Everton v West Ham: Premier League – live | Premier League
Key events
Arsenal have just brought on Ethan Nwaneri … he is 15 years old. FIFTEEN! And he thus becomes the youngest ever Premier League player.
“The Arsenal” are beating Brentford 3-0.
Andy Hunter wrote that at the back end of last week, of course, long before the team was announced, and there is still no sign of Dominic Calvert-Lewin today. We are probably unlikely to see a glut of goals this afternoon, but let’s not give up hope.
Andy Hunter
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s status as Harry Kane’s understudy looked secure in the England hierarchy 14 months ago, when he replaced the captain in the Euro 2020 quarter-final win over Ukraine. He has not played for the country since, and this week saw Brentford’s in-form Ivan Toney named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for England’s final internationals before the World Cup. Qatar now appears a distant hope for the 25-year-old, who has been restricted to just 18 appearances for Everton since winning his last cap due to toe, thigh and knee injuries. Frank Lampard has been desperate for Calvert-Lewin’s presence all season and, despite signing Neal Maupay, claimed the centre-forward’s return diminished the need to add another striker in the transfer window. Goals remain a serious problem for a team without a Premier League win this season but, having resumed training during the enforced break, Calvert-Lewin should soon have opportunity to repay his manager’s faith and perhaps send a late message to Southgate.
Half an hour until kick-off. Have you been affected by Everton’s relegation battle last season? Are you a West Ham fan? We want to hear from you. You can email me or tweet.
Gary Naylor, meanwhile, thinks I’m being harsh on Lamps. As I said, I think the jury is still out. Lampard clearly had a big say in the successful battle against relegation, but that begs the question if he could and should have made it safe before that?
You make it sound like Lampard was a bystander in last season’s escape @LukeMcLaughlin. He was the leading figure in galvanising the club and our fans. He has now bought wisely and stared down Chelsea over Gordon.
The time to judge is May not September, even if we lose today.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) September 18, 2022
Jon reckons it’s going to be a draw.
I can confidently tell you what the score will be before the game even starts: 0-0.
For the avoidance of doubt, the kick-off time is 2.15pm and not 2.30pm, as may have previously been advertised on this blog.
The teams
Everton: Begovic, Patterson, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Gueye, Onana, Iwobi, Gray, Maupay, Gordon. Substitutes: Keane, McNeil, Doucoure, Coleman, Davies, Ruben Vinagre, Rondon, Jakupovic, Garner.
West Ham: Fabianski, Kehrer, Zouma, Cresswell, Coufal, Soucek, Rice, Fornals, Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Antonio. Substitutes: Scamacca, Lanzini, Downes, Areola, Cornet, Dawson, Ogbonna, Benrahma, Emerson Palmieri.
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Idrissa Gueye makes his first start for Everton since returning from Paris Saint Germain over the summer. The injured goalie Jordan Pickford is replaced by Asmir Begovic. Abdoulaye Doucouré is recovering from a hamstring injury and is deemed fit enough for a place on the bench but there is no Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the squad as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
For West Ham, Gianluca Scamacca drops to the bench following his goal against Silkeborg in the midweek win in the Europa Conference League. Lukasz Fabianski, Jarrod Bowen, Kurt Zouma, Pablo Fornals are all back into the starting lineup after being rested in midweek.
Preamble
Is Frank Lampard a top-level football manager? The jury is still out but this season – and therefore to a certain extent this afternoon’s match against West Ham – should provide the answer.
David Moyes, who spent more than 11 years managing at Goodison Park, returns to face his former employers today. His long tenure at Everton divided opinion among fans: some felt he was a highly effective operator for a club of Everton’s stature, while others believed he was overly conservative and prevented the club from achieving their potential.
Moyes’s career since he departed has neither confirmed nor disproved those opposing views. Was he out of his depth at Manchester United or was he on a hiding to nothing at what has become a deeply dysfunctional club? Has he over-achieved at West Ham, or should they have sustained last season’s push for the top four?
Is Lampard destined for a similarly mixed, Moyesian career? Following a narrow escape from an unthinkable relegation last campaign, Lampard is still searching for a first Premier League victory in the 2022-23 season. If he is going to prove he belongs as a manager at this level, Everton should really be dispatching the likes of West Ham, where he began his playing career, at home. Team news and more will be coming right up.
Kick-off: 2.15pm