View: Everton can exploit key West Ham weakness recently exposed
Everton will take on West Ham in their first game of 2021 as the Toffees look to win a fifth successive Premier League match.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side face a Hammers team that has impressed this season but in a recent game, a key weakness may have been exposed.
On Sunday, the Hammers drew 2-2 with Brighton at the London Stadium and the Seagulls looked to exploit their set-pieces.
Brighton’s second goal came via Lewis Dunk after the Irons completely failed to clear their lines from a corner.
The corner was taken short then drifted towards the front post where the ball somehow dropped for Dunk despite there being numerous claret and blue bodies in the way.
There are three West Ham players challenging for that ball with Dunk but the Brighton man still ends up with the ball.
This allows the defender to take the ball down and fire it past Lukasz Fabianski to give his side the lead.
It is calamitous defending at best and this wasn’t the only time this occurred in Sunday’s game.
This defensive weakness was clear in the first half as well.
Earlier in the game, Brighton fired a corner towards Adam Webster who, at six foot three inches, should’ve been marked by one of the Hammers’ central defenders.
However, no one picked up the Brighton man and he was free to steer his header towards goal.
On this occasion, Webster couldn’t punish the Hammers’ lack of aerial defence but this warning was not acted on as Dunk found out in the second half.
This is a key aspect of the game that Everton can exploit, especially with Yerry Mina in the side.
The Colombian has been a colossus in the air this season as the defender has won 72.5% of his aerials duels in the Premier League this term, according to Wyscout.
His headed goal against Arsenal showed how good a header of the ball he is and he could be a real attacking asset for Ancelotti on New Years Day.
David Moyes will be hoping he can get one over on his former side but he will have to make sure the Hammers do much better in the air when they face Everton.
In other Everton news, Kevin Campbell has delivered his verdict on reports that Bernard may be allowed to leave the club in January.