Everton vs. West Ham: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Everton secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over West Ham on Saturday, winning a third straight match to follow an international break.
Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring on 26 minutes, capitalising on a fortunate deflection from Ross Barkley's shot.
In what proved to be a particularly fiery encounter, West Ham then equalised on 56 minutes via their own slice of luck: Mauro Zarate's shot clipping Phil Jagielka's heels and looping over a hapless Tim Howard.
Both sides wrestled for the initiative before Everton snatched all three points through Leon Osman, who slotted home after a slick counter-attack.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from this game.
Winner: Romelu Lukaku
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Lukaku is a frequent name in these winners and losers slides, as his form continues to fluctuate in his second season at Everton.
Having been excellent against Lille and disappointing at Sunderland, the Belgium international produced another polished all-round performance, capped with the game's opening strike on 26 minutes.
It was Lukaku's fifth strike of the season and his 20th Premier League goal for Everton in just his 43rd game.
What will enthuse the home supporters more, though, is his overall display.
The striker's hold-up play and awareness of team-mates were both much improved from his poor showing at the Stadium of Light.
Losers: Ross Barkley and James Tomkins
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Both of these players put in decent individual showings, Barkley in particular, but both are highlighted here for some needless play acting.
Barkley conned the referee with a blatant dive in the first half, earning a free-kick despite clear daylight between himself and Kevin Nolan.
James Tomkins then got involved in a fracas with Kevin Mirallas. Both players exchanged shoves, after which Tomkins sunk to the ground grabbing his eyes.
Both actions are part of football, but it will be interesting to see if either incident receives the attention a foreign player would instantly earn.
These two instances, as well as the melee to follow James McCarthy's tackle on Morgan Amalfitano, contributed to the game's hostile feel.
Winner: Mauro Zarate
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Mauro Zarate injected a missing spark into West Ham's attack following his introduction in the second half.
He scored the goal—with the aid of a deflection—and his direct running and clever movement troubled Everton far more than any other West Ham player.
Had he been on from the start, the Hammers would have asked more persistent questions of the home defence and arguably got a result.
There's no room to label numerous winners and losers, but Andy Carroll was also impressive for the visitors in his first start of the season. He won nearly every long ball and caused numerous nervy moments toward the end.
Loser: Carlton Cole
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One player to disappoint in this watchable contest was Carlton Cole, who was once again hauled off early on at Goodison Park.
Only in March, Sam Allardyce decided to substitute him after 29 minutes in favour of Carroll, following a pedestrian-paced start to the game.
Fast forward a few months and the same scenario repeated itself as Cole made way shortly after the break. The striker was once again on the fringes, and his poor control lost possession more than any other West Ham player in this match (four times), despite only being on the pitch for 50 minutes.
With Carroll on form, Zarate impressing off the bench and the exciting Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia sidelined for this game, Cole may wait a long time for his next start in West Ham colours.
Winner: Leon Osman
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Finally, Osman deserves the headlines for his winning strike that separated these sides.
The midfielder played in a deeper role to fill in for the injured Gareth Barry. Off the ball, he wasn't always at his best, occasionally struggling to track his runners and not adding enough bite in the tackle.
On the ball, however, he was much more influential, adding key creativity in the final third.
He made more passes (71) and the most chances (three) of any of his team-mate and earned the points with his 56th club goal in what was his 400th game.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
