West Ham pick crucial win against Everton

• West Ham recorded a 2-0 win against Everton at the London Stadium
• Jarrod Bowen scored a brace to give the Hammers the win
• The win piles pressure on Everton’s manager Frank Lampard

West Ham United piled pressure on Everton manager Frank Lampard with a 2-0 Premier League win over the hapless Toffees at the London Stadium.

Jarrod Bowen’s first-half brace lifted the Hammers out of the relegation zone, leaving the Toffees in 19th place as the raucous home crowd chanted, “you’re getting sacked in the morning” at Lampard.

Unpleasant scenes overshadowed Everton’s loss to Southampton last weekend at Goodison Park, as Toffees fans demanded answers from players outside the stadium, and the mood of the visiting crowd would not have improved much after the first 45 minutes.

How the game unfolded

Jarrod Bowen celebrates scoring a goal. |PHOTO: DailyMail|

While Lampard’s team dominated possession in the opening exchanges, they did very little with it and were punished for it with 35 minutes remaining.

The chance for a goal appeared to have passed after Yerry Mina cleared Vladimir Coufal’s corner, but the ball was whipped back in and headed back into the path of Bowen by Kurt Zouma, who poked home from close range.

Bowen just about stayed onside to propel West Ham into the lead, and the 26-year-old took advantage of more Toffees defensive lapses to double the Hammers’ lead in the 42nd minute.

Michail Antonio raced down the right flank and into the box before firing in a cross for Bowen, who had the easy task of firing home his second goal of the game with ease.

Lampard’s shell-shocked side came agonizingly close to cutting the deficit before halftime, but Alex Iwobi hit the crossbar after the ball fell kindly for him in the box.

Everton manager David Moyes responded at halftime by replacing Seamus Coleman and Vitaly Mykolenko with Dwight McNeil and Tom Davies. The Merseyside club fought tooth and nail to get back into the game, with a low Idrissa Gueye effort saved by Lukasz Fabianski just before the hour mark.

From Fabianski to Jordan Pickford, the Everton goalkeeper nearly denied West Ham a third goal in the 67th minute, tipping Emerson Palmieri’s angled effort off the crossbar.

Everton was unable to claw their way back into the game in the dying minutes, leaving Lampard’s future even more uncertain ahead of a meeting with league leaders Arsenal on February 4, while West Ham, who are now 16th, face Derby County in the fourth round of the FA Cup on January 30.

Credit to Moyes

Declan Rice had an outstanding performance.|PHOTO: Goal|

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford nearly denied West Ham a third goal in the 67th minute, tipping Emerson Palmieri’s angled effort off the crossbar.

Everton was unable to claw their way back into the game in the dying minutes, casting further doubt on Lampard’s future ahead of a meeting with league leaders Arsenal on February 4, while West Ham, who are now 16th, face Derby County in the fourth round of the FA Cup on January 30.

Bowen and Declan Rice were excellent, and Nayef Aguerd looked the real deal in a back three with Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma. The Irons’ fortunes are improving.

What would West Ham be like without Rice?

The latest buzz linking him to a top-four club is that Arsenal will make a big bid for the complete midfielder and England national team star.