West Ham manager Slaven Bilic insists a top-four finish in the Premier League is now a realistic ambition.
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Two goals in the space of three minutes from Michail Antonio and Diafra Sakho saw the Hammers cling to their Champions League aspirations before Dimitri Payet snatched the victor in added time.
“It is a shame we could not win because up until the 78th minute we were well worth winning it”. I didn’t even look back at the fat 50-something “Hammer” who I’d been “exchanging pleasantries” with all game to “politely say goodbye”. To do it like this is unbelievable. “The first information is that we should be happy if he only misses three games”, Bilic told British media.
It was a game the Blues should have put to bed in the 69th minute when, at two-nil up, they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Muhamed Basic by Alex Song. “I went down the tunnel to calm down and came back straight away”, Bilic said.
Bilic went on to explain that he views Reece Oxford as one of the more important talents at Upton Park, saying unequivocally that a drop down in division in exchange for regular football would have benefitted the player. “We don’t have a great record here – we don’t have a record here at all to be fair”. Yet again Everton had numerous players giving seven or eight-out-of-10 performances but finding themselves on the losing side.
After the break, West Ham threatened as Antonio just missed the target with a header from a Payet free kick, but 10-man Everton were not being outplayed. They play well – very well at times in this game – but still find a way to ruin their good work.
West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini in action at Goodison Park. However, a lack of ruthlessness by Lukaku from the penalty spot was the trigger for West Ham’s dramatic comeback.
“Everyone got a bit shocked at that moment”.
Then Adrian intervened. “The penalty was a big blow psychologically”, said Martinez. So us and those teams – we all have a bigger room to improve.
Martinez was more inclined to blame referee Anthony Taylor, although having already booked Mirallas he was given little choice when the Belgian needlessly clattered into Aaron Cresswell.
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Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley both epitomized Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” as they looked unstoppable in the first half, and then completely impotent in the second.
