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West Ham vs Everton result: Goals from Kurt Zouma and Bernard secure embarrassingly easy win

West Ham 0-2 Everton: First-half goals from Kurt Zouma and Bernard turned out to be ample for Marco Silva's visitors, who embarrassed home manager Manuel Pellegrini 

Jon West
London Stadium
Saturday 30 March 2019 20:13 GMT
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Everton 2018/19 Premier League profile

West Ham stank out the London Stadium as Everton collected three points that could scarcely have been more straightforward.

First-half goals from Kurt Zouma and Bernard turned out to be ample for Marco Silva's visitors, who embarrassed home manager Manuel Pellegrini with the ease in which they dominated the entire 90 minutes.

Everton could and should have scored more in a game between two sides with aspirations to finish seventh this season. The Toffees looked genuine contenders to be the 'best of the rest', for whatever that's worth. West Ham appeared to be utterly mojo-less.

The tone was set early on as Richarlison used his pace to win a corner which the visitors converted into a fifth-minute opener.

Zouma, recalled at the back to replace the injured Yerry Mina, outjumped two claret and blue challengers to plant a downward header that bounced over Aaron Cresswell on the line.

West Ham were back in trouble soon after when Bernard skipped past Pablo Zabaleta but Angelo Ogbonna was able to block the shot as the Brazilian cut in.

The hosts were missing their own Brazilian, Felipe Anderson, in a line-up that also omitted both captain Mark Noble and in-form forward Javier Hernandez.

West Ham looked drugged rather than refreshed however as Dominic Calvert-Lewin burst into space on the right of the box. Lukasz Fabianski blocked his shot and was also behind Gylfi Sigurdsson's follow-up.

Within seconds the Pole was required again to bat away at effort from Lucas Digne from the other side of the box, and then punch away before Calvert-Lewin could head a cross.

Home hopes were briefly roused when Marko Arnautovic found himself one on one with Michael Keane but the Austrian fell over before he reached the box.

Everton's reply was a tempting ball across the home box that somehow eluded Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin.

Kurt Zouma celebrates his early goal

Manuel Lanzini was guilty of dithering when a passable Hammers chance came his way; within seconds it was all hands to the pump at the other end as Bernard once again caused havoc on the left.

New England cap Declan Rice was finding it tough getting on the ball in midfield but escaped a booking for a cynical felling of Richarlison on the run.

A second Toffees goal was coming though and it was the excellent Bernard who located a gaping net in the 33rd minute after Seamus Coleman, played in on the right by Richarlison, had taken out Fabianski and his defenders with a ball across the box.

Still West Ham failed to get a grip on the game. Fabianski blocked Richarlison's shot after his team-mates were over-run again. The Hammers, with the recalled Lucas Perez utterly invisible up front, were reduced to speculative pot-shots, first from Arnautovic and then Robert Snodgrass.

Bernard made sure of the win

Richarlison was booked for a foul on Lanzini that Snodgrass wasted by floating harmlessly out for a goal-kick, which summed up the Hammers' efforts so far.

Inevitably there were boos at the break and equally inevitably Pellegrini made changes after it with Perez - even more inevitably - hooked for Hernandez and Michail Antonio replacing Pedro Obiang.

There was certainly no immediate change however as West Ham continued to fluff up free-kicks and Everton create chances, with Michael Keane seeing an effort blocked.

Rice was booked for impeding Sigurdsson as Everton, confident of three points already banked, let the game meander past the hour mark. A third West Ham change was required and it was Grady Diangara, the least experienced option available to Pellegrini, who was sent on, for Arnautovic. That drew more boos from the home fans, presumably to let the Austrian know they hadn't been impressed.

Calvert-Lewin failed to hit the target twice as Everton continued to dominate without any real desire to punish their accommodating hosts.

Richarlison thumped a free header from a corner against the bar as West ham dozed off again. The final whistle was blown to a backdrop of thousands of empty seats and the cheers of happy Evertonians.

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