Leon Osman scored the winning goal on his 400th appearance for Everton as the Merseyside outfit secured a 2-1 victory over West Ham United at Goodison Park this afternoon.
Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring for the home side and while Mauro Zarate gave the Hammers' hope after finding a second-half equaliser, Sam Allardyce's men went away with nothing as Osman marked his landmark day with a goal.
Below, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes that unfolded and decides on whether the result was a fair one.
Match statistics
Everton
Shots: 14
On target: 4
Possession: 56%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 10
West Ham
Shots: 14
On target: 3
Possession: 44%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
Everton took time to find their feet in this match, but once they did, they looked threatening going forward, especially with Ross Barkley and Leon Osman in midfield. While both sides gave the ball away cheaply at times, and luck played a part for both teams in the first two goals of the game, Everton deserved maximum points. Arguably, both teams could have gone down to 10 men following separate challenges from James McCarthy and James Collins, but referee Mark Clattenburg deemed that cautions were enough for the pair.
Everton's performance
As mentioned above, it took time for the Toffees to find their stride, and the crowd expressed their frustration when the defence gave the ball away in dangerous areas. However, Lukaku's hunger today paid off as he was able to nab the opening goal of the contest. McCarthy was lucky not to see red for a dangerous tackle on Morgan Amalfitano, but the home side looked impressive in full flow and Osman was rewarded for his performance and service with a goal.
West Ham United's performance
The Hammers posed a threat with Andy Carroll in the box, but throughout the game their finishing was lacking. After suffering five first-team casualties prior to this match, the players did well to find their shape and did frustrate Everton at times when they were on the attack. Zarate's second-half goal lifted the travelling side, but their failure to find the killer touch hampered their chances of getting anything out of the game.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Leon Osman: It was the perfect afternoon for the 33-year-old midfielder as he rounded off his 400th Everton appearance with a winning goal at Goodison Park. There were spells during the game when he was quiet, but he looked composed in the middle of the park and was involved in a number of attacking plays for the Merseyside outfit.
Biggest gaffe
While Ross Barkley had a strong performance before his second-half substitution, the England international embarrassed himself with some unnecessary playacting in the first half. The 20-year-old managed to dupe referee Clattenburg into giving him a free kick after flinging himself to the ground, despite receiving no contact from Kevin Nolan, who was furious about being penalised.
Referee performance
Mark Clattenburg had a number of issues to contend with and, with the joy of hindsight, he may regret a few of his choices. McCarthy could have been given a straight red card for lunging in on Amalfitano and stamping on his ankle, but the angle was not the best for the referee, so a yellow was shown. In the lead up to Osman's winning goal, Clattenburg played advantage after Lukaku was brought down by Collins, which proved to be the right call. However, there is an argument that Collins should have been sent off as his Belgian opponent could have been through on goal, but the West Ham player escaped with a caution. In addition, Kevin Mirallas and James Tomkins were booked for a scuffle for similar incidences which have seen players get sent off.
What next?
Everton: The Toffees turn their attention to Europa League action when they take on Wolfsburg in Germany next Thursday.
West Ham United: The Hammers will face Newcastle United at home in the league next Saturday.
Danielle Joynson
