Everton must sign attacker as Nathan Patterson blows chance – Three things learned v West Ham United
Everton came away from East London with an invaluable three points after beating West Ham on Sunday (29 October).
A Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal in the second half proved to be enough for the Toffees as a battling performance earned them a 1-0 victory at the London Stadium.
It was by no means a game filled with quality, but Sean Dyche will be pleased with the discipline his side showed to limit the Hammers’ attacking threats going forward.
The win takes the Blues up to 15th in the Premier League table and creates a five-point gap between them and the sides in the relegation zone.
Here Goodison News highlights three things learned for Everton against West Ham.
Patterson in danger of being third choice
Nathan Patterson was handed the chance to impress against the Hammers after coming in to replace the suspended Ashley Young following his sending off against Liverpool last week.
The right-back was unconvincing in the first half as he dived in and was beaten a couple of times, but he was fortunate that the hosts weren’t able to take advantage of his mistakes.
Although the 22-year-old improved in the second half, he still wasn’t great and is likely to lose his place once Young is available again after playing second fiddle to the experienced campaigner in recent weeks.
That means the Scotland international could quite easily be the third choice right-back once captain Seamus Coleman returns to the fold.
Need to sign an attacking midfield
While there should be a place for Abdoulaye Doucoure somewhere in the Everton team, he just doesn’t look quite right playing in that attacking midfield role.
The Mali international is a willing runner, but he lacks knowledge of the position and is more of a powerful player rather than a creative influence.
To fully benefit from the threats provided by Calvert-Lewin in the air, the Toffees could do with a naturally creative number 10, who can profit from the chaos provided by the forward and make things happen centrally.
Despite being largely anonymous throughout the afternoon, the 30-year-old did latch onto one of the striker’s flick-ons well in the second half, but he didn’t show enough composure to beat Alphonse Areola with his effort.
It’s probably time for the Blues to think about signing an attacking midfielder who can provide something different.
Branthwaite is set for stardom
It was yet another superb performance from Jarrad Branthwaite to add the several impressive displays he has put in this season after breaking into the side.
The 21-year-old completely nullified the threats provided by the powerful Michail Antonio on the afternoon, something a number of the Premier League’s best defender’s have struggled with in recent years.
It’s another performance that is going to have caught the eyes of any potential suitors as the interest in signing him is only going to increase the more plays.
The centre-back’s game time certainly isn’t going to come under any threat soon and it’s hard to see him not rising to the very top on the back of his recent performances in a Blues shirt.
In other Everton news, Alan Smith blasted one player for what he did against West Ham.