Lucas Paqueta and Niclas Fullkrug scored goals either side of halftime as David Moyes’ former club West Ham came back to beat Moyes’ former current side Everton 2-1 at the Premier League Summer Series in Chicago on Wednesday.
WATCH — West Ham vs Everton full match replay
Everton went ahead in the 17th minute when 18-year-old midfielder Harrison Armstrong won the ball back in his own half, carried it into the penalty area and teed up Idrissa Gana Gueye for the finish. It wasn’t the game’s first (or last) gaffe to make it very clear that both sides are still very much in preseason form.
West Ham equalized in the 42nd minute, thanks to an inexplicable mistake by Everton’s backup goalkeeper, Mark Travers. Max Kilman floated a long ball over the top that looked little threat to the Toffees’ defense, but Travers opted to punch it away near the edge of his box. The ball came off Travers’ glove and this head as Paqueta pounced and poked it into an empty goal.
Paqueta also played a part in West Ham’s second goal, as he collected a loose ball at midfield and quickly played it forward to Fullkrug, who wasted no time and headed straight toward goal. Four touches from near the halfway line, into the penalty area, and Fullkrug slammed a left-footed finish low and inside the far post.
West Ham have their first win of the Summer Series after they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester Untied on Saturday. Bournemouth beat Everton 3-0 on the weekend, giving the Toffees two defeats from two games as the club prepares to open its brand new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock when the 2025-26 season kicks off next month.
Player ratings - West Ham vs Everton
West Ham vs Everton live updates - by Andy Edwards
West Ham vs Everton final score: 2-1
Goalscorers: Idrissa Gana Gueye (17'), Lucas Paqueta (41'), Niclas Fullkrug (64')
GOAL! West Ham 2-1 Everton: Fullkrug hammers one inside the far post (64')
GOAL! West Ham 1-1 Everton: Paqueta pokes home after Travers makes a blunder (41')
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Everton: Gueye scores after Armstrong carries it a long way (17')
West Ham starting lineup
Foderingham - Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Casey - Potts, Irving, Ward-Prowse - Paqueta, Diouf, Marshall
Everton starting lineup
Travers - Patterson, Keans, O’Brien, Mykolenko - Iroegbunam, Gueye, Armstrong - Ndiaye, McNeil, Beto
How to watch West Ham vs Everton live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 6:30pm ET Wednesday
Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Stream live on Peacock
Moyes has led both teams on two occasions, making this match a very rare occasion even for preseason. Both teams lost their Summer Series opener as error-prone Everton were plundered by Bournemouth and West Ham’s comeback bid came up short vs Manchester United.
Graham Potter’s Irons could really use a strong preseason as his midseason appointment at West Ham was met by applause but suffered through an uneven campaign. The side looks unfamiliar as well, as Mohammed Kudus is off to Spurs and Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, and Aaron Cresswell all left the club.
West Ham team news, focus
Niclas Fullkrug went 72 minutes against Man United after his injury-plagued first season at West Ham became a major cause for concern. Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek combining for their goal was nice, but the Irons would sure love to find new (or at least improved) sources of strength.
Everton team news, focus
The Toffees are so shallow at the back right now as James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, and Jarrad Branthwaite remain unavailable. Moyes has stressed that the Toffees have been turned down by a number of targets. For now, one of their transfer successes — exciting Thierno Barry — will maintain plenty of interest from the supporters.
West Ham vs Everton prediction
Surely both sides will arrive with vigor, as Moyes seemed perturbed by his side’s performance vs Bournemouth. But what can they really do while so stretched at the back? West Ham 2-1 Everton.
