West Ham United fought back from an early deficit to secure a 1-1 draw at Everton in the Premier League on Monday, with Jarrod Bowen scoring to earn Nuno Espirito Santo a point in his debut as manager.
Following the dismissal of former boss Graham Potter on Saturday, Espirito Santo had limited time to work with his squad but quickly made his presence felt, notably by dropping midfielder James Ward-Prowse, a player whose loan he had ended prematurely at Nottingham Forest last season.
However, West Ham’s vulnerabilities on set pieces remained evident, as Michael Keane opened the scoring in the 18th minute, heading home after a cleared corner was crossed back into the box.
Everton nearly doubled their advantage early in the second half, but forward Beto failed to connect cleanly with a shot, and Jake O’Brien’s follow-up was blocked for a corner. The home side dominated the opening 20 minutes after the break but could not find a second goal. West Ham punished their profligacy in the 65th minute when Bowen collected a headed clearance, cut inside, and fired past the goalkeeper.
Bowen’s strike marked West Ham’s first goal in a competitive match at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium, giving the visitors a boost that unsettled Everton. Bowen nearly added a second in the 72nd minute, but the effort was diverted for a corner. Tension rose ten minutes later when Konstantinos Mavropanos was penalised for pulling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s shirt; Everton’s appeals for a penalty were denied, with the referee awarding a free kick instead.
West Ham pressed for a winner but had to settle for a point, leaving them 19th in the league with four points. Everton remain ninth with eight points.
Reflecting on the performance, Bowen praised his teammates and the new manager for their resilience.
“We’ve got a really good group here that wants to work hard and turn things around, and I think you saw that tonight,” Bowen said. “We’ve had Nuno for just two days, and I thought we put in a strong performance. It’s about putting in the work, listening to the new gaffer, and this group wants to do well. Tonight is a positive start in the right direction.”
