After a dismal eight-game winless run, we finally saw a flicker of the West Ham United we know and love in that 4-2 win over Brentford. But was it just a flash in the pan, or a sign of things to come?
Let’s be honest, the jury’s still out on Moyes. The management’s decision to hold onto that contract extension was a smart move, and we can all agree that Saturday’s clash against Everton is absolutely crucial.
The gaffer is no stranger to flirting with the sack, but he has embarked on a redemption trail once again. While the Brentford win was a decent start, it would count for nothing if we don’t build on it against Everton tomorrow.
Jarrod Bowen was the star of the show in the Brentford rout. After 15 career braces, he finally bagged his first senior hat-trick, becoming the first Hammers star to net a Premier League hat-trick at the London Stadium.
Emerson Palmieri’s screamer was also a thing of beauty too, and thankfully, it meant Neal Maupay and Yoane Wissa’s goals didn’t spoil the party in the six-goal thriller.
That first win of the year feels good, and our league standing finally looks a tad more presentable. We’re up to eighth, just a hair’s breadth away from Europe no thanks to Brighton & Hove Albion’s slightly better goal difference.
After our struggles last season, where our Europa Conference League triumph got us a taste of continental football, we need to earn it through our Premier League performance this time around.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. We haven’t picked up a win in our last four games on the road. To add insult to injury, the dismal run has also seen us fail to score a single goal in three of those four games.
Taking on Everton at Goodison Park is the perfect chance to turn things around. We have a score to settle after that 1-0 defeat at home back in October, but even more importantly, three points are crucial in our quest for Europe.
Team News
We’re heading to Goodison Park with a fully fit squad, having welcomed Lucas Paqueta back to the fold on Monday for the first time since he picked up a calf injury back in December.
City loanee Kalvin Phillips, who has had a rough go of it so far, has served his one-game ban for that red against Nottingham Forest and is also back in the mix.
Now, the question on everyone’s mind is whether Moyes will give him another shot at redemption or allow Edson Alvarez keep his spot.
Alvarez is just one yellow card away from a two-match suspension, but knowing the gaffer, he’ll probably stick with the trusted Mexican and let Phillips stew on the bench.
Possible starting line-up:
With a fully fit squad to choose from, we anticipate Moyes will stick with the line-up that dismantled Brentford last weekend.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on Bowen, hoping he can replicate last week’s goal scoring prowess and fire us to another crucial success.
(4-2-3-1): Alphonse Areola; Vladimir Coufal, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Kurt Zouma (c), Emerson Palmieri; Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez; Mohamed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse, Lucas Paqueta; Jarrod Bowen.