London (AFP)
Everton missed the opportunity to get closer to their neighbor and leader Liverpool by losing at home to West Ham (0-1) on Friday in the Premier League opener of 2021, counting for Matchday 17.
In recent weeks, the Toffees have not failed to question their real abilities to join in the fight for one of the four qualifying places for the Champions League.
The second Liverpool club had certainly won their last four games in 2020, including three against Chelsea, Leicester and Arsenal, but the quality of play left something to be desired.
Some additional answers may have been found on Friday, at the start of Matchday 17, against West Ham.
Beyond the poor result, the Toffees never managed to be authoritative, and lost in the most logical way.
Aaron Cresswell (30th and 62nd), Declan Rice (55th) and Pablo Fornals (64th) had already alerted Jordan Pickford several times before the goal of Toma Soucek (86th) following a strike from Cresswell.
Apart from a half-volley from Gilfy Sigurdsson (44th), Carlo Ancelotti's players were completely unproductive on the offensive plan, including after this late goal.
This poor performance, against a team that remained in four games without a win, leaves Everton, current fourth, four points behind Liverpool.
The second match of the day pits Manchester United against Aston Villa in the evening (9 p.m., 8 p.m. GMT).
The Red Devils have the opportunity to join Liverpool at the top of the table, which would be a first at this stage of the competition since Alex Ferguson left in 2013.
© 2021 AFP