Nuno Espirito Santo stuck to his guns – and a successful formula – when fielding an unchanged West Ham United XI for the third Premier League match in a row for the visit of David Moyes’ Everton.
This meant that Aaron Wan-Bissaka was omitted from the Hammers’ XI again.
Kyle Walker-Peters has now started every match since Wan-Bissaka’s delayed return from DR Congo’s jubilant, if overly-long World Cup celebrations. Now, there is a very real chance that Wan-Bissaka – West Ham United’s reigning Player of the Year, remember? – might not get his place back any time soon.
How will the Premier League table look when it’s all said and done? 🤔
West Ham are in a precarious position with 4 games to go! 😬
Like in the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace and particularly the 4-0 thrashing of Wolves, Walker-Peters was one of Nuno’s most impressive performers on a day when the Hammers narrowly maintained their two-point superiority over Tottenham Hotspur in the relegation battle.
And speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher felt that the understanding between the experienced right-back and captain Jarrod Bowen was a particular highlight.
Kyle Walker-Peters gets his flowers after West Ham United win
El Hadji Malick Diouf provided the cross from which Bowen assisted Callum Wilson’s stoppage-time winner. But Carragher was keen to highlight the role played by the other full-back.
“I mean, to score a goal of this quality at this stage of a game, with what’s happening around it…” said the Liverpool legend. “I just wanted to look at Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back and Jarrod Bowen, who I absolutely love.
“When you’ve got two or three minutes left, to play this pass, you’ve got to get it right.”
The pass Carragher is referring to was a lovely lofted ball down the channel from Walker-Peters into Bowen’s path; “bang on the money, and the movement is fantastic, as you expect from Jarrod Bowen.
“Imagine that [KWP pass] goes out! A minute lost.”
Bowen’s cross from the right was headed away but Walker-Peters, drifting into midfield, was first to the loose ball, recycling the play and creating the crossing opportunity for Diouf and his lethal left peg.
DISCUSS: Callum Wilson is NOT a starter for West Ham even despite his late goal vs Everton 👀
Walker-Peters and Jarrod Bowen combine in Callum Wilson winner
Matchwinner Wilson joked at full-time about how relieved he was to see his 92nd minute winner hit the net despite the inadvertent presence of Walker-Peters on the goalline.
Carragher also credits the former Southampton man for making himself a nuisance in the Everton penalty area, and distracting the visiting defenders.
“The reason Callum Wilson has that much space is because Kyle Walker-Peters – the right-back who we speak about starting the move with a fantastic pass and picked up the second ball, don’t forget – he makes this run, drags [James] Tarkowski towards the ball, and Wilson puts it in the net.
“To score a goal of that quality at that time in the game, I think speaks volumes of the quality West Ham have in the team.”
This was only Walker-Peters’ 13th Premier League start since joining West Ham. For Carragher, this makes the telepathic understanding between he and Bowen all the more impressive.
“They probably haven’t got a very strong relationship because they don’t play too often together,” said the 2005 Champions League winner. “But I wanted to highlight the goal here and their role in it.”
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