
have been a straight red. Instead he saw yellow, but it wasn't the first
overly aggressive tackle of the day by an Everton player and it certainly
wasn't the last. More importantly, Payet wasn't himself the rest of the game
before he came out in the second half.

When Lanzini scored, I joked to myself that the score was actually 1-1
because it was a foregone conclusion that Lukaku would score. Furthermore,
with time running down in the first half the narrative was almost
predictable that Everton would get the late equalizer to make halftime an
annoying chore. As it turned out, the inevitable and the narrative combined
when Payet lost possession in midfield. Deulofeu then sent a through ball as
Lukaku split between Reid and Tomkins before rounding Adrian and sliding it
home.

West Ham 1, Everton 1.

In the 49th minute, the inevitable consequence of McCarthy's malicious
challenge on Payet was at hand and our new Talisman had to be replaced by
Enner Valencia. Within seconds Valencia's speed made Everton think twice
when Carroll sent Cresswell down the left. The West Ham left back whipped a
cross in that Valencia couldn't reach and Moses couldn't handle.

Within minutes, Barkley took down Noble and Lukaku took down Reid. Neither
saw yellow, and Bilic started to let Martinez know he wasn't happy. The
Everton boss gave the kind of obnoxious and flippant smile that made my
respect for both him and his club go down a notch. Maybe two. And in my
minds eye I could see Slaven putting a cigarette out in his eye and smashing
a guitar over his head. It didn't get better because in the 59th minute Mori
took down Moses and saw yellow. Even knowing the result because I watched
the game on DVR, I started to see red and wished for the good old days of
hard tackles that were met by a bit of retribution. The fact that Everton
finished with 11 players is testament both to how lucky they were and how
awful Tierney was. West Ham weren't able to get the perfect revenge when
their free kick amounted to little more than Howard punching the ball from
danger.

In the middle of the second half there was a lot of end-to-end action but
very little in the final third. In the 63rd, Lanzini earned West Ham a
corner with a low shot from 25 yards out. Two minutes later, Everton's WWE
clinic continued when Coleman took Valencia out on the left side of the
Everton box. I'm guessing there was a prize in the Toffee's changing room
for whoever could get the stretcher out and Coleman wanted to collect. The
replays showed Valencia's ankle buckle and bend in an unnatural way. He was
replaced by Zarate. Bilic gave him a fist bump and an encouraging smile as
he entered the game. That's probably all I want to say about Mauro's day.

In the 73rd minute, Moses got on the end of a long pass from Tomkins and won
a corner. With Payet out, Moses stepped up to take the set piece and he
almost connected with Reid, but his header went just over the bar and a
diving Howard. Ten minutes later Jenkinson went on a run that started in the
West Ham half and ended with him taking a right-footed shot from 20 yards
out but it was right at Howard.

In the 86th minute the sum of all of our fears came inches away when
Galloway slid a pass into the path of an on rushing Lukaku inside the West
Ham area. The Belgian Hammer Killer got a toe on it and it beat Adrian, but
it just went wide in what was the final chance of the assault….I mean match.

As I said at the beginning, to go into this game with pessimism and doubt
would not only have been understandable it would have been pragmatic. Paul
Tierney had as bad a game as an official has had in quite awhile, but to get
mad at an EPL referee for being lousy is like getting mad at a cold virus
for getting you sick. It's what they do. Add the injuries and the story of
another loss was set up on a silver platter. But it didn't happen that way.
The result was by and large fair, but we played the second half not just to
respect the point but to win.

For that alone, I not only respect the point but I'm kind of proud of it.

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TOFFEES HARD TO BREAK DOWN
By Zaman Siddiqui 8 Nov 2015 at 08:WTID

Of all Premier League teams, Everton certainly have a lot of young talent,
none more so than Romelu Lukaku. It is a good thing I didn't publish this
post at night, otherwise there would've been nightmares all around the
world! The 22 year old has now scored 7 in 7 appearances against us in all
competitions. In recent years, he has made a habit of scoring very late on
against us. The last win for us in the BPL against the Toffees came in April
2007 courtesy of a Bobby Zamora goal. Additionally, we have lost four of our
last five matches in the league against Everton at Upton Park. Moreover, we
have defied the odds quite a few times this season. We have done the
magnificent at Anfield, as well as against Arsenal, and the champions from
the last two seasons Chelsea, and Manchester City. It is evident that any
game we expect to lose is one we turn up for. It is great to see the players
not going through the bag of excuses.

With one fit lone striker capable of playing to a high level, I felt that
Bilic made the right call playing Carroll for the entirety of the match.
Playing Valencia would have been problematic, as he was not at full fitness.
The gaffer couldn't have let the Ecuadorian striker play for a whole match,
as he wouldn't have been productive throughout. We needed a statement of
intent after that blunder at Watford, so there wouldn't have been any point
in playing him if there is a good group of eleven fit players on the pitch.
Personally, I am a bit worried that we need another number nine with the
qualities of Sakho, namely pace, and a bit of strength with a high
work-rate. Jelavic is certainly not capable of playing at the Senegalese's
level. The other problem that arises is that Valencia and Zárate now play on
the wings more often. They have less practise as strikers. Mauro does best
on the wings, but I don't we have seen enough of Valencia to say the same.
Unfortunately, he has been injured for most of his West Ham career ever
since signing from CF Pachuca for a reported £12M.

This is one of the most eagerly anticipated matches excluding the top six.
Everton, like us, have a lot of talented players. The Academy of Football
and the School of Science have a reputation for playing at a high calibre,
as well as signing and keeping hold of big players. Namely, we bought Payet
in from Marseille, and Everton bought Lukaku for £28M from Chelsea, as well
as keeping ahold of John Stones. It is fair to say Barkley, Lukaku, and
Stones (who are 21, 22, 21 respectively) are not playing the best football
of their lives, but are not better than our three best players. According to
WhoScored this season, Payet is playing better than Barkley, Lanzini is
playing better than Lukaku, and Reid is outperforming Stones. This was one
of the key reasons I wasn't surprised why West Ham and Everton had scored
before any of the other 3 o'clockers yesterday afternoon: we have potential
that, I feel, hasn't been fully harnessed. Playing without Payet, Valencia,
and Sakho, I feel we did really well out there. In the days of Big Sam, an
injury would have meant we lost our shape completely. Now, we have players
that can play with more flexibility. And I am not only talking about
Cresswell, and Jenkinson. This transformation from the gaffer has been
phenomenal. As the season progresses, I am adamant we will all get used to
watching Lanzini and Moses giving it their all on the flanks. They have
added a new dimension to our game that have changed our options up front,
and more importantly, our attacking mentality.

Andy Carroll Minimalist Footy.
After that shambles at Vicarage Road, all I wanted to see was a good start –
I was not disappointed at all. Payet drifted away to create an early chance
for Moses who hit the side netting. Both sides had decent chances to score.
There were half-hearted appeals from Ramiro Funes Mori for a penalty for a
tackle from Reid. It goes without saying, it wasn't a pen. The goal came in
the 30th minute with a shot rebounded off of Moses with a touch from Lanzini
on the ball to the right and an ice cool finish right into the top corner of
the net over Tim Howard. Mr Freeze went into hiding again after that finish.
There was a handball from Gareth Barry, as he moved his hands away from his
body towards the ball. While the players appealed, the Jewel wasn't fazed at
all. There was a nasty scissor kick on Payet which should have gotten James
McCarthy a red card. It was a malicious challenge which saw the Frenchman
limping. He wasn't covering back in midfield like he does as usual, so
something was up. I felt Bilic should have taken him off. There was no
sudden danger, but when you see your best player limping, don't take any
chances. Just before the break, the Toffees got the equaliser in the 43rd
minute. A wonderful ball from former Barcelona winger Deulofeu for Lukaku
was exquisite. Lukaku beating the two CB's with his pace and Adrián with
skill was not my main concern. Also, the Belgian was just onside, and was
already moving before the ball was played, so I can't fault any of the CB's
or the goalkeeper. I was irate with Kouyaté's marking of Deulofeu. He was
just jogging back when Deulofeu had a lot of space with the ball in the
middle of the park. It was careless marking which cost us a goal.

It was only when Payet was down that the gaffer subbed the 28 year old off
for Valencia. Given that the striker hadn't played for a while, I thought he
had built up quite a bit of fitness. He was fairly energetic up front. The
tackle on Valencia was very unfortunate from Coleman. There was nothing
wrong with his tackle at all, but he did accidentally catch Enner's ankle.
It was a sad sight as the striker had to be stretchered off the pitch in the
69th minute. I thought that was game over. There was a good header from Reid
off a Moses corner which flew slightly over the bar on the top of the goal.
Everton lacked clear cut chances today, but Lukaku nearly scored yet another
late winner. Brendan Galloway slided a ball for the Belgian which, only just
slided past the post. The game ended with injuries to Payet and Valencia.
Carroll was the one who got away. On the whole, 1-1 was the right result for
both teams. Both played really well in attack.

Tottenham have Arsenal today, and will play us after the international
break. Many of our players should return, namely Sakho, Obiang, and maybe
Payet. Valencia could take a while, as could Song. Spurs have only lost to
Manchester United this PL season. They have more players in the England
squad, so ours ought to be fully rested.

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West Ham 1-1 Everton: 5 things we learned as Romelu Lukaku scores again
against Hammers
17:03, 7 NOV 2015 UPDATED 17:04, 7 NOV 2015
BY ADRIAN KAJUMBA
The Belgian raced on to Gerard Deulofeu's fine through ball to level the
scores after Manuel Lanzini's delightful opener
The Mirror

Romelu Lukaku continued his remarkable record against West Ham to earn
Everton a point at Upton Park.

Lukaku scored for the seventh game running against the Hammers to become
only the second Everton player to score in seven successive games against
the same opponent. The Belgian striker equalled the Toffees record set by
Dixie Dean who managed the feat against Aston Villa, Bolton and Bury. Lukaku
levelled in the 43rd minute when he raced onto Gerard Deulofeu's pass and
rounded Adrian to score. Manuel Lanzini had put West Ham in front with a
brilliant curling finish on the half-hour. West Ham also suffered two injury
blows when Dimitri Payet and his replacement Enner Valencia were forced off
in the second half.

Here are five things we learned.

Battle of No.9s

Slaven Bilic reckons big No.9s are back in fashion thanks to Andy Carroll
and Romelu Lukaku but his was outshone by Everton's. Carroll is better in
the air but Lukaku has the better all-round game. And, at just 22, the
Belgian has plenty of time to get much better. He posed West Ham's defence
more problems than Carroll did Everton's and it was little surprise when he
got in to score just before half-time.

Payet is West Ham's star man

Payet is an absolute joy to watch. The Frenchman was involved in all West
Ham's best bits before going off injured and sprinkled in some
audacious skill for good measure. His nutmeg on Ross Barkley was brilliant
and if his no-look pass to Victor Moses had come off it would have been one
of the passes of the season. West Ham had a free run at signing Payet from
Marseille in the summer. With every performance that becomes harder and
harder to believe.

The hatchet man won

James McCarthy was getting frustrated watching Payet run rings around
Everton's midfield and eventually took matters into his own hands when he
wiped out the Hammers man with an ugly 33rd minute scissor tackle. Payet
hobbled on but eventually succumbed to the injury and was taken off in the
50th minute. For McCarthy it was job done. For the Hammers the hope will be
that Payet's injury is not serious. For the neutral it was a shame that the
most entertaining player was forced off in the way he was and the hatchet
man had got his way.

Bilic's Way will please Hammers

Slaven Bilic's take on the West Ham Way will certainly be welcomed by
Hammers fans. The Croatian encourages his team to pass the ball and keep
possession and it's noticeable how comfortable they are knocking the ball
about.

Playing Andy Carroll only emphasises the point.

With the target-man up top the temptation would be to hit the ball long at
every opportunity but the Hammers preferred to play through the likes of
playmakers Dimitri Payet and the impressive Manuel Lanzini. It surely
wouldn't have been that way under former boss Sam Allardyce.

Starring role for Stones

With Phil Jagielka out injured long term John Stones is now Everton's senior
central defender by virtue of his experience in English football rather than
age. Andy Carroll should have been a big test but Stones, 21, nullified him
and passed it comfortably in a mature display in which he showcased his
reading of the game and ability on the ball and in the air.

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Slav's hopes rise on injured duo
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic was left to curse one moment of Romelu Lukaku magic after the
Everton striker continued his remarkable scoring record against West Ham.
And boss Bilic said: "My centre-halves dealt with Lukaku well – apart from
for the goal. "But it was a good game and I am really happy with the way we
played, especially after losing to Watford last week, and because it was in
front of our home fans against good team. Valencia_3191610"On one hand I'm
never happy when we don't win, but we can't be unhappy with the way we
played. "Everton deserved something from the game, although I think we were
a bit closer to winning." Bilic faces an anxious wait to learn the extent of
ankle injuries to Dimitri Payet and Enner Valencia saying: "We will have to
wait on the scans. I am not a doctor but I am optimistic they will both be
ready for the Tottenham game. "We have to be happy with our start to the
season. We need to use this international break to come back even hungrier."

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