Everton rue iwobi, Rondon miss in lone goal loss
Everton are finger biting over double misses that would have seen them fly pass West Ham on Sunday. Super Eagles ace Alex Iwobi who was in action for 79 minutes for the toffees missed a begging chance in the first half just like teammate Salomon Rondon did in the second half.
It was a match Carlos Ancelotti and his boys had hoped to win on home ground with recorded 39,132 spectators in attendance.
It was however Angelo Ogbonna’s 74th minute flying header that nailed the game for vissing Hammers in what their fans had described as Super Sunday delight.
Ogbonna rose to meet Jarrod Bowen’s set-piece as Everton suffered their first home defeat of the season after three consecutive victories.
The result moved West Ham up to seventh in the table on goal difference as Everton slipped to eighth following Tottenham’s 3-2 win at Newcastle later on Sunday, missing out on the chance to move into the top four.
Everton were seeking to win their first four at Goodison Park in a league campaign for the first time since the 1978/79 season under Gordon Lee, but they looked anxious from the very first whistle.
Declan Rice was controlling the contest from the base of the West Ham midfield as an inviting low cross from Aaron Cresswell inside the opening three minutes that missed Michail Antonio by a yard set the tone for a period of early dominance from the visitors.
It wasn’t until the 15th minute that the hosts flickered into life as moments after Alex Iwobi came close to meeting Andros Townsend’s cross, Abdoulaye Doucoure rifled a shot from the edge of the box over, without ever troubling Lukasz Fabianski.
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Iwobi very nearly atoned for his miss when he looked to turn provider for Gray down the left but Cresswell made a vital late intervention before Doucoure tamely headed wide from another Townsend cross.
Everton searched in vain for an equaliser in the closing 10 minutes as Godfrey volleyed over from a corner but it was West Ham who did the late pressing as Ogbonna stabbed a deflected effort wide before Pickford brilliantly denied Bowen in the closing stages with the home side consigned to their fate.