LIVERPOOL: A late rocket from Tomas Soucek gave West Ham United a 1-0 win at Everton in the first Premier League game of 2021 that had been short on fireworks until the Czech midfielder’s well-deserved winner in the 86th minute.
The Hammers lost goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to injury during the warmup but his replacement Darren Randolph barely had a save to make as Everton struggled to break down their rearguard.
West Ham wasted some decent chances until Soucek struck late, first forcing Jordan Pickford to parry a shot before reacting quickest to steer home Aaron Cresswell’s deflected effort for a goal that gave West Ham boss David Moyes his first victory at Goodison Park since leaving Everton in 2013.
The victory leaves West Ham 10th in the standings with 26 points while Everton, who could have gone second with a win, remain in the fourth spot on 29 points.