How West Ham can take positives from a disappointing draw

West Ham came away with a point in their clash against Everton at London Stadium but will be more than disappointed not to have taken all three as they find themselves sitting just one point above the dreaded relegation zone.

The Hammers dominated the first half as Sebastian Haller had three opportunities to put them ahead, with his most notable chance being an unconvincing shot straight at Jordan Pickford as he raced through on goal.

The hosts did eventually find a way through and took the lead in the 40th minute courtesy of an Issa Diop header after a perfect ball in via Robert Snodgrass – the Irons’ first headed goal of the season.

But in true West Ham fashion, they just couldn’t hold on till half time. Just four minutes later, the Toffees won a corner and the majority of the stadium feared the worst. Lucas Digne whipped in a cross that the Hammers defense failed to deal with as Mason Holgate flicked it on for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to head home – undoing all of their home sides valiant work in the first half.

More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham

That seemed to knock the stuffing out of David Moyes’ men as the second half turned out to be incomparably lackluster in what can only be described as a missed opportunity as West Ham now head into a period with an intimidating set of fixtures on the horizon.

Ultimately, a combination of poor finishing, an absence of concentration, and a lack of squad depth on the day cost West Ham a vital two points, which would have given them a bit more breathing space heading into Wednesday’s clash away at Leicester City.

What positives can Moyes take after a game that will almost feel like a loss?

His side put in maximum effort in the first half, forcing Everton into a lot of mistakes at the back, which ultimately gave West Ham the upper-hand.

Chances were created due to this pressing style of play and despite being disappointed at the efforts that they failed to convert, it is still better than not creating anything at all.

It is still only three weeks that Moyes has been at the helm, and his methods will not have fully kicked in yet, notably his fitness regimes. The players did tire as the game veered towards its latter stages and were therefore unable to affect the outcome. Given time, the fitness levels of the squad will likely improve and they will be ready to keep up their high energy work-rate for a full 90 minutes, rather than just a single half.

As mentioned, the squad was down to its bare bones today, with four defenders being named on the bench as the likes of Felipe Anderson, Michail Antonio, and Andriy Yarmolenko sat out due to injury. With the comebacks of the former two players imminent, it will offer Moyes more firepower to pick from, either to start or make an impact off the bench.

Next. All square as West Ham and Everton fail to break each other down. dark

Now is a time for Moyes and his squad to really dig in as the culmination of the Premier League season is not far around the corner. The Scot is an experienced manager and knows what it takes to achieve results in this league, and despite their preferences of eye-pleasing football, West Ham fans would take winning ugly at this moment in time.

Home/West Ham News