The two teams walk out ahead of the Premier League match between Everton FC and West Ham United FC at Goodison Park on March 15, 2025
If there was ever any doubt what Everton supporters want to see in their final games at Goodison Park, David Moyes was provided with the answer on the hour mark.
Still goalless at the time, this match had disintegrated into a scrappy end-to-end battle the Blues were always likely to come off worst in. Yet as they regained the ball on the edge of their own box and the forwards surged towards the West Ham United goal, the fans roared, urging the flagging defenders to join them.
Like too many of the Royal Blue forays forward, the attack broke down. And the blow-for-blow attacks ended with what felt the most likely outcome - Tomas Soucek putting the Hammers ahead as their attacking talent made the difference when Jarrod Bowen was given too much time to pick out his teammate.
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Yet the home supporters ended up getting what they wanted in the end. Everton kept coming forward and, buoyed by late changes, found an unexpected equaliser when Carlos Alcaraz’s deep cross was volleyed back by Idrissa Gueye and headed in by Jake O’Brien. Like with the Merseyside derby and at Brentford last month, a towering defender survived altitude sickness to rescue a late point in dramatic fashion. That is now nine unbeaten in the Premier League for Everton. Given the resilience the side keeps on showing, the most pressing question is whether Moyes will ever taste defeat again?
Joking aside, with Southampton and Ipswich Town both suffering disappointing home defeats, and Leicester City not in action until Sunday, this was another valuable point that further extended the gap to the bottom three. Until Leicester play, that now stands at an imperious 17 points.
And that is the point. For all the understandable caution of Moyes - who will not attend next week’s test event at Everton’s new stadium for fear of cursing the survival effort - this club is not in a relegation battle. And that roar on the hour showcased what the tens of thousands who will say goodbye to their beloved second home over the coming weeks want to now see. This is a club that has tormented and tortured its fanbase over a miserable few years. Now sleepless nights are a problem of the past, everyone wants to enjoy the final games even if they mean the odd risk is taken.
There will be no fear when Arsenal and Manchester City visit this part of L4 for the last time. There will be an expectation Everton will challenge those teams and the resurgence under Moyes suggests that will be possible. As for when the doomed Ipswich and Southampton come, the shackles that held back this side in the turgid draws to the likes of 10-man Brentford and Fulham in the first half of the season must be cast off.
Supporters want positivity, ambition and desire in the final weeks of the historic farewell campaign and there was disappointment when the players struggled to deliver for much of this game.
What will provide them and Moyes with hope as the fixtures intensify in April will be the return of key players from injury. For the first time since his return in January, Moyes was able to name a matchday squad that consisted entirely of senior players and, in getting there, only required one goalkeeper on the bench. It was a boost that turned this game, with the late introduction of Tim Iroegbunam, Youssef Chermiti and Armando Broja - the latter two for their first minutes under the 61-year-old - creating the momentum that crescendoed with O’Brien’s late goal.
Moments before the equaliser, Chermiti had tested Alphonse Areola with a back post volley that he could only push into trouble. The half clearance that followed ended with the ball at the feet of Alcaraz, whose ball to Gueye was played across to O’Brien who, like he did at Brentford, found the back of the net.
The drama that ended the match was in stark contrast to how much of it had played out. O’Brien had in fact come closest in the first half when his rasping drive was pushed away by Areola. At the other end, Jordan Pickford reacted well to stop a Jarrad Branthwaite header from finding his own net and tipped a dipping Jarrod Bowen volley over the bar.
It ended with controversy though when Everton had a penalty disallowed for a second consecutive home game. The crowd was still booing a decision not to give a handball against Emerson just outside the West Ham area when Beto fell to the ground under pressure from Maximilian Kilman.
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Referee Darren Bond immediately pointed to the spot - only for VAR to intervene and for the decision to get overturned, just as the spot kick awarded to Ashley Young was in the final stages of the home draw with Manchester United last month.
The Premier League matchday communications centre later explained: “VAR checked the referee’s call of penalty to Everton for a challenge by Kilman on Beto – and deemed that no foul was committed, therefore recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned the original decision and play restarted with a drop ball.”
While Everton are unlikely to rue that decision too much, and while they may have been fortunate to have escaped with a point, this was another game in the unbeaten sequence that could have been won.
The last effort of the game saw a ball bounce in Alcaraz’s favour in the box but the 22-year-old could only scuff wide from 16 yards. Like against Man United, Brentford and Wolves, Everton could have won this match.
Finding a way to make this side more ruthless will be one of the challenges of the summer, but with the pressure now off, there will be no shortage of hope Goodison gets more chances to celebrate.