Jarrod Bowen’s deflected strike helped Nuno Espirito Santo start his reign as West Ham boss with a battling 1-1 draw at Everton.
Nuno was appointed Hammers manager on Saturday, tasked with turning around a side that had started the Premier League season with four defeats in five matches, leading to Graham Potter’s sacking.
West Ham’s dire run looked set to continue when they fell behind early on to Michael Keane’s header but while Everton hunted a second after the break, Bowen struck to guarantee the visitors a point.
As well as being the first goal of Nuno’s reign, Bowen became the first person from a visiting team to score at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium, denying Toffees boss David Moyes a win over his former side.
Moyes’ side started brightly and threatened down both flanks early on, with Beto getting in between West Ham’s flat-footed defenders, although the striker was unable to generate any power on his free header from a floated cross.
Alphonse Areola was also untroubled when Iliman Ndiaye cut inside and shot straight at him before Everton exploited West Ham’s set-piece frailties to go ahead in the 18th minute.
Under Potter, West Ham had conceded seven times in the league from corners this season, and that weakness shows no sign of disappearing any time soon.
While Areola punched the initial delivery clear, the visitors were slow to step out and the ball was worked backed to James Garner, whose left-wing cross was headed high into the net by an unmarked Keane.
Chants of “sack the board” and “we want our club back” soon rang around the away end, and matters might have worsened before half-time as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall glanced a header wide of the far post.
Everton went up a gear immediately after the break as Jake O’Brien and Idrissa Gueye rifled over the bar, while Jack Grealish teed up Garner, who was twice denied from the edge of the area by Areola.
Grealish’s appeals for a penalty fell on deaf ears when his low cross ricocheted off Areola and cannoned into the left hand of an oblivious Konstantinos Mavropanos, standing a couple of feet away.
The hosts were almost caught out when O’Brien tried to cushion a header back to Pickford, who had to stick out a leg to deflect wide after Crysencio Summerville snuck in behind and poked at goal.
There was no denying West Ham on their next foray forward, though, with El Hadji Malick Diouf sprinting clear of O’Brien and James Tarkowski and sending a cross to the far side via Keane’s attempted clearance.
Bowen collected the loose ball on the edge of the box, cut on to his left foot and arrowed a fantastic shot – which brushed Keane’s head – beyond the helpless Pickford in the 65th minute.
The goal rejuvenated West Ham, although their attempt to play out from the back was nearly punished as Mavropanos was dispossessed by Dewsbury-Hall, who was upended by the defender just outside the box.
Garner sent the free-kick wide, while he had a chance in a similar area late on, but Areola got down low to save to ensure West Ham left Merseyside with a share of the spoils.
