West Ham were beaten 1-0 at the London Stadium on Sunday, falling to back-to-back defeats.
The defeat comes after a poor midweek display in the Europa League, losing to Olympiacos with David Moyes opting to rest several key players for the trip to Greece.
That decision proved to be the wrong one as West Ham lacked the usual ruthlessness that saw them climb comfortably into the top half this season.
In fact, the first shot on target for David Moyes’ side came deep into added time which summed up the lack of bite in the team in what was another frustrating display.
The game highlighted a number of factors that need to be addressed. One of them is an over-reliance on Michail Antonio.
The 32-year-old failed to provide the same impetus that Dominic Calvert-LEwin gave Everton in the final third. The former Nottingham Forest attacker has been an incredible servant for the Hammers, but if this team is to succeed in the Premier League, a new striker needs to be the next target.
After all, behind him are the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus; two extremely talented, technically gifted individuals who need more than counter-attacking football to get the best out of them.
Who Stood Out for West Ham against Everton?
It was another poor display, there’s no papering over that.
Nayef Aguerd struggled in the game after a few tidy passages of play but was easily rolled by Calvert-Lewin for the Everton winner and looked increasingly second-best in their duel.
James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez were overrun in midfield that was reshaped. Kudus, deployed at no10 had a few bright moments but they came few and far between.
In truth, it was an afternoon to forget, especially for Antonio whose substitution was met with sarcastic jeers by the home crowd.
Improvements are needed ahead of the League Cup tie with Arsenal in midweek otherwise this slump in form could continue.
