Jarrod Bowen scored a pair of first-half goals and posted a memorable celebration as West Ham beat Everton 2-0 at London’s Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
Bowen’s partner announced that she is pregnant with twins, and Bowen celebrated his opening goal by putting the ball under his shirt — nothing new — but putting both of his thumbs into his mouth.
“We broke the news last night that we are having twins,” Bowen said after the game. “Since we found out it has been hard to keep it away from everyone but to release it last night and score today was really special. I could not have asked for a better weekend.”
WATCH LIVE WEST HAM vs EVERTON FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM – LINK
West Ham had lost six of seven, taking just one point since October 30, but now climbs out of the relegation zone by a point.
Everton’s taken just two points from eight matches after this loss and now sits dead last with 15 points, two off the safe spaces, with 20 matches in the books.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
Everton gives away three more points to relegation rival
Things are ugly around Goodison Park and ire toward the club ownership has somewhat deflected pain away from manager Frank Lampard.
But a team with established Premier League defenders with relegation-fighting experience has now given wins to the teams sitting 19th (Southampton), 18th (Bournemouth), 17th (Wolves), and the now 15th-place Irons.
Conor Coady, James Tarkowski, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Seamus Coleman, Alex Iwobi… this is not a team devoid of quality, but it is losing nearly every single week.
The Toffees had a lot of the ball — just under 70 percent for the game — but that’s a bit misleading given West Ham was happy to counter once ahead 2-0.
Everton lost the xG battle 2.33-0.67 and was out-attempted 11-5.
You go back to this summer and the sale of Richarlison partnered with the non-sale of Anthony Gordon — who came into this game with 21 minutes played since Boxing Day — has rattled the attack. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been easier to shut down and the money Everton bypassed by not selling Gordon for the wild fees attached to him would’ve sure been useful.
But there’s something here in terms of talent and experience. Can Everton continue to ride with Lampard?
Full credit to Moyes’ Irons, though
Whether David Moyes is the man for West Ham longer term is another story, but there’s no doubt the Irons have been fighting hard all season and, frankly, have been terribly unlucky in terms of what advanced stats say they should be getting from their performances.
So a 2-0 halftime lead was welcome and allowed the West Ham fans to dream about things returning to normal as Danny Ings came on as a second-half sub following his move from Aston Villa.
Bowen was excellent as was Declan Rice, and Nayef Aguerd — lost for most of the early season — looked the real deal in a back three with Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma. Things are looking up for the Irons.
And what would West Ham be without Rice?
Rumors that Arsenal will bid big for the complete midfielder and England national team star are just the latest buzz connecting him to a top-four side.
Look at those numbers. –>
Stars of the Show
Jarrod Bowen
Nayef Aguerd
Declan Rice
Kurt Zouma
Amadou Onana
Alex Iwobi reaction: Everton fighting for Frank Lampard
“The ownership is on us as a team, we attack and defend together,” Iwobi said, via the BBC. “We still have half the season left and a lot of improvement to do.
“Frank Lampard made a few changes after the break, told us to keep pushimg and be more dynamic. (Pressure) is nothing new to us, we were in the same situation last season. We have a break coming up and we have to regroup. It is not just the manager who takes responsibility, the players are fighting for him and the club.”
Frank Lampard reaction:
“I didn’t see that (fan protests),” Lampard said, via the BBC. “The fans support us and travel a long way for us. … It is a big job, I knew that when I took the job because we were looking at a relegation battle then. We had a big fight and stayed in the league. We lost Richarlison and now have tried to build around that so it is normal we are fighting again, when other clubs are trying to move on.
“I don’t want to tell how Everton fans how to feel, my job its to give everything in the job here. We had a lot of possession, but were short in the final third. It is impossible for me to jump into the future, last season we were five points shy of safety with five or six games to go but as a club we have to move together. I cannot complain about the spirit of the players and how they approached the game. They may have passed it slow but we didn’t find it in the final third.
“Fans are realists, they have watched the team over the last few years. History moves and nothing gives you the right to be in their league, we have seen huge football clubs go down. If you don’t move you will hit tough times. We are in tough times and everyone has to try to move forward.”
What’s next?
West Ham’s off to Derby County for a Jan. 30 fourth-round match in the FA CUp before a trip to Newcastle on Feb. 4.
The Toffees now welcome Arsenal on Feb. 4 before a Merseyside derby on Feb. 13. It’s difficult to imagine Lampard’s men — whether they remain his or not — won’t be bottom three on Valentine’s Day. Bummer.
West Ham vs Everton live: Irons lead 2-0 on Jarrod Bowen goals (video)
How to watch West Ham vs Everton live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET Saturday
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com
Key storylines & star players
West Ham is playing tight games but not getting the rub of the green over its winless run, losing six games and drawing one with a combined xG difference of minus-3.67. West Ham’s running the midfield with Declan Rice, Lucas Paqueta, and friends, and Gianluca Scamacca continues to look like a powder keg waiting to go on an explosive run of form.
Everton has scored in four-straight games including their lone positive result, an impressive 1-1 draw with Man City, and Demarai Gray has two of those goals. The other scorers are a defender (Yerry Mina) and a defensive midfielder (Amadou Onana) as the Toffees sure would like to see Anthony Gordon, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Neal Maupay or another attacker show his finishing face to the Premier League.
West Ham team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Maxwel Cornet (calf)
Your Hammers to face the Toffees ⚒️#WHUEVE pic.twitter.com/SY2gyjg1DN
— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 21, 2023
Everton team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Nathan Patterson (knee), James Garner (lower back), Andros Townsend (knee), Michael Keane (knee), Ben Godfrey (knee)
Today's Toffees! 📋#WHUEVE pic.twitter.com/0BHpAg3gIo
— Everton (@Everton) January 21, 2023
