West Ham United secured a vital 2-1 victory over Everton at the London Stadium, with substitute Callum Wilson scoring a stoppage-time winner to keep the Hammers two points above the relegation zone.
Match Overview
The match looked destined for a draw after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's late equaliser cancelled out Tomas Soucek's first-half header. However, Wilson struck two minutes into added time to snatch all three points for the hosts.
First Half
The opening 45 minutes were low-key, with few clear-cut chances for either side. Everton's Crysencio Summerville was the most dangerous player, but his cross found Taty Castellanos, whose shot was bravely blocked by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Second Half
West Ham broke the deadlock shortly after the restart when Jarrod Bowen's corner was headed home by Tomas Soucek, making his 200th Premier League start. The goal was reminiscent of former manager David Moyes' tactics, who signed both players for the Hammers in 2020.
Everton pushed for an equaliser, and Soucek had to clear Thierno Barry's header off the line. There was controversy when Mateus Fernandes appeared to handle the ball in the area, but no penalty was awarded.
As news filtered through that Tottenham had taken the lead at Wolves, Everton found their equaliser. Vitalii Mykolenko crossed, James Tarkowski headed down, and Dewsbury-Hall lashed the ball into the net.
But West Ham responded immediately. Bowen knocked down El Hadji Malick Diouf's cross, and Wilson guided the ball home to spark wild celebrations.
Implications
The victory keeps West Ham two points clear of the relegation zone and two places above Tottenham. For Everton, managed by David Moyes on his 63rd birthday and 750th Premier League match, the defeat damages their hopes of qualifying for Europe.
