Moyes' boys lose poise as Hammers make a point

Everton 0 West Ham United

If Everton supporters needed a reminder of life before David Moyes they got it yesterday. A year and a day after the manager arrived at Goodison Park the ghost of bad performances past came back to haunt the place with a turgid match. It was almost as if Walter Smith was still in charge.

There were few shots, little entertainment, and at the end of 90 tame minutes the result was of meagre help to either team. Relegation-threatened West Ham had the consolation of extending their unbeaten run to three matches, but even that had a hollow ring to it in the light of Bolton's win at the Stadium of Light, while Everton did harm to their hopes of qualifying for Europe.

Even the introduction of Wayne Rooney for the final 35 minutes could not properly galvanise the home team, and it was perhaps appropriate that the closest player to scoring was a centre-back, Alan Stubbs, who headed narrowly wide after 74 minutes. The committed were frustrated, the neutral were comatose.

"It was a disappointing game," Moyes said with rare candour. "I don't think many people will have enjoyed it. But West Ham defended well and they are desperate for points, so the credit has to go them."

At the start of the day, Moyes's record was won 18, drawn eight, lost 12, which over a 38-game season would have earned Everton 62 points, a start bettered at Everton only by Harry Catterick, who gained a point more over a corresponding period in 1961-62. Confidence should have been flowing through the home players, but if it was they disguised it.

Sloppy and unimaginative were two of the adjectives that came to mind in a first half that contained not a single shot on target and barely a move worthy of the name. West Ham were the better side, but did not have a clue when they got anywhere near the penalty area, while Everton were reduced to long, hopeful hoofs that the visitors' goalkeeper, David James, dealt with like a rugby union full-back.

The second half had to be better, and it overtook what had gone before in one move in the 50th minute that almost led to a West Ham goal. Joe Cole embarked on a run that culminated in a pass to the right, from where the young right-back Glen Johnson crossed low into the six-yard box.

Perhaps Stubbs was surprised that an attack had not broken down under its own inadequacy, and his lunge almost turned the ball into his own net. As it was, it trickled just wide.

Trevor Sinclair forced a save from the Everton goalkeeper, Richard Wright, after 53 minutes and, with West Ham gaining an ascendancy, Moyes brought on three substitutes – Rooney, Kevin Campbell and Li Tie – to breathe some life into the moribund Everton attack. It almost worked, too, Tomasz Radzinski providing a curling cross with 16 minutes to go that Stubbs launched himself at, the header shaving a post.

Frankly, if it had gone in it would have been an injustice to a game that did not deserve a goal.

Everton 0 West Ham United 0

Attendance: 40,158