Niclas Fullkrug came off the bench to net a well-placed winner as West Ham came from behind to beat Everton 2-1 in the Premier League Summer Series. West Ham had the better of the play almost throughout against an Everton side still struggling with defensive absences, and eventually got their just reward for their possession dominance.
How the teams lined up | Match stats | As it happenedPremier League pre-season: Fixtures and resultsEighty per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky SportsThe impact of a full pre-season under Graham Potter was evident from kick-off in Chicago with the Hammers determined to attempt to play through their opponents and often willing to take risks with their passes.
But the risk young defender Kaelan Casey took for Evertons opener was purely one of a concentration lapse, as his square pass on the halfway line was pounced upon by Harrison Armstrong. He raced through before freeing Idrissa Gana Gueye, whose low effort was cheaply let under his glove by Wes Foderingham.
That would not be the worst goalkeeping error of the half, as an innocuous diagonal skimmed the gloves of new Everton keeper Mark Travers as he came to punch and fell kindly for Lucas Paqueta to level.
West Ham made seven changes at the break and immediately stepped up their dominance, with Fullkrug firing home the winner with a placed finish from a tight angle 20 minutes into the second period. Evertons summer striking arrival Thierno Barry showed brief glimpses to give hope of a potential leveller but it never materialised, with a Charly Alcaraz header the closest the Toffees came to getting their first points of the Summer Series on the board.
Analysis: Its only pre-season – but Everton are strugglingSky Sports Ron Walker: Evertons pre-season campaign has been hit by defensive injury set-backs which have affected their preparations but two goals in four games, one of those against fourth-tier Accrington Stanley should be a greater concern.
Theres always a pinch of salt required in friendlies but the Toffees look limited going forward. Playing with a low block and a five-man defence against West Ham caused its own problems getting up the pitch and beyond Gueyes opener and a couple of half-chances after half-time they had little to show across the 90 minutes in Chicago.
Moyes himself said Everton are struggling to bring extra bodies in which is an added worry. Harrison Armstrong was their most dangerous threat on Wednesday night with a couple of direct runs and a nice assist for Gueyes goal.
But as West Ham popped the ball around with increasing regularity, it was far harder to discern the patterns of play in the Toffees build-up. It wasnt aided by a lack of individuals with the obvious quality required to take a game by the scruff of its neck.
At one point last season Everton had the second-best chance conversion rate of anyone in the Premier League since Moyes return, and that was never going to be sustainable. The major caveat is that with Charly Alcaraz behind Beto and a settled back four, Everton begin to look more capable.
But whatever new signings do materialise, and the existing team at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the real test will be how quickly they can get up to speed with their opening-weekend trip to Leeds, live on Monday Night Football, now 19 days away.
Moyes: Were not ready to start the seasonEverton head coach David Moyes: It wasnt so good again. We were a little bit better in the second half than the first, and we conceded a couple of really bad goals against Bournemouth but weve done that again tonight.
We can always work on it to become better. We made pretty poor mistakes on the ball for the goals. Were looking to make more additions and do better, if were going to lose games were not going to let that happen.
Were not ready to perform well enough in this tournament. Were not ready to start the Premier League season. Im not overly concerned [by the results] because I dont have the players which I need and what I want.
And obviously, were up against it right from the start. We knew before we came [to the US] we were going to be really up against it. So, it was never going to be us coming here and winning [games]. I think our attacking play at the moment has been really poor.
I think we havent created enough chances. I think the way were playing in that area of the pitch at the moment has been really below par. But weve made individual mistakes which has shown us up for that as well.
It stood out tonight, some goalkeeping mistakes. At the weekend, we made a couple of mistakes against Bournemouth. Potter pleased by Hammers resilienceWest Ham head coach Graham Potter: Its pleasing. I dont think we came back from a goal down last season, its not a habit you want to get into but its a good characteristic to have.
The intensity was there from our perspective. Fullkrug can play a great role. His intensity off the bench is something unique but its nice to have the option with him from the start. He brought energy to the team and near enough made the goal for himself.
Premier League Summer Series fixtures and scheduleSaturday July 26 – MetLife Stadium, New Jersey Everton 0-3 BournemouthMan Utd 2-1 West Ham Wednesday July 30 – Soldier Field, ChicagoWest Ham 2-1 Everton Thursday July 31 – Soldier Field, ChicagoManchester United 4-1 Bournemouth Sunday August 3 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AtlantaBournemouth vs West Ham – 7pm kick-off, live on Sky SportsManchester United vs Everton – 10pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports
