West Ham United came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Everton in the Premier League on Monday. Jarrod Bowen scored the equalizer for West Ham, helping the team secure a point in their new manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s first game in charge.
After the former manager Graham Potter was let go on Saturday, the new Portuguese coach had very little time to get to know his new team. However, he quickly made a strong impression by deciding to drop midfielder James Ward-Prowse from the lineup. Interestingly, this is a player he had previously sent back from a loan at Nottingham Forest last season.
Everton Takes Early Lead
The issues for the London team continued as they allowed a goal from Michael Keane in the 18th minute. This happened after a corner kick was cleared, but the ball was sent back into the box, where Keane managed to score with a header.
Everton nearly scored again just after the start of the second half when their forward Beto had a chance, but he couldn’t hit the ball properly. His teammate Jake O’Brien tried to take a shot right after him, but it was blocked and went out for a corner kick.
Bowen’s Crucial Equalizer
The team started off strong in the second half, controlling the game for the first 20 minutes. However, they missed several chances to score. Their inability to turn those opportunities into goals backfired on them when Bowen picked up a deflected header, moved inside, and scored in the 65th minute.
The away team scored the very first goal in a competitive match at their new Hill Dickinson stadium, but their excitement quickly faded as the visiting team took control of the game.
Late Drama and Final Whistle
In the 72nd minute of the match, Bowen took a shot that was deflected out for a corner kick. West Ham fans were relieved just ten minutes later when Konstantinos Mavropanos was called for a foul after pulling on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s shirt. The referee decided not to give Everton a penalty kick, instead awarding a free kick to West Ham.
West Ham kept pushing for another goal, showing good energy and effort. However, they had to settle for just one point from the match, leaving them in 19th place with a total of four points. On the other hand, Everton is in ninth place with eight points.
Player Reaction: A Positive Step Forward
Bowen praised his teammates and the new manager for their positive attitude after a tough moment in the game. Despite allowing an easy goal, they stayed focused and worked together to earn a draw.
“We have a great team that is eager to put in the effort and turn things around, and I believe that showed in our performance tonight. We’ve only had Nuno with us for two days, but I think we played very well. It’s about time we started seeing some positive changes,” he said.
“It’s all about putting in the effort and paying attention to our new coach. We have a motivated team that really wants to succeed, so we’re making progress. Tonight is a positive step in that direction.”
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