Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Fri 24 April 2026 18:10, UK

Chris Sutton believes Everton‘s European qualification hopes may take a blow against West Ham, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall likely to play a big part in the game.

Everton looked to be heading to a valuable draw against rivals Liverpool in the first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium last Sunday, only for Virgil van Dijk to claim a last-minute winner.

Everton dropped from eighth to 10th in the Premier League, as wins for Brighton and Bournemouth saw them leapfrog the Toffees in the table.

Heading into Saturday’s clash with David Moyes‘ old side, West Ham, Everton have the chance to jump up to seventh if results go their way this weekend. But the Hammers are fighting for their lives above the relegation zone and should not be taken lightly.

Former Celtic star Sutton is expecting a great spectacle and thinks there will be little to choose between West Ham and Everton at London Stadium.

‘Pressure is on West Ham’, not Everton

When these two teams met earlier in the season, they played out a 1-1 draw and Sutton is expecting the exact same result this time round.

A win for West Ham and a defeat for Tottenham would take them five points clear of the relegation zone with just four matches to play. Equally, if those results flipped, the Hammers would be in the bottom three.

One man who could be the difference-maker is Dewsbury-Hall. The summer signing has arguably been Everton’s best player this season, up there with Jordan Pickford.

His eye for goal and creativity has caused many problems for opposition teams and Sutton thinks he will be one to keep an eye on against West Ham.

He said in his BBC Sport column: “What a great game this will be, with Everton boss David Moyes going back to his old club. We know how big a win would be for West Ham in their relegation fight but I was impressed by Everton against Liverpool, especially Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s performance.

“I thought the Hammers’ point at Palace last time out was a decent result, but the pressure is still on them to win this one at home.

“I am expecting West Ham to play with the kind of intensity that is required but Everton can be a tough nut to crack. It finished 1-1 when these two sides met earlier in the season, and this smells of another draw to me.”

Everton’s European hopes fading

After looking like the team most likely to rival Brentford for seventh place and a Conference League qualification spot, some of their rivals have stolen a march on the Toffees in recent weeks.

There is just five points separating Fulham in 12th and Brighton in sixth as the race for Europe heats up.

Everton don’t have a great record in London of late but if they want to qualify for Europe again for the first time since 2018, a win at West Ham will go a long way to achieving that goal.

They have a game in hand on Brighton, Bournemouth, and Chelsea, while ninth-placed Brentford have also played 33 matches. At this rate, this European fight is going down to the wire.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.