West Ham United and Everton have taken a point apiece after playing out a 1-1 draw at Upton Park in the Premier League this afternoon.
Manuel Lanzini put the Hammers ahead just after half an hour, but Romelu Lukaku scored his seventh goal in as many games against the London side 10 minutes later.
West Ham also suffered the blow of losing two of their key men, Dimitri Payet and Enner Valencia, to injuries during the match.
Below, Sports Mole has assessed the game that unfolded at Upton Park.
Match statistics
WEST HAM UNITED
Shots: 16
On target: 5
Possession: 51%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 11
EVERTON
Shots: 13
On target: 4
Possession: 49%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 12
Was the result fair?
The statistics do not always reflect how the game panned out, but this one certainly does. It was a very even and open game, which provided entertainment for the neutrals. Both teams seem to have a similar attacking ethos and both set up in a similar shape, which gave us end-to-end action at Upton Park, particularly in the first half.
As expected, West Ham had their tails up after Lanzini nudged them ahead, but they looked rattled when Lukaku found the equaliser shortly before the half-time whistle. It was ferocious at times as players went in for tackles, but for all their attacking threats, neither side could find that killer touch to nab the winner before the full-time whistle. Both sides looked threatening on the ball, and both defences needed to be solid in order to hold off attacks coming their way.
West Ham United's performance
Home games have not brought out the best results in West Ham this season, but they seemed to be able to cope with Everton's intricate play when defending. Slaven Bilic has set up an attacking side and their pressure paid off when Lanzini opened the scoring with a wonderful curling effort past goalkeeper Tim Howard. After conceding, there were times when the team looked as though they had lost composure, but as the goal came close to half time, they managed to regroup during the interval.
The big blow for the Hammers came with Payet and Valencia were forced off the field with injuries. Payet was substituted early in the second half after getting hurt from a first-half scissor tackle from James McCarthy, who could have easily been sent off for the challenge, but was only issued with a yellow card.
Valencia, who has only recently returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, came on as a second-half sub and made a difference for the team, but injured his ankle in a fair tackle from Seamus Coleman. Unfortunately for the Ecuadorian, he was stretchered off the field. The club will be hoping that the injuries are not serious for either player.
Everton's performance
The Toffees would have been full of confidence heading into the match after executing a 6-2 hammering over Sunderland last weekend, and they seemed patient enough to keep the ball without much threat in the early stages of the game. The team sparked into action when West Ham showed their attacking intent and they had chances to get on the scoresheet before Lanzini struck.
After going a goal down, the team responded when Lukaku latched on to a perfect through ball from Gerard Deulofeu before slotting it home. There were suggestions of a possible offside offence, but it would have been by the slightest of margins if the Belgian was flagged. Everton were lucky to finish the first half with 11 men after McCarthy's tackle, and after the break they were subjected to a number of attacking plays from West Ham.
The Merseyside outfit created chances for themselves, but they failed to convert them - one particular opportunity came to Lukaku, who was six or seven yards from the goal, but his attempt just grazed past the post.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Manuel Lanzini: The Argentine's goal is worthy of praise alone as it was a wonderful curling effort, which glided past Howard and into the back of the net. Not only did he score a goal for his side, he was also involved in most of West Ham's attacks and the Everton players struggled to keep him quiet across the 90 minutes.
Biggest gaffe
Both sides had one really good chance each to score the winner in the second half. Winston Reid, who last scored a year ago, had a free header from a corner, but the ball went just over the bar. Lukaku's attempt in the second half where he was just seven yards from goal was the closest that his side came to getting the winner, but he fluffed it.
Referee performance
Paul Tierney was taking charge of just his fourth Premier League game and he had a few decisions to make. McCarthy's challenge on Payet could have been a red card, but he chose yellow instead, which is sure to have angered the Hammers. The match official seemed reluctant to issue any cards in the early stages of the game, despite tackles flying in, but he seemed relatively in control of the game throughout. He did get some criticism from an angry Bilic when he blowed for half time just as Andy Carroll was on goal, and also signalled for full time before Mark Noble could take a free kick.
What next?
West Ham United: After the international break, the Hammers will face Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on November 22.
Everton: The Toffees will take on Aston Villa at Goodison Park on November 21.
Danielle Joynson
