The Premier League returned to action in style after the international break. Gameweek 30 started with a bang as West Bromwich Albion beat Chelsea 5-2. Meanwhile, there were comebacks aplenty on Sunday, as teams looked to rack up important points for the run-in. Monday night featured two more league games with European hopefuls Everton and West Ham in action.
Everton hosted Crystal Palace in the early kick-off on Monday night. The Toffees were looking to keep pace with the leading pack, having fallen behind in the race for European football lately. A win would have moved them to 49 points – level with rivals Liverpool with a game in hand. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s men were unable to secure the win. Michy Batshuayi’s late equalizer restricted them to a draw.
Although there weren’t many goals to recall in this one, the match overall was a pretty exciting encounter. Both sides registered plenty of shots on the night but were let down by poor finishing. Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze was presented with the first big chance of the game, but he shot straight at goalkeeper Robin Olsen, following a neat one-two with Jordan Ayew. Meanwhile, at the other end, Dominic Calvert-Lewin spurned a great opportunity as he hit the ball straight at the onrushing Vicente Guaita, despite having just the goalkeeper to beat.
Close to the end of the first half, Richarlison had a golden chance to give Everton the lead. However, the Brazilian forward somehow headed the ball over the crossbar after a great pick out by Seamus Coleman. He then failed to convert another great opportunity into a goal after being played through by Andre Gomes.
Everton finally took the lead in the 56th minute. Guaita, once again, did well to stop Gylfi Sigurdsson from scoring. However, the Spaniard’s save fell to Coleman, who picked out James Rodriguez inside the box for the opening goal. The Colombian attacker somehow managed to find an unguarded space to squeeze the ball past the Crystal Palace custodian.
The Toffees should have put the game beyond Palace’s reach soon after through Calvert-Lewin. However, the English striker was missing his shooting boots on the night and failed to convert another huge chance into a goal. The Eagles took advantage of yet another let-off and went on to equalize at the other end. Jeffrey Schlupp found space in between the Everton lines before playing a through ball to the unmarked Batshuayi. The on-loan forward finished the move off with a superb strike into the corner.
While the match ended in a draw, Everton did enjoy some positive news. The game featured the return of Jean-Phillip Gbamin from injury after an almost two-year-long lay-off.
In the later fixture, David Moyes’ West Ham United took on Wolverhampton Wanderers. A win for the Hammers would have moved them into an unthinkable Champions League spot, displacing London rivals Chelsea in the process.
West Ham started the match brilliantly thanks to the in-form Jesse Lingard. The Manchester United loanee scored his fifth goal in the claret and blue of West Ham following a stunning run from inside his half. The attacker sprinted past several retreating Wolves players using his teammates’ decoy runs before finishing calmly past Rui Patricio in goal.
Lingard was involved in West Ham’s second goal, as he kept the ball in play before allowing Arthur Masuaku to deliver a cross into the box, which Pablo Fornals converted with a deft touch. The Englishman then provided the assist for Jarrod Bowen to score the third goal who finished past the goalkeeper with aplomb.
Moyes’ men had surrendered a three-goal lead just before the international break against Arsenal. They very nearly did so again against Wolves. However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men fell just short of a comeback despite Leander Dendoncker and Fabio Silva’s goals.
