Only 20 days after his sacking by Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espírito Santo was back in a Premier League dugout and reminding himself why he returned so quickly. A revitalised West Ham earned a point at Everton, but deserved more after a fine second-half performance.
It is a green shoot of hope, which did not look forthcoming before the break when Everton held a lead thanks to Michael Keane’s header. West Ham equalised through Jarrod Bowen’s superb strike and from then on were the most likely winners. It was not to be for Nuno but he knows this point and performance give him a platform to build on.
“I love it, it is my life,” Nuno said of coaching. “This is just a very small step forward for us. We are starting now with a lot of work in front of us, but we are delighted with the challenge.”
After a couple of training sessions with his new charges, Nuno deployed his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. The players were adapting to the new system as each second ticked by, offering intensity to impress their new coach, but were outplayed by Everton in the early stages.
If West Ham are at the design stage, Everton are becoming a well-oiled machine under David Moyes. This helped the hosts dominate early on, controlling possession and moving the ball across the pitch as they looked to find gaps. Beto and Iliman Ndiaye had chances but sent their efforts straight at Alphonse Areola while Everton were on top.
There is plenty of individual quality at Nuno’s disposal and it is his job to maximise its potential and form a cohesive unit. Graham Potter paid the price for not consistently getting the best out of players but he could also point the finger at a disjointed recruitment policy that began long before his arrival. The former West Ham head coach will be irritated that he did not have Crysencio Summerville available for much of his tenure because the winger was the visitors’ best outlet, causing problems by driving at Jake O’Brien down Everton’s right that persisted throughout the night.
West Ham were conservative, as Nuno demands. Everton pushed them back and an opener felt inevitable. It arrived through a perfect inswinging cross from the left by James Garner, which an unmarked Keane rose highest to head home over the goalkeeper, leaving Nuno frustrated by his side’s indiscipline. Moyes has added more flair and quality to his squad for this season but Keane is quickly becoming one of his most dependable players in both boxes, an impressive turnaround for someone who was previously maligned. It was, however, the last real threat of the night from Everton as they allowed West Ham back into the match.
At this point, Nuno might have been wondering if he should have spent more time off practising the handpan and riding horses. Instead, he is trying to drag a struggling side out of the relegation zone. Unfortunately for Nuno, one thing he cannot remedy are the constant mistakes that have been made by those above the coaching and playing staff. There is growing discontent among the West Ham supporters, who chanted “sack the board”, “we want our club back” and more explicit things aimed at the owner, David Sullivan, and the hierarchy. “It’s our main priority that we come closer to our fans,” Nuno said. “We have to deliver so they can appreciate the work of the boys. It’s a nice moment for us moving forward.”
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The second half was a different story as West Ham settled into the Nuno way. Summerville almost levelled after capitalising on an error from O’Brien. The winger, aided by El Hadji Malick Diouf, terrorised the Everton full-back throughout the game. Diouf created the equaliser, swinging in a cross which Keane flicked straight to Bowen, who proved his talismanic status through a fine touch and sublime finish beyond Jordan Pickford. He kissed the badge in front of the away end and took the acclaim.
West Ham were on top at that point and their momentum built, forcing Everton, who drifted out of the contest, into mistakes and Pickford into saves, but they could not find a winner. If it was not for some last-ditch blocks, West Ham might have secured only their second victory of the season, the first coming against Nuno at the City Ground. Either way, Nuno knows nothing compares with the joys and intensity of being a Premier League head coach. The music and equestrian can wait: this is Nuno’s first love.
