West Ham will make their final trip to Goodison Park on Saturday to face former boss David Moyes’ Everton.
Historically, Goodison Park has been a tough venue for the Hammers, managing just 15 wins from 72 visits, and West Ham go into the game coming off a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle, which leaves them 16th in the league.
Everton, meanwhile, have lost just one of their nine games since Moyes’ return. During that period, they’ve increased their gap from the relegation zone from two points to 16.
Both sides are currently on 33 points, with Everton a place above West Ham due to goal difference.
However, Everton have shown far more consistency in recent weeks, going unbeaten in their last eight games.
In contrast, West Ham have had mixed results, with back-to-back wins over Arsenal and Everton sandwiched between disappointing losses to Crystal Palace, Brentford and Newcastle.
Moyes enjoyed plenty of success at West Ham, leading the club to three consecutive seasons of European football, including the 2023 Conference League title. However, with many fans calling for his departure towards the end of his tenure, he will no doubt be eager to get the last laugh by defeating his former side.
Can the Hammers Edge It Over the Toffees?
Since Potter’s arrival, West Ham have improved defensively, conceding no more than two goals in any match under his management. This is a significant improvement from earlier in the season, where they had conceded four or more goals on multiple occasions.
However, the lack of threat going forward remains a concern. The Hammers now have the lowest shots per game in the league since Potter took charge, averaging just 9.3 shots and 2.6 on target.
Everton, meanwhile, have conceded in their last five games and are coming off three consecutive draws, which should ultimately give West Ham some hope of both scoring and picking up a result this weekend.
Despite struggling for clean sheets in recent weeks, Everton have scored in each of their last eight games, with goals coming from a variety of scorers, so West Ham will need to be wary of the different players who could find the net for the Toffees this weekend.
When the teams met in November at the London Stadium, it was a dull 0-0 draw with little action in front of goal.
However, with both nearly guaranteed Premier League survival at this point in the season, we can hope that more risks will be taken in the final third, and in a fixture where both teams have conceded a combined 83 league goals this season, there’s a good chance this could lead to a more memorable encounter this time round.