Jordan Pickford secures Everton hard-fought point at West Ham
West Ham 0-0 Everton: The England goalkeeper kept out efforts from Jarrod Bowen and Guido Rodriguez.
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Your support makes all the difference.Jordan Pickford earned Everton a point from a stodgy stalemate with fellow strugglers West Ham.
The England goalkeeper kept out efforts from Jarrod Bowen and Guido Rodriguez and made a stunning late save from Danny Ings as the Toffees bounced back from last weekend’s defeat at Southampton with a gutsy goalless draw.
Crysencio Summerville had West Ham’s best chance when he rattled a post, but in truth neither side deserved a win from a joyless encounter desperately lacking in quality.
It will do little to ease the pressure on Hammers manager Julen Lopetegui following their miserable start but it was at least a second clean sheet of the season and a first at home since January.
Summerville’s defending was actually the highlight of a dreadful opening 45 minutes, the winger chasing back 70 yards to block Abdoulaye Doucoure’s shot.
Everton threatened sporadically with Jesper Lindstrom just failing to find Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the far post and Ashley Young seeing a shot blocked.
Two dodgy attempted clearances from Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski did not exactly fill the home fans with confidence, either.
Summerville’s occasional bursts forward offered some hope but the one time West Ham managed to string more than four passes together, Lucas Paqueta’s final ball just evaded the former Leeds man.
Pickford finally had a save to make in the 44th minute when Paqueta’s cute ball up the line unleashed Michail Antonio.
The striker tried to bulldoze his way through three defenders before teeing up Bowen, with the Toffees keeper palming his shot away at his near post.
Bowen flickered into life again at the start of the second half, shielding the ball from Branthwaite and turning towards goal with Pickford touching his 20-yard drive wide.
Pickford was forced into another save as the hour approached after another Summerville raid, with the ball squirming out to Rodriguez to try his luck from 20 yards.
The game had at least opened up a little and Toffees full-back Vitalii Mykolenko shanked an effort wide before Everton’s best chance arrived, Orel Mangala standing up a cross which Lindstrom headed goalwards and Fabianski tipped over.
Then came West Ham’s big moment, a rare moment of quality as Paqueta dissected Everton’s defence with a fine ball to Summerville, whose low shot across goal beat Pickford only to crash back off the far post.
Substitute Ings had a lively late cameo for the hosts and got a shot away from 15 yards which Pickford dealt with.
The best was to come in stoppage time, though, with Ings’ shot taking a big deflection of James Tarkowski and Pickford somehow touched it over the crossbar to secure a point.