Everton on the back of two defeats in 18 games and eight straight home wins grabbed the game’s first goal when a Leighton Baines cross was ill-judged by West ham centre half Jonathan Spector who headed the ball straight back up into the away side’s penalty box where Tim Cahill stood strong to flick the ball onto Diniyar Bilyaletdinov who had the easiest of headers from six yards out for his fifth league goal of the campaign.
The London outfit stifled much of the home side’s first half play but they blow a golden opportunity to draw back onto level terms at the end of the first half when Frenchman Sylvain Distin was adjudged to have brought down Carlton Cole just inside the Everton area. World Cup referee Howard Webb hesitated for a moment and then pointed to the spot. The stage was set for on-loan Egyptian striker Mido to claim his first goal for the Hammers but his soft spot kick was comfortably tipped around the corner by Toffees goalkeeper Tim Howard.
After the break, the away side began to dominate and they richly deserved their equaliser on the hour mark when defender Manuel Da Costa bundled the ball home following a scramble in the Everton box resulting from Mark Noble’s corner.
Everton appeared de-void of imagination and craft in midfield, with the absence of in-form Spanish playmaker Mikel Arteta crucial through a groin strain. West Ham’s combative midfield trio of Parker, Noble and Kovac were firmly stamping their authority on proceedings, but it was Everton and David Moyes substitute Yakubu who struck against the run of play late on. Another lung busting run and point-blank cross from England hopeful Leighton Baines was beautifully headed home past Robert Green into the corner of the net by the Nigerian, which surely supplied Everton with three valuable points as they continue their Europa League push.
However just two minutes later, under-fire West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola went from despair to joy on the touchline as he watched former Real Madrid full back Julian Faubert cross an undefendable first time ball into the box where substitute Araujo Ilan sent a bullet header past the hapless Howard.
Ilan (right) celebrates his late equaliser with his fellow team-mates.
Late guile and endeavour by West Ham could have seen them pinch a late winner, but it ended all square in a vital result for the away side giving them a touch of breathing space from 18th placed Hull City. Whilst, Everton on the other hand will consider it two Goodison points dropped following their rapid return to form in 2010.
Attendance: 37,451
Everton: Howard 7, Baines 7, Neville 6, Jagielka 7, Distin 6, Osman 5, Heitinga 6, Cahill 6, Bilyaletdinov 6, Pienaar 7, Saha 6. Substitutes: Yakubu 6, Rodwell 5
West Ham: Green 6, Upson 5, Spector 6, Faubert 7, Da Costa 7, Parker 7, Kovac 6, Noble 7, Stanislas 6, Mido 5, Cole 6. Substitutes: Ilan 7, Gabbidon 5
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