View: Two simple ways Everton can get European bid back on track after West Ham blow

With the finish line quickly coming into view, Everton are stumbling.

He may not publicly admit it, but David Moyes will know the scars inflicted by the last-gasp derby defeat by Liverpool took their toll against West Ham. His side were below-par and low on energy at the London Stadium, culminating in Callum Wilson’s 92nd-minute dagger.

As if still reeling from Virgil van Dijk’s own stoppage-time hammerblow, the Toffees crawled out of the traps on Saturday, a fatal mistake. What made the display all the more baffling, though, was the fact that the visitors also had so much to play for.

Moyes would have been seething at the final whistle. The performance was poor, and the reality now is that the two soft goals, the latter of which they shipped in injury-time for the second consecutive week, have derailed their bid for Europe.

While Everton are still in contention for the top seven, they have to improve drastically.

Simple Everton mistakes could ruin season

There would be no happy returns for Moyes. He had made his comeback at the London Stadium for the first time since leading West Ham to Conference League glory in 2023, fittingly also on the day he had turned 63.

After he rightly received a warm reception, the arena then turned gladiatorial.

Tomas Soucek broke the deadlock shortly after the half-time restart with a trademark header, but as the clock ticked toward 90 minutes, Everton appeared to have secured a point. James Tarkowski nodded down smartly for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who lashed home.

However, there would be yet more late heartbreak for the Toffees.

Jarrod Bowen did superbly to divert El Hadji Malick Diouf’s deep, searching cross back across the face of goal, where Wilson arrived to finish and spark scenes of jubilation. The drama was greeted with nothing but stony silence in the away end.

For the second week running, Moyes’ charges had snatched defeat from the jaws of a creditable draw. Adding insult to injury, they are now down in 11th place after other results went against them. The tides have certainly begun to turn.

It is a credit to the Scot that they are even in contention.

Even the most optimistic of supporters would have to admit that the club are yards ahead of where they were expected to be toward the conclusion of Moyes’ first full campaign back in charge. Not long ago, they had been in West Ham’s shoes, battling at the other end.

But without Lady Luck onside, the Premier League is notoriously unforgivable. That much was proven when, somehow, the officials conspired to not award a penalty for Mateus Fernandes’ blatant handball. It was a touch more suited to the basketball court.

“We’re disappointed we’ve not been able to maintain [our form],” Moyes told evertontv. “We’ve conceded a couple of goals today and we did last week, as well. That’s not like us.

“We need to find a way of getting better if we’ve got any chance.”

All of a sudden, Everton aren’t doing the basics. Coming into the match, they had boasted one of the Premier League’s best records when defending against set-pieces. Now, Moyes has every reason to be “very concerned”, as he admitted to feeling post-match.

There were worrying similarities between Soucek’s opening goal and Van Dijk’s winner in the Merseyside derby. Both players were able to bully their opponents to make contact with the ball from corners. Beto and Jarrad Branthwaite are sorely missed in this department.

Toffees lack bite in Beto absence

With Beto absent due to concussion protocols, Thierno Barry was given the full 90 minutes to make an impression. Again, though, he was painfully short of the required standard.

The 23-year-old had made his 20th league start of the season at the London Stadium but has still not properly found his feet since arriving on Merseyside in a £27million deal from Villarreal. There are also no signs that the striker’s rift with supporters is healing.

There were promising glimpses, particularly around his hold-up play, but he lacked the cutting edge needed to help the Toffees secure an invaluable point. It is now just one goal in his past 11 games for the ace, whose future at the club looks far from guaranteed.

With question marks around his application during matches still hanging dangerously over his head, this is another unwanted issue Moyes must address next week. A simple fix is to drop him as soon as Beto is available. This change will help to restore Everton’s thrust.

Still, it is crucial to stress that it is not all doom and gloom. Everton remain well-placed in the fight for Europe, sitting just three points off sixth place with four games remaining.

To get anywhere near achieving Moyes’ goal, however, they must get back to basics.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.

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