Blues Stay Unbeaten At New Home After Hammers Point

Everton extended their unbeaten run at Hill Dickinson Stadium but had to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United.

The Blues were excellent in the first half and took a deserved lead on 18 minutes when Michael Keane powered home a header from James Garner’s left-wing delivery.

The visitors – playing their first match under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo – were much improved after the break, however, and nabbed a leveller just after the hour mark as Jarrod Bowen’s strike took a deflection off Keane and beat Pickford for the first time at the Club’s new home.

Sticking with the same XI that started the Merseyside derby at Anfield, David Moyes’ men made a fast start under the Hill Dickinson lights, Beto and Iliman Ndiaye both seeing efforts held by Alphonse Areola.

The pressure paid off when a recycled corner worked its way to Garner who whipped in a delicious cross, met by a peach of a header from Keane into the roof of the net.

Further chances came either side of the break for Kiernan Dewbury-Hall and Idrissa Gana Gueye, making his 200^th Premier League appearance in royal blue.

But the Hammers came back into the contest on the hour, Jordan Pickford making a crucial block from close range to deny Crysencio Summerville, before Bowen levelled two minutes later courtesy of a cruel deflection off Keane’s head.

To their credit, Everton came back firing in the closing stages, Garner smashing a free-kick from the left edge of the area just the wrong side of the post. Then, in the final minute of normal time, the midfielder collected a pass from Jack Grealish in a carbon copy move of his goal against Brighton but, this time, saw his low drive from the edge of the area saved by Areola.

In a blow to the Blues, Dewsbury-Hall was harshly shown a late yellow card that will see him suspended for Sunday’s clash with Crystal Palace for a fifth booking this season.